Manuscript Preparation, Copyediting, and Proofreading
Q. Hello. Are there any samples of manuscript formats for fiction writing in your new updated book?
A. The Chicago Manual of Style does not include guidelines for submitting manuscripts of works of fiction. Following a long tradition, the manual provides
guidelines for editing and writing and publishing works of nonfiction. Most of our rules on punctuation and capitalization
apply to all writing, and we do include recommendations for styling such things as direct and indirect discourse, but the
“nuts and bolts” information about publishing and editing is primarily geared
toward nonfiction articles and books.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]