A manuscript title page is the least glamorous page in your book and one of the few that an agent or editor reads every time. It tells them who you are, how to reach you, what the book is called and how long it is. Get it wrong and you look like you have not done your homework; get it right and nobody notices, which is the point. This guide covers exactly what belongs on a submission title page, what does not, how to handle a pen name, how to state your word count, and the common mistakes. The last section shows how Quillen builds the page for you from a short form.
The short answer
Put your real name and contact details at the top left (name, address, phone, email), single-spaced. About halfway down the page, centred, put the title in capitals, then a line saying "A Novel by" (or just "by" for nonfiction) and your name or pen name. Put an approximate word count near the contact block or foot, rounded to the nearest thousand. Leave out a copyright notice, a dedication, a logo and any artwork. It carries no page number.
Why the title page is plain
The point of a manuscript submission is to make the story easy to judge. Everything on the page is functional: the contact block so the agent can reach you, the title and byline so they know what they are reading, and the word count so they can judge fit. Decoration and clever fonts add nothing, and signals of amateurism, such as a copyright symbol or a cover image, can work against you. If your book is published, the designer builds a different, decorative title page later.
What goes where
| Element | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contact name | Top left | Your legal name, even if you write under a pen name |
| Address, phone, email | Top left, under the name | Single-spaced. Some writers leave out a street address and list only email and phone |
| Extra line | Top left, optional | A professional membership, an agent, or a website |
| Word count | Top right or near the foot | Approximate and rounded |
| Title | Centre, about halfway down | Capitals, no quotation marks, no underline |
| Byline | Centre, under the title | "A Novel by" plus the name the book will be published under |
| Page number and running head | Not shown | They begin on the first page of text |
Real name versus pen name
If you write under a pen name, the byline carries the pen name, because that is what will appear on the cover. The contact block carries your real name, because the agent needs it to sign a contract and to send you money. It is common to write the pen name in the byline and your real name above it, for example "Ada Marlow" in the contact block and "A Novel by A. M. Reed" under the title. Do not hide your real name: agents and editors are used to pen names and will not mind.
Stating your word count
Agents use word count to judge whether a book fits their list and their publishers' expectations. Give an approximate figure, rounded to the nearest thousand for a full-length book: "about 82,000 words", not "81,947". If you are close to a round number, round to it. Use your manuscript's own count, not an estimate based on pages. Word processors count slightly differently, so an approximate figure is both honest and enough. If your book is far outside the normal range for its genre, fix that before you submit, not on the title page.
The title and the byline
Write the title in capitals, with no quotation marks, italics, bold or underlining. For a novel, add "A Novel by" on the line below. For nonfiction, use just "by". If the title includes a subtitle, put it on a separate line under the main title. The author line is not the place for credentials, awards or previous books; those belong in your query letter.
What not to put on the title page
- A copyright notice. Your work is protected without one, and a notice can read as nervous.
- A dedication, epigraph or acknowledgments. Add them if the book is acquired.
- Images, a logo or a mock-up cover.
- A tagline or genre label. Put those in the query letter.
- Your social security number, date of birth or any other personal identifier.
- A page number or running head.
A worked example
For The Salt Road, written by Ada Marlow under her own name, the finished page looks like this, with the contact block single-spaced at top left:
Ada Marlow
12 Quay Street
Millbrook, OR 97000
555-0100
ada@example.com
THE SALT ROAD
A Novel by Ada Marlow
About 82,000 words
Notice what is missing: no decoration, no copyright line, no page number. The next page begins the story, numbered page 1.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Decorative fonts or images | Looks amateur | Plain Times New Roman, 12 point |
| Listing only a pen name | Agent cannot contract with you | Real name in the contact block |
| Exact word count | False precision | Round to the nearest thousand |
| Copyright notice | Signals inexperience | Leave it off |
| Page number on the title page | Page 1 is the first page of text | No number on the title page |
| Out-of-date contact details | A missed offer | Check them every time you submit |
| Following the standard when the agent asks for something else | Fails their test | The agent's guidelines come first |
Do it in Quillen
Quillen builds the submission title page from a short form, in the export for agents and publishers.
- Open your book and click Edit Details. Check the title, subtitle and author are as you want them in the byline. The book's type sets the wording: the byline reads "A Novel by" for a fiction book and just "by" for nonfiction.
- Open the export. Click Export in the header and choose Agents & publishers.
- Fill in the contact details. Enter the name for contact details (which can differ from the name in the byline), your address, phone and email, and an optional extra line for a membership, an agent or a website.
- Check the word count. Quillen fills it in from the manuscript and rounds it, for example "about 80,000 words" for a book-length manuscript. You can overwrite it.
- Choose Word or PDF and click Export. Word is the safer default unless the agent asks for PDF.
- Open the file and check page one. It should have the title page, with no page number, followed by the story starting on page 1 with a running head in the top right.
The rest of the manuscript follows standard format automatically: Times New Roman 12 point, double-spaced, US Letter with one-inch margins. See how to format a manuscript for agents for the full list. There are no style options in this export, by design: manuscript format is meant to be the same for everyone.
Checklist
- Real name, address, phone and email at the top left.
- Title in capitals, centred about halfway down.
- "A Novel by" (or "by") with the name the book will be published under.
- Word count rounded to the nearest thousand.
- No copyright notice, dedication, images or page number.
- Checked against the agent's own guidelines.
Common questions
What goes on a manuscript title page?
Your real name and contact details at the top left, the title in capitals about halfway down, a byline such as 'A Novel by' with your name or pen name, and an approximate word count.
Should I use my real name or my pen name?
Use your pen name in the byline and your real name in the contact block. Agents are used to pen names and need your real name to contract with you.
How should I state my word count?
Give an approximate figure rounded to the nearest thousand, such as 'about 82,000 words', using your manuscript's own count.
Should I put a copyright notice on the title page?
No. Your work is protected without one, and a notice can look inexperienced. Add copyright pages if the book is published.
How do I make a manuscript title page in Quillen?
Open Export, choose Agents & publishers, fill in the contact details and word count, then export as Word or PDF. Quillen builds the title page and formats the rest of the manuscript.