If you are planning to submit your book to an agent it's a good idea to get the formatting set up right at the beginning so you don't have to go through all the tedious effort later of formatting several hundred pages.
So here's the low down. You are going to want to use a Word document, or if you prefer free software, you can download Libre which has a program very similar to Word (and its files can also be saved in Word format so if you send it to someone using Word, they can open it.) You may need to Google some of these instructions for Libre since they use slightly different names for some of their tool bars.
YOUR COVER PAGE
First your cover page that needs to be formatted like this:
Make sure to add a page break at the end of it. You do that by going to the main tool bar at the top:
Click on Insert, in the drop down list click Break
Which opens this pane
Click the button beside 'Page break'. Click OK. A dotted line will appear where your cursor was placed.
THE HEADER
Now you need to make a header for your book. It needs to show on every page except the cover page.
In MS Word you set it up like this:
In the toolbar click on View, in the drop down list click Header and Footer
This toolbar will now appear on your screen
This opens a dotted box at the top of the document. Click inside the box. You need to set it to right alignment, click that in the main toolbar (icon highlighted in orange)
Then, in your header you need to write the following, making sure to use the slash marks to separate the subjects without spaces:
your surname/book title/page number
to add the page number within the header and footer toolbar you need to click on the icon in the Header and Footer tool bar with the single hastag just to the the right of the words 'Insert Auto Text'
At this point the header text is going to show on your cover page, which you don't want. You need to have the header text start on the second page. This is how to amend it.
Click on the open book icon in your Header and Footer tool bar, (highlighted in orange below), this opens the pane underneath called Page Setup. You need to click on the Layout tab.
Click on the box beside 'Different first page'. Click OK.
Now your header text starts on the second page. We're almost done formatting the header. Now we need to make sure it starts counting page one on the page after the cover page, since we don't count that one. (Not my rules, just how the industry wants it done)
To do that, you need to click on the page number on in your header. It will highlight itself in gray. Then click on the hashtag icon with the hand to open the format page number pane. On that pane click the button beside 'Start at' and then choose the number 0. Click OK.
Voila! You now have the correct header for your entire manuscript, counting the pages correctly.
CHAPTER TITLE PAGE SET UP
Next you need to set up your chapter title page page format.
You need to start each new chapter one-third of the way down the page. On an A4 page, that means the title sits on the twelfth single spaced line. If, like me, you need to write a sub-title, make one single line space, write the text on the next line. Then you need to make four single line returns before commencing your chapter. If you don't have to write a sub-title, then you just use four single line returns. You will use this format for every chapter title page including your prologue and epilogue (if you have them).
SETTING THE FORMAT FOR THE MANUSCRIPT
The first paragraph of a chapter and any new section needs to be un-indented. Every other paragraph should be indented. The usual indentation is 5 spaces. These can both be set up, and saved as separate styles in Word, so that the formatting you want happens automatically as you type. The document must also be double spaced throughout.
Here is how to set up the two styles you are going to need, the first un-indented paragraph and every other paragraph.
Open up a new Word document.
Type the first paragraph of your manuscript. It doesn't matter if it's polished, you just need words on paper. A few sentences is sufficient. Make sure there are no spaces in front of the first word, that it is tight to the margin.
Select the text of the entire paragraph.
In the formatting tool bar, choose the font Times New Roman and size 12. These are the preferred settings by agents (and beta readers, and editors, and copy editors, you get the idea).
Now your font and size is set, you need to set the spacing.
DOUBLE SPACING THE MANUSCRIPT
Agents want the manuscript double spaced. To set up your manuscript for double spacing, go to the main tool bar. Click on Format, in the drop down list click on Paragraph.
This will open the Paragraph pane, you need to click on the drop down box underneath 'Line spacing'. Choose 'Double'. Click OK.
Now you are set with spacing, font and font size. This is how every one of your first paragraphs should look throughout your entire document. So, now you are going to save it as a style so you don't have to format your work every single time.
CREATING AND SAVING A NEW STYLE
I use Word 2003 which is old, but serves the purpose without lots of bells and whistles I don't need. If you use a different version, it's best to google how to create a style on whatever Word version or software you are using. But just for completion, how I do it is click on the drop down button on the styles menu. At the bottom I select the option 'More'.
A side panel opens with various basic styles listed. Click the 'New Style' box.
Type in the name of your style in the top field titled 'Name', I call mine First line Manuscript. Click OK.
Now you have this style saved and available to you in your style menu. You need to do the same again for the other un-indented paragraphs in your manuscript.
To do that, write the second paragraph, the only change you need to make is to make sure to indent the first word of the paragraph by five spaces. Every other setting above will be the same. Save it as a style just like you did on the first paragraph and give it a different name. I call mine Manuscript Format.
Now you are ready to go.
Begin writing your manuscript. At the end of your first paragraph, select the text and choose the first line manuscript style you made from the styles drop down menu and it will automatically look as it should, ready for agents.
Write your second paragraph and then do the same. Select the text and apply the style template for the indented paragraph to it. From now on your manuscript will be written in that format. You only need to apply the first paragraph style in any section to make sure those paragraphs are not indented.
SETTING UP YOUR PAGE MARGINS
The only thing left to do is set up your page margins. Go to the main tool bar and click on File and from the drop down menu choose 'Page Setup'
On the Margins tab, use 2.54cm for the left and right margins. Top and bottom margins are already set at 2.54cm by default. Click OK. Your whole document will remain at this setting unless you go in and change it.
Quick reminder! Make sure to use a page break at the end of every chapter. Always start a new chapter on a new page. Agents want things separate, no continuous running of chapters like you sometimes see in books, that sort of formatting is done by a professional print designer for publishing but it has no place in a manuscript submission.
Also if you have breaks in a scene, leave an extra space between them, however if that break falls at the bottom of the page, use an asterisk centered on the line, so that they know the new page is a new scene/different place in time, otherwise they might not realize there was a gap and be confused.
And that's it! Easy! And pro! Agents and editors will love you.