The smallest element on your manuscript page—the page number—can often be the biggest headache when preparing for your self-published book layout.
Page numbers can also make a big impact on whether your finished book looks amateurish or professional. Publishing types can spot an uninformed effort a mile away. Savvy readers may find an unconventional or sloppy format off-putting too. Page numbers on a blank page—really?
If you want your book to compete with all the other pro titles on the shelf, getting this step right—however tedious it may be—is crucial. And your designer, typesetter, or e-formatter will thank you too.
(As with the previous post, this guidance applies to straightforward manuscripts formatted as Microsoft Word documents.)
Before You Number Pages for Self-Publishing
1. Show/Hide ¶. To take the guesswork out of formatting, turn on Show/Hide ¶ (Show Non-Printing Characters) in the Home tab, Paragraph section. Or go to Word > Preferences > View > Show Non-Printing Characters > All. Now you can see spacing, paragraph breaks, and tab indents, as well as any Page, Section, or Column Breaks. They’re visible in light blue. Navigating your manuscript just got easier.
2. Consistency check. Double-check that the formatting you applied when preparing your manuscript for editing is still consistent. Fix it where needed.
3. Content check. Make sure that you’ve inserted everything you need in your document, including front matter; images, figures, tables, and charts; and back matter.
What is front matter? Also called “prelims,” these pages sit at the front of the book, before the first page of your main text. They convey publishing and book information. More importantly perhaps, they contribute (along with the cover) to your readers’ vital first impression.
You can choose from more than a baker’s dozen of front matter pages, but most fiction and nonfiction include at least a title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, and table of contents.
Nonfiction may also include lists of figures, illustrations, and tables, along with a foreword, preface, and/or introduction (or a prologue in novels).
What is back matter? Also called “end matter,” these pages sit at the end of the book, following the last page of your main text. Back matter provides the reader with supplementary details about the main text.
I’ve seen up to twenty-five types of back matter pages, but typically for both fiction and nonfiction, you’ll include an author note, acknowledgements, author bio, and permissions. Nonfiction may include a glossary, list of references, index of subject matter, and other helpful pages—even ads for similar books of interest.
4. Break check. Ensure that you’ve inserted Page Breaks at the end of every chapter so that each new chapter starts on its own page. (Don’t make the rookie keyboard error of hitting the Enter key umpteenth times to start text on a new page). In the Insert tab, Pages section, select Pages > Page Break. Or in the Layout tab, select Breaks > Page; or in the Menu bar, select Insert > Break > Page Break.
Don’t worry if you’ve also used a Page Break to separate your front matter from your main text for now, as we’ll fix that below.
5. Header/Footer check. Depending on the reader’s navigational needs, your Header format will vary from simple to more complex.
Novels tend to follow this pattern (or headers are often omitted altogether): Author Name on the left and Book Title on the right.
Straightforward nonfiction, such as memoir or biography, will usually apply this method: Book Title on the left and Chapter Title on the right.
Textbooks and how-to manuals may use a more granular format: Chapter Title on the left and Page Subhead/Section on the right.
At this stage, your Footer format will likely reflect your earlier pagination, which we’re also about to adjust.
How to Number Pages Accurately for Self-Publishing
1. Every page counts. When paginating your manuscript for self-publishing, remember that every page is counted, whether it’s a display page (half-title page, title page, copyright, dedication, and epigraph), a blank page, or shows Roman or Arabic numerals.
2. Use a Section Break to distinguish your front matter from your main text. If you haven’t already done so, at the end of the last page of your front matter, insert a Section Break (Next Page) rather than your original Page Break. In the Layout tab, select Breaks > Section Breaks (Next Page). Or in the Menu bar, select Insert > Break > Section Break (Next Page). Your front matter is now recognized as a unique section with its own sequence of page numbers (typically in Roman numerals).
However, make sure you’ve deleted the original Page Break. This is where seeing the non-printing characters really pays off (turn on Show/Hide ¶). If you’ve erroneously doubled up on breaks here and can’t see them, you’ll spend way too much time trying to figure out why your pagination is a garbled mess. No keyboards smashed in frustration, please.
3. Paginating your front matter. For manuscript purposes (as a guide for you or your text designer/e-formatter), you’ll add Roman numerals to every page of your front matter except for the title page. (Rules for printed books and e-books differ here, which I may cover in a future blog.)
On the title page, double-click on the footer area to activate the Header/Footer tab.
Turn off (click) Link to Previous to unlink Section 1 (your front matter) from Section 2 (your main text and back matter).
Select Page Number > Alignment > Center.
Un-checkmark Show number on first page and click OK.
Select Page Number > Format Page Numbers > Number format > i, ii, iii,…
Select Page Numbering > Start at i and click OK.
If you still see a page number on your first page, just delete it. (I don’t know why Word does this, despite the steps above, but it just does.) Don't worry, this won't affect Section 2 since you’ve unlinked it.
The page numbers are now in sequential Roman numerals throughout the front matter.
4. Paginating your main text and back matter. Repeat the process above with the following tweaks:
On the first page of your main text (which should be your first chapter), double-click on the footer area to activate the Header/Footer tab.
Select Page Number > Alignment > Center.
Checkmark Show number on first page and click OK.
Select Page Number > Format Page Numbers > Number format > 1, 2, 3,…
Select Page Numbering > Start at 1 and click OK.
The page numbers are now in sequential Arabic numerals all the way to your last page.
A Bit of Header Housekeeping
I know—this post is about pagination—but now that you’ve sectioned off your front matter, you need to tidy up your headers to match.
On the first page of your main text, double-click on the header area to activate the Header/Footer tab.
Turn off (click) Link to Previous as you don’t want the Header for Section 2 (your main text) to be linked to the Header for Section 1 (your front matter). Click OK.
On the title page, double-click on the header area to activate the Header/Footer tab and delete the content of the headers. Click OK.
Headers are now only on your main text and back matter.
After You Paginate, then You Celebrate…
… because the next time you’ll see your manuscript pages (after design/formatting), they’ll actually look like a book. You’ll experience a paradigm shift toward your work. Many authors say it “becomes real” at this stage. This feeling helps prepare you for the even-more seismic event of opening your first box of books fresh from the printer…
Very helpful. Many changes to my manuscript formatting achieved. Thanks.
David Judge