When I started my book design journey, I looked so many places (so many!) for book design teaching that (a) was based on traditional standards but wasn’t outdated, and (b) wouldn’t require me to go back to college/university.
While I probably should collect some of those courses and resources to post publicly at some point, one post that I referenced and shared often was Joel Friedlander’s info on the order and the names for parts of a book–the front matter, body, and back matter, and what goes where, exactly. Joel has since passed on, and I miss his wisdom and perspective. But in case you want a rundown of the order in which elements should be set up, I want to share what I’ve learned from him and from watching things in the indie author world.
A quick note: if any of this seems not to match up with what you find for your genre, then let the bookstore be your compass. Checking these lists against big-publisher new releases and the bestsellers from the last couple of years—ones in your genre—will never be a bad decision.
Contents
The parts of a book: “front matter” before the main book text
When you look at a traditionally published book, these first few “front matter” items, the ones before the body of the book, are found in a traditional order. Having your own book in a traditional publishing arrangement can provide a subconsciously familiar feel for readers, which also means it may feel “off” if you disrupt the order too much.
Here is a quick summary of the most common placements.
All books typically include these:
- Title page
- Copyright (on back of title page)
- Dedication (optional but common)
Fiction front matter items (all optional)
- Map
- Contents*
- Prologue
Nonfiction front matter items
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Introduction
*Most fiction books do not have a Contents element anymore, at least if they only contain numbered chapters; if you’re not sure, check your local bookstore or Look Inside previews in your genre to see how you can match what readers already expect.
Prologue: use it or … lose it?
If your story’s Prologue is essential to your plot setup, and you make a lot of profit from ebook sales, I suggest you check with readers who choose ebooks, once your book is available on store platforms. Why, you ask? Well…
While an ebook read with Apple Books may open to the very, very first page and make the reader scroll forward, an ebook on a Kindle device may skip all the parts of a book before Chapter 1. Meaning your reader may never see it. So if a Prologue is essential to your story setup, follow up to be sure your readers are seeing it, and it might be worth reconsidering your structure for future books. (More fodder for social media interactions, right?)
Foreword and Preface and Intro, oh my…?
Nonfiction front matter elements: what are these things?! Let’s demystify these just a bit:
- Foreword: “This other credible person said you should read this book.” A foreword is not written by the author. It functions like a long endorsement or recommendation-type “blurb”; since these are typically found in nonfiction, this will frequently (not always) be signed at the end by a person with some sort of credibility for why they recommend the book, be that something like “Jane Smith, CEO of X Business,” another title of respect or authority, recognizable degrees listed after their name, etc.
- Preface: “I’m the author, and this is why I wrote this book.” A preface is the author telling the reader either some details about themself or about the book’s origins that may be of interest to the truly devoted reader but which won’t affect the book as a whole if the reader doesn’t want any back story.
- Introduction: “Reader, here’s what you’ll get out of this book.” An introduction is meant to shed light on the purpose of the book rather than on the author themself.
Main Body text: the “meat” of the story or content
“Main Body text” should be a fairly self-explanatory concept, as “Chapter 1” is pretty typical whether you’re working with fiction or nonfiction. The body may include just chapters or may divide them into volumes and parts.
Print book numbering. Typesetting rules in the US call for Page 1 to fall at the start of Chapter 1, so any parts of a book that fall before Chapter 1 should be numbered with lowercase Roman numerals. (Introductions may sometimes bend this rule if they are closely related to the Body.)
Back matter: anything that comes after the Body
A lot of these back matter items are less prescriptive in casual writing, or may feel less “off” if they’re reordered. If you’re working on a more formal nonfiction document, though, you should go by the style guide that best suits the need, whether that’s The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.), the MLA Handbook, etc.
Fiction elements
- Epilogue/Afterword
- Notes/Glossary
- Also by the author (include purchase links!)
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
Nonfiction elements
- Conclusion/Afterword
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix
- Abbreviations or Glossary
- Notes (endnotes)
- Bibliography/References
- Index
- About the Author
A quick note on Blurbs (both kinds) and Acknowledgments
“Blurbs”? This is a term that has caused my clients and me some head-scratching and miscommunication because it’s a word used in more than one way.
In the context of a book interior like we’re talking about here, “Blurbs,” plural, refers to short endorsements, from about a sentence in length to a paragraph or two.
But “Blurb” is also a marketing term that can refer to the text printed on the back of a print book, as well as to the marketing copy that gets uploaded to store platforms. Unlike an endorsement, this is sales copy, so a marketing blurb may well contain keyword strings to help purchasers find books.
While the text on the cover may not ever be updated, if there are extra charges by the cover designer to make such changes (less important if a book is not actively listed in a bookstore), the text uploaded for marketing purposes can be updated as often as desired.
Context will help you figure out which is meant when “Blurb” is used–and choosing the terms “marketing copy” or “endorsement” may prevent confusion in your own conversations.
Acknowledgments. The traditional placement of the Acknowledgments element in the front of the book may still be used by some authors, but to take advantage of online platforms and their Look Inside previews, many authors and book designers now move this to the back.
Optional elements and where to put them
- Blurbs/endorsements: most frequent in nonfiction to lend credibility to the work; often on the very first page of the book
- Half title page: found in fiction and nonfiction; title only, no other info; either placed on the very first page, the first page after short endorsements, or inserted before the main body text if there is a large amount of introductory material before the main parts of a book’s content
- Epigraph: fiction or nonfiction; a quote or text snippet on its own page at the start of the book, or may be found at the start of multiple chapters, parts, or volumes
Good luck as you master the elements … er, the contents!
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