Manuscript Format Checklist & Cover Page Generator
A correctly formatted title page for your submission, plus a self-check list of standard manuscript formatting rules.
About this manuscript format checklist and cover page generator
Agents and editors read hundreds of submissions and give an improperly formatted one very little benefit of the doubt — not because the formatting itself matters creatively, but because it is the first, fastest signal of whether a writer has done their homework. Standard manuscript format is well-documented and consistent across most fiction publishing: 12-point Times New Roman, one-inch margins, double-spaced, half-inch paragraph indents, contact details and word count on the title page only, and a running header of surname, title and page number from the second page onward.
This tool generates that title page correctly: your contact details in the top-left corner, an approximate word count in the top-right — rounded to the nearest thousand for a novel or nearest hundred for a short story, since agents expect a rounded estimate rather than an exact count, which reads as more experienced — and your title in capitals with the byline centred roughly halfway down the page. Add an agent's contact details at the bottom if you have representation, or leave that blank for a direct submission.
Below the title page, an optional formatting checklist covers the rest of standard format as a self-check for your actual manuscript file: font and spacing, indentation, the running header from page two onward, where new chapters should start, how to mark a scene break so it cannot be lost at a page edge, and how emphasis should be shown. One important caveat sits at the top of that checklist and is worth repeating here: standard format is a well-established default, not an override — always follow a specific publisher, agent or contest's own stated guidelines first if they differ from it.
Everything is generated in your browser and saved locally between visits. Nothing you type about your manuscript or contact details is uploaded anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Should my word count be exact or rounded?
Rounded — an approximate count is the convention, and listing an exact figure like "82,437 words" is generally read as a sign of inexperience. Round to the nearest thousand for a novel or novella, or the nearest hundred for a short story.
What if I write under a pen name?
Your legal name still goes in the contact details, since that is who the payment or contract is with. The pen name goes in the byline under the title instead — enter it separately and the generator handles the rest.
How should I mark a scene break?
Centre a single # on its own line. A bare blank line is not recommended, since word processors can hide blank lines that fall at the top or bottom of a page, and the editor may never notice the break was there.
Does this override a publisher's own submission guidelines?
No, and it should not. Standard format is the well-established default when no other instructions are given, but a specific agent, publisher or contest's own stated guidelines always take precedence if they differ from it — check those first.
Do screenplays use this same format?
No — screenplay format is a different, more specialised standard (Courier 12-point with specific scene-heading and dialogue-block conventions) and is not what this tool is built for.