What metadata belongs in a manuscript file?
- Title page: title, author name, word count, contact info.
- Document properties (File > Info > Properties) set: author, title, subject.
- Header: author last name + book title (or one of the two).
- Footer: page number.
- No reader-distracting metadata: track changes off, comments resolved.
A manuscript file needs a title page (title, author name, word count, contact info), document properties set correctly (File > Info > Properties: author, title, subject), a running header with author last name and book title, and a footer with page numbers. Track changes should be off and comments resolved before any non-editor sees the file.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Manuscript metadata is one of the small details that signals "professional submission" versus "amateur." Authors who forget the title page, leave track changes on, or have leftover comments from a beta reader trigger fast rejection. The metadata takes five minutes to set correctly on day one and never needs revisiting.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Title page: title (centered, top), author name (centered, middle), word count and contact (top right corner).
- Document properties: author = your name, title = book title.
- Header: author last name + book title (or one of the two), top right of every page.
- Footer: page number, bottom right of every page.
- Track changes: off before sharing with non-editors.
- Comments: resolved or removed before any submission.
Chapter iii·Example
A querying writer sets up her 92,000-word manuscript’s metadata once: title page formatted to Shunn standard, document properties set to "Author: Jane Smith, Title: Stargazer", header reading "Smith / Stargazer", footer with page numbers, track changes off, no leftover comments. Every query goes out without metadata fixes.
WriteLoom’s export includes industry-standard manuscript metadata by default — title page, document properties, header, footer.
See the Write studio