Word

Creating Manuscript Headers

When you submit your manuscript to a market, there is a set of general formatting rules you need to follow. One such rule is to include a header, generally with the name of your manuscript, your name, and the current page number. Most markets do not want a header on the first page, so you must format the header so that it appears on every page but the first.

Look over these general formatting rules from Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. before formatting your manuscript. Always check with the market for any special formatting needs before sending your manuscript.

To create manuscript headers:

Open a document in Word.
Select View > Header and Footer.
The text in your document turns gray. A box appears at the top of the current page titled "Header." If you look at the bottom of a page, a similar box appears titled "Footer."
Click the Align Right button in the Formatting toolbar.

Align Right Button in Toolbar
Click in the Header box at the top of a page.
Enter the name of your story and your name (example: My Story, Sean Hower).
Make sure you leave a space after your name.
Select Insert > Page Numbers....
The Page Numbers dialogue box appears. Use this box to create and format page numbers.
Select Right from the Alignment drop down list.
Make sure the Show numbers on the first page checkbox is not selected.
Most markets do not want a header on the first page of a manuscript.
Click OK.
The header text on page one disappears and the title on the header changes to "First Page Header." If you scroll down to page 2, the header appears with the page count.

Note

To leave the Header and Footer view, select View > Header and Footer again. The headers and footers disappear and your text returns to its "normal" color.