How To Frame Your Book: Demystifying Front And Back Matter

Did you know that there are specific terms for the content included at the front and back of your book? Sometimes called “front matter,” prelims, or explanatory matter, the pieces that are placed at the beginning of a book before the book itself include endorsements, title pages, a table of contents, as well as an introduction, preface, or foreword.

Similarly, the pieces that come after the main body of your book are called “back matter” or end matter, and can include an afterword, epilogue, index, or bibliography. For the purposes of this article, I’ll refer to these sections simply as front matter and back matter.

Now, have you ever wondered about the difference between an introduction and a preface? Does your book need one or the other, or both? What about an epigraph or a dedication? Should you pursue a foreword for your book and, if so, how do you go about doing that? Does your book need an index or bibliography? Or, if you’re writing fiction, when is it appropriate to include a prologue or an epilogue? Although this is not an exhaustive list, I’ll briefly describe the most commonly used elements in front and back matter, including the pros and cons of each element, as well as when you might want to include them.

If you work with a traditional publisher to publish your book, you’ll make many of these decisions in collaboration with the editorial team. Most publishing companies have house style guides that dictate how they handle cover and interior elements, including front and back matter. These choices are also driven by the genre and category in which you write as well as the total page count target set by your publisher.

ENDORSEMENTS

What are endorsements—also called blurbs—and how important are they? An endorsement is essentially a short testimonial, a positive review from a credible source, or a personal recommendation from a well-known author that can convince consumers to buy and read your book. Endorsements are most often listed on the first few pages right at the front of your book. Key blurbs may also be placed on the front or back cover to draw a potential reader’s eye. Although endorsements are seen by some as unnecessary or extraneous, most publishing teams see them as a critical part of introducing a new book or author to the target audiences they have identified for the book.

EPIGRAPH

An epigraph is a brief quote or excerpt from another published work that appears at the beginning of a book or chapter. The purpose of an epigraph is to set the tone, evoke a specific context or emotion, or provide an overt link to a well-known poem, song, or literary work. They are completely optional.

INTRODUCTION

Most commonly used in non-fiction works, an introduction provides the reader with a brief overview of the big idea of the book. Some editors will tell you that introductions are a waste of words and pages because many readers skip right over them. However, if you’re writing a complex book or you want to cast a vision for what readers can expect in your book, including an introduction can bring important clarity and offer a frame of reference for what’s ahead. Just be sure to keep it short, concise, and engaging.

PREFACE

Rather than giving your readers a summary of the content, a preface is your opportunity to share either why you’re writing your book or to tell the story of how the book came to be. Some books include both a preface and an introduction, although that’s rare unless you’re writing a book that is more academic in nature.

FOREWORD

Unlike a preface or an introduction, a foreword is a short piece at the front of your book that is written by someone else, often lending credibility or convincing readers why they should read your book. Often, forewords are written by a person who has name recognition, a large platform, or influence with your intended audience. Think of a foreword as a longer-form endorsement or blurb, which is why it helps if you have at least some relationship with foreword writer. Pursuing a foreword from a total stranger can be intimidating. If you decide to include a foreword in your book, identify a few potential people to approach. Your agent or editor may be able to help you brainstorm who you should ask, and in some cases, they might be able to make the request on your behalf. If you’re pursuing someone you don’t know well, demonstrate your admiration for their work, explain how a foreword would enhance your book, provide them with an edited and polished manuscript to review, and graciously accept their response even if the answer is “no.”

PROLOGUE

Including a prologue in your novel is a subjective choice. As with a few of the elements above, some writers, editors, and readers love them while others view them as extraneous. Ultimately, a prologue should provide valuable context for your story and is often written from the point of view of one of your main characters. Prologues can also offer readers critical setting information, cover events that took place before the story begins, or capture pertinent details that will enhance their enjoyment of your novel.

EPILOGUE

An epilogue comes at the end of a novel and is a literary device designed to tie up loose ends or reveal the fate of your main characters. Much like a prologue, it’s important to focus on the experience for your reader and ensure that this additional content enhances their experience of the book. I would also recommend asking yourself whether an epilogue is necessary. Sometimes it’s more powerful and effective to let your reader imagine what might happen after the story ends rather than providing a fully formed resolution.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Publishing a book is always a team effort. In the Acknowledgments section, you have an opportunity to acknowledge the individuals who helped you in your writing and publishing journey. Many authors thank their family, close friends, those who read early versions of the manuscript or aided in research efforts, as well as their agent, editor, or key publishing team members. Personally, reading the Acknowledgments section is one of my favorite parts of enjoying a book. Acknowledgments provide a small glimpse into the mind and life of the author and their journey to publication, so for me it makes more sense coming at the back of a book, but sometimes the Acknowledgments can appear in the front matter. Every author’s acknowledgments will look different. Some are humorous or witty, some include entertaining stories of the harrowing writing journey, while others are quite serious, listing out each person who supported to the book in some way. The tone and content of the Acknowledgments are entirely up to you, but this can be a meaningful way to highlight the contributions of others.

NOTES

If you’re writing a non-fiction book, you’ll need to keep track of every external source you reference so that you can include proper citations. Such sources include quotes from books, studies, poems, or statistics gathered from journal articles, magazines, or websites. If you’re writing popular-level non-fiction, these sources will likely be gathered into a list of notes or sources that are placed at the end of the book. However, for more academic texts, your publisher may prefer to include both footnotes and end notes. Refer to The Chicago Manual of Style for proper citation format if you’re self-publishing or ask your editor for the house style guidelines.

INDEX

Although indexes can appear in any non-fiction book, they are most often included in academic or scholarly works, cookbooks, or textbooks. Essentially, a good index provides a comprehensive and easy-to-use reference guide to the content in the book so that a reader can locate specific mentions of key themes or topics, people or places, or even recipe ingredients. Keep in mind that most publishing contracts require authors to create the index themselves or pay to have an index created since it is part of the manuscript.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliographies are optional but can be a nice resource for your readers who want to pursue further reading and study, especially if you’re writing a book that requires you to draw on a variety of external sources. In more scholarly works, this piece is often provided in addition to comprehensive notes.

I hope this list was helpful!

Ultimately, choosing which front or back matter elements to include in your book is subjective and will depend on what type of book you’re writing, the publishing route you choose, your editor’s recommendations, and your personal preferences. Remember that your first goal when adding content of this nature should always be to serve your reader well.