Just add an org.template, seasoned to taste, to the templates directory.
Thanks Nick; actually I'm looking instead for something that doesn't change the file contents, but just changes the export settings (or whatever's in that block; title, author, etc.) globally. Maybe there isn't such a thing for org-mode. I do like having my "typesetting" settings outside the actual file so I separate presentation from content (and can adjust the presentation of all the files at once). Ideally I'd love to have it all in my .emacs.