Format and Headers and Page Numbers, Oh My!

In submitting stories to fantasy and science fiction publications, I normally follow (unless otherwise specified by the guidelines) Proper Manuscript Format by William Shunn. It's simple, easy to follow, and is accepted by most publications. Best of all, removing the standard header (Last Name / Title / Page Number) from the first page is as simple as ticking Different First Page in the Header design box of Microsoft Word.

But what if you're required to follow a different format, like say, Manuscript Preparation by Vonda McIntyre, that requires a cover page? Now your header has to start on the third page instead of the second. All of a sudden, Different First Page property just won't cut it anymore.

What you need to do is introduce sections in your document, so Microsoft Word can identify the different types of headers (or lack thereof) that you require for each section. Here's an article that shows you how to do this, particularly, how to remove the header from the second page.

Now you think you're all set, but not quite yet. You realize your first header shows the page number "3", when it should start at "2" (i.e., disregard the cover page in the numbering). You need to tweak the page number properties to get this right. Here's another article that shows you how to start page numbering on page 2.

Hope this helps! Keep on writing!