Ang manuskrito ay isang isinulat na impormasyon na manuwal na nilikha ng isa

o maraming mga tao gaya ng isang sulat na isinulat ng kamay na salungat sa

pagiging inilimbag(printed) o nilikha sa ibang paraan. Ang terminong ito ay
maaari ring gamitin para sa impormasyon na itinala ng kamay sa ibang mga
paraan kesa sa pagsusulat halimbawa sa mga inkripsiyon na inukit sa isang
matigas na materyal gaya ng kahoy.

Sa mga kontekstong paglilimbag at akademiko, ang isang manuskrito ay isang

tekstong isinumite sa tagalimbag bilang paghahanda sa publikasyon na
karaniwan bilang isang typescript na inihanda sa isang makinilya o sa
kasalukuyan ay isang printout mula sa isang printer ng kompyuter na inihanda
sa isang pormat na manuskrito. Ang mga manuskrito ay maaaring nasa anyong
aklat, mga skrolyo o sa pormat na codex.
Etimolohiya
Nagmula ang salitang manuskrito sa manuscript
(Ingles) at manuscrito (Kastila)[1], na kapwa
nanggaling naman sa manu scriptus ng Latin na may
literal na kahulugang "kamay [manus] ang sumulat
[scriptus]" o "isinulat ng kamay".
A manuscript is essentially the earliest draft of a
book. It is the unpublished version of a book
submitted to agents and editors for publication
consideration. In book publishing, agents and
editors will often refer to books in manuscript
form, noting that the book is in the earliest stages
of preparation.
A book in manuscript form will always need to be
edited. And, sometimes, once the editor has gone
through it, it is sent back to the author for a
rewrite. Either way, it will likely be sent back to you
once it's been edited and proofread so you can
make the requested changes. Once it is deemed to
be fully ready, it is then sent to the production side
of the business, where it is prepped to be printed
into an actual book.
Some authors begin work on their manuscript
without first having had a book proposal
accepted by a publisher. They write first, then
look for a publisher. And if they can't find a
publisher, they self-publish. Other authors only
begin to work on the manuscript once a book
proposal has been accepted by a publisher.
When you are composing your book, many people
recommend not worrying about the format. You can
compose your manuscript writing longhand with a quill
on parchment if that's what gets your creative juices
flowing. There are still writers who use paper and pen,
typewriters. or record their manuscripts verbally before
transcribing it or having it transcribed for them.
Bestselling author Danielle Steel has written more than
100 books—all on her trusty 1946 Olympia manual
typewriter.
Whatever method you use to compose your
manuscript, it must eventually be made to conform to
the style guide and manuscript preparation guidelines
required by the publisher. There may be different style
guides and manuscript requirements for the type of
books, such as fiction, nonfiction, children's books,
scripts, and poetry. Ask the publisher or your agent
for their guidelines before you submit your
manuscript.
 Use one-inch margins on the top, bottom, and
left- and right-hand sides.
 Numbering should begin on the first page
following the title page.
 Each page should have a header with your name,
the book title in all caps, and the page number.
 The entire text should be double-spaced, which
leaves space for comments by editors.
 Indent each paragraph five spaces without adding
extra lines between paragraphs.
 Use a standard font type such as Arial or New Times
Roman in 12-point type.
 Printed manuscripts should be produced on 20-lb.
bond paper.
It is easy to reformat manuscripts you have
saved in a computer compared to the days of old
when you had to retype them completely. And
speaking of saving, I can't stress enough the
need to back up your work on a memory stick or
external hard drive. That way, even if your
computer's hard drive crashes, your work will be
saved.