Hi,

I'm sure this subject must have been covered on this forum before, but I can't find it. If it has, sorry, and if someone could direct me to the right discussion, I'd be grateful.

I'm about to submit a short story to a magazine. I've been given good advice on what to include on the cover sheet: their address top left, my address top right, title somewhere in the middle, word count bottom right.

My question is: what information should I put in the header/footer of the actual manuscript? Page numbers, obviously. But do I need to include my name on the MSS? The title of the story? (There's no requirement for anonimity in the submission guidelines.) I know one writer who puts his address in the footer. Is this usual?

I'm sure there's etiquette to this - if anyone knows, I'll love you forever.

ShinyK

X

It’s always a good idea to put the title and your name in the header. I heard that agents like to see the page number at the top right-hand corner, although I don’t know if this applies to magazines. Apparently this is for the most basic practical reasons; manuscripts get dropped. If the pages of your story can be easily identified and sorted they have a chance of making it to the next stage, otherwise who knows what will happen.

I think the address would make the pages look too cluttered, but that’s just personal preference. Perhaps on the last page to indicate the end?

Hope this helps.

Dee

Thanks, Dee

That's pretty much what I was planning to do, and I'm glad someone else thinks the same!

K