Open any trade book from a shelf and look at the top margin. There is usually a small line of text there, the same on every spread, and most readers never consciously notice it. That line is the running head.
What is a running head?
It is a short line of text repeated at the top of the page through the body of a book. It tells a reader who opens the book at random where they are: which book, and often which chapter. Typesetters also call it a running header, a header or simply a head. The same thing at the bottom of the page is a running foot.
Running heads are one of the standard elements of a typeset book, alongside page numbers, chapter openings and front matter. What typesetting involves places them in the wider job.
What goes in a running head?
The conventions differ between fiction and non-fiction, and both treat the left-hand page (verso) and right-hand page (recto) differently.
| Book type | Left-hand page | Right-hand page |
|---|---|---|
| Fiction | Author's name | Book title |
| Non-fiction | Book title | Chapter title |
| Reference or textbook | Chapter title | Section title |
| Anthology | Book title or editor | Contributor's name and piece title |
| Short document or report | Document title on every page | Same, or nothing |
The general idea: the left page carries the bigger unit, the right page the smaller one. A reader skimming a long non-fiction book can see which chapter they are in from the right-hand page without turning back.
Running heads are usually set small, often in small capitals or italic, and lighter than the body text. They should be noticed when looked for and invisible the rest of the time.
Where are running heads left out?
On any page where they would be redundant or look wrong.
- Chapter opening pages. The chapter title is already there, large. A running head above it repeats it.
- Blank pages. A blank left-hand page before a chapter stays fully blank, with no running head and no page number.
- Most front matter. Title page, copyright page, dedication and contents usually carry none.
- Full-page images and tables that fill the text area.
- Part title pages, for the same reason as chapter openings.
Getting these exceptions right is a large part of why running heads are tedious to do by hand and why dedicated book software handles them automatically.
Where does the page number go?
Either in the running head or at the foot of the page. Trade books often place the page number, called the folio, at the outer corner of the running head, so the head line reads "page number, book title" on the left and "chapter title, page number" on the right. Many other books put it centred at the foot and keep the head for titles only.
Both are correct. The choice affects the top margin: a running head with a folio needs room above the text block, which is one reason book margins are larger than people expect. Page margins and line length covers how that space is shared. Page numbers in a Markdown PDF covers numbering in detail.
Do running heads matter in a manuscript?
Yes, but they are a different thing. A submission manuscript carries a header on every page with your surname, a short version of the title and the page number, so a dropped stack of pages can be put back in order. That header is a practical label rather than book design. Manuscript format gives the exact layout.
Do not carry the manuscript header into the finished book, and do not add book-style running heads to a submission. They do different jobs.
Does every book need running heads?
No. They help most in long books that readers dip into: reference works, textbooks, long non-fiction, anthologies. They help least in short books read straight through, and in documents read on screen.
| Situation | Running heads? |
|---|---|
| Trade paperback novel | Usual, by convention |
| Long non-fiction or reference | Helpful |
| Workbook, handbook or manual | Optional; a clear contents page and page numbers matter more |
| Lead magnet or short guide | Rarely needed |
| Ebook | Not used; the reading system shows its own location |
Ebooks are the clear case. A reflowable EPUB has no fixed pages, so there is nowhere fixed to put a running head. Reading apps show the book or chapter name and progress in their own interface instead. A PDF converted to EPUB often drags its old running heads into the text, repeated every few paragraphs, one of the clean-up jobs PDF to EPUB walks through.
How do you add running heads?
It depends on the tool.
- Dedicated book formatters apply them automatically as part of a chapter style, including the exceptions above.
- Layout software such as InDesign uses master pages, with the chapter title pulled in from a text variable.
- LaTeX has packages for headers and footers, which is part of why it remains popular for long technical books. Markdown or LaTeX for a book compares the two.
- Pandoc can produce running heads through its LaTeX output, with some configuration. Pandoc for books covers where it shines.
- Word processors offer headers, with different first page and odd and even page options, plus section breaks to change the chapter title. It works, and it is fiddly over a long book.
Whatever the tool, check the exceptions: chapter openings, blank pages and the front matter. Those are where automated headers most often go wrong.
Page furniture in bukpress
bukpress does not set running heads. Its page furniture is page numbers: a single setting that puts them centred in the footer in the body typeface, or turns them off, with covers left unnumbered. There is no roman and arabic split either.
That is a deliberate fit for what bukpress exports: A4 PDFs, which suit workbooks, handbooks, guides and non-fiction more than a trade paperback. For those, clear chapter headings, a contents page and page numbers carry the navigation. If your book needs traditional running heads at a trade trim size, a dedicated formatter is the right tool, and book formatting software compares them. For everything else, write in Markdown, set the type once and export a typeset PDF, with an EPUB on Pro, where running heads do not apply anyway. The sample book shows the page numbers in a real export.
Common questions
What is the difference between a header and a running head?
In everyday use they mean the same thing. "Running head" is the book-publishing term, and it implies the text changes with the chapter or page side. "Header" is the general word used in word processors.
Should the running head be on the first page of a chapter?
No. Chapter opening pages are left without a running head by convention, because the chapter title is already on the page. The page number can still appear, often moved to the foot.
What font should a running head use?
Usually the body typeface, smaller than the body text, often in small capitals or italic. It should be easy to read but quieter than the text below it. Book typography basics covers hierarchy on the page.
Does KDP require running heads?
No. Amazon's print requirements are about trim size, margins, bleed and fonts; running heads are a design choice, though most trade books carry them by convention. What Amazon KDP wants from your file covers what it does require.