diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/render.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/render.py
index c6917de645..fe910b9891 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/render.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/render.py
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ def mi_to_html(
             else:
                 links = ', '.join(mi.identifiers)
             if links:
-                ans.append((field, row % (_('Ids')+':', links)))
+                ans.append((field, row % (_('Ids')+title_sep, links)))
         elif field == 'authors':
             authors = []
             formatter = EvalFormatter()
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/template_dialog.py b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/template_dialog.py
index d5eeee402e..a17bde02a8 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/template_dialog.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/template_dialog.py
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ class TemplateDialog(QDialog, Ui_TemplateDialog):
         '''
         self.fm = fm
         if mi:
-            if not isinstance(mi, list):
+            if not isinstance(mi, (tuple, list)):
                 mi = (mi, )
         else:
             mi = Metadata(_('Title'), [_('Author')])
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/preferences/save_template.py b/src/calibre/gui2/preferences/save_template.py
index 3efd83df70..f3e573e5d3 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/preferences/save_template.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/preferences/save_template.py
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class SaveTemplate(QWidget, Ui_Form):
         from calibre.gui2.ui import get_gui
         db = get_gui().current_db
         view = get_gui().library_view
-        mi = list(map(db.new_api.get_proxy_metadata, view.get_selected_ids()[:10]))
+        mi = tuple(map(db.new_api.get_proxy_metadata, view.get_selected_ids()[:10]))
         if not mi:
             error_dialog(self, _('Must select books'),
                          _('One or more books must be selected so the template '