The front matter of a book is everything between the front cover and page one, where your story begins. The good thing is that front matter and back matter are fairly formulaic there are a. When youve never written a book before, its hard to know whats essential, what can be cut, and where everything fits. What is most important is that what you do include looks professional and is well. So please do take these things as seriously as your story. While these components are in two separate locations in the book the front and the back, they serve essentially the same purpose. Front matter is the stuff in your book from the page after. Its all about the reader skilled workman posted on march 1, 2016 by david bergsland march 1, 2018 today, in this third post on formatting, i want to talk. A quick and easy guide to writing the best front and back matter for your self published book, both print and ebook editions, by jessica bell. Your ebook should include a title page with your book title and author name. Now these are merely suggestions for what you can choose to include in the front and back matter of your book. Front and back matter for your self published book by jessica bell. The back matter is the concluding section of a book, and it can contain a whole host of information, and many of these sections are entirely.
Jan 18, 2018 the interior of your book is basically made up of three parts. An introduction differs from a preface and a foreword because its written by the author and does talk about the subject matter. However, these sections can add a lot of depth and additional information to the book. The interior of your book is basically made up of three parts. In the paragraph section, turn on the showhide button. Today, only six months after publishing my second book, im publishing my fourth book. Some elements are expected and others are optional, but there is a standard order. The front matter of a book includes the title page, page, dedication, table of contents, foreword or preface, and introduction. Its fast and easy to independently publish your print book with createspace, your digital. A book introduction can include everything that would be in a.
Nov, 2019 the body of a book is pretty selfexplanatory. Authors often forget about their book front matter until the last minute. There are so many different components of the front matter, and many of them are so similar see. Its really not all that complicated, but it is important to get it right if you. Pick up multiple books from your shelf and take a look at the front and back matter for a point of reference. Book front matter what to include in the front of your book.
The inside of your book, which we call the book block, is divided into three main sections. Front matter of a book what is included in the front matter. Front matter is the information that appears in the very beginning of a book. A book introduction can include everything that would be in a preface. Ensure you have front matter and back matter that is organized. Front and back matter for your self published book by jessica bell the ideal layout for a self published book both print and e book jessica bell explains what pages go before and after the story in a self published book, and even gives a page template. The good thing is that front matter and back matter are fairly formulaic there are a standard set of elements to include and a typical running order for them, and all of them are included in this article. You can also add other front matter as well as back matter pages, but these arent required. Mar 08, 2018 instead, when you submit the required two copies of your self published book to legal deposit in the national library of canada, your book will be cataloged there by library and archives canada. Your book can contain as much or as little preliminary. These preliminary pages are called prelims, or front matter. The back matter is the concluding section of a book, and it can contain a whole host of information, and many of these sections are entirely optional. The ideal layout for a self published book both print and e book.
Page numbering is complicated by old conventions that have been adopted through the ages. Nov 17, 2019 front matter is the information that appears in the very beginning of a book. After i published my first book, it took six years before i published my second book. Front matter of a book what is included in the front. Formatting front matter front matter are the sections that come before the first chapter.
This page contains only the title of the book and is the first page you see when opening the cover. Copyright page template to use in your book book design. Im rereleasing a novella of mine as a selfpublished ebook shortly, and im wondering what to do with the traditional front matter of the book. In this excerpt from book design made simple, we offer a list of possible book front matter pages and their proper order. Its all about the reader skilled workman posted on march 1, 2016 by david bergsland march 1, 2018 today, in this third post on formatting, i want to talk about many things which have been lost in the rush toward ebooks. The back matter is where youll find components such as an index, a glossary, an appendix or two, endnotes unless you prefer to have footnotes at the bottom of each page or the end of each chapter. Though, sometimes a second half title page will be followed by an epigraph or illustration. Jan 18, 2018 the book is a vehicle for the delivery of this content. Its fast and easy to independently publish your print book with createspace, your digital book with kindle direct publishing and create an audiobook with acx.
If you dont want to keep a front matter section, youll need to delete the placeholder text and the section itself. The ideal layout for a selfpublished book both print and ebook. The parts of a book for self published authors bookstand. The front matter is a section in the beginning of a book. Learn how you can add front and back matter with just a few clicks using kindle create. In a book where the front matter is long, a second half title page with just the title of the book can serve to mark the end of the front matter and mark the start of the story. One of these components that often causes selfpublished authors pause is the front matter and back matter. The manual or guide you wrote to share your expertise. What you include in the front matter of your book depends on the information you want to impart to your reader to help enhance, explain, or set things up. Front matter of a book what is included in the front matter of a book.
For readers and writers alike, this is where the magic happens but its not just the content thats crucial, but also how you arrange it. It matters a lot, but sometimes authors get confused about what goes where, when, and why. Im rereleasing a novella of mine as a self published ebook shortly, and im wondering what to do with the traditional front matter of the book. The frontmatter are the pages at the beginning of a book before the body of the book. The front matter contains the nuts and bolts of the books publicationinformation such as title, author, publisher, isbn, and library of congress data. Jul 05, 2017 one of these components that often causes self published authors pause is the front matter and back matter. We tend to spend all of our time writing the main content of the book and fail to factor in the extra time required to write and organize the front and back matter. Its the page at the very front of the book, not used in all cases, that has only the title of the book on it.
If youve used roman numerals to paginate your front matter, you have no problem, since the page numbers in the body of the book wont change. The front matter contains the nuts and bolts of the books publicationinformation such as title, author. The selfpublishers guide to the copyright page with template. Apr 02, 2020 an introduction differs from a preface and a foreword because its written by the author and does talk about the subject matter. Jan 03, 2018 what does the back matter of a book include.
Books are divided into three partsfront matter, body text with or without. Book front matter includes some or all of these pages. However, these sections can add a lot of depth and additional information to the. Front and back matter in books selfpublishing advice. But if you started your page numbering at the title page with page 1, all the page numbers in the book will change once you drop in that wonderful new preface. With amazons self publishing services you can reach millions of readers worldwide and keep control of your work. Front and back matter for your selfpublished book by jessica bell. Depending on the genre, you may only choose to include a few of these pages, or even just a title page.
Nov 08, 2019 what you include in the front matter of your book depends on the information you want to impart to your reader to help enhance, explain, or set things up. Here are the elements you can find in the front matter of books, and a. For readers and writers alike, this is where the magic happens but its not. Front and back matter for your selfpublished book by jessica bell the ideal layout for a selfpublished book both print and ebook jessica bell explains what pages go before. The prelims required for self published books are exactly the same as those required for traditionally published books. The front and back matter in a book are one of the key factors to presenting a professional and quality product.
Half title page sometimes called the bastard title. What is most important is that what you do include looks professional and is well formatted. Your book can contain as much or as little preliminary information as you want. These pages are traditionally numbered with lowercase roman numerals. Including all of the necessary parts of a book and putting them in the right order is the first step to making your book credible and professional. Front matter and back mattermore competitive editorial strategies for making your book stand out. This is especially important when self publishing on a deadline, self imposed or not.
If the book is published by a large publisher, the page might also include ordering information including info for quantity sales. January 2018 this paperback edition first published in 2018. Some of these conventions are based on practical applications, such as numbering the front matter differently. Here you will find the title, subtitle, author, and publisher of the book. The front matter pages usually arent visibly numbered. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book the. Self publishing comes with an unlimited amount of freedom.
Robinson published january 18, 2018 updated july 1, 2018. Discover what a books front matter is, what it includes, and how it fits into. An unabridged list of the parts of a book by joel friedlander on september 29, 2009 57 comments the history of book printing goes back to the first bibles pulled. The book is a vehicle for the delivery of this content. Learn what makes up the front matter, back matter, and body so you can. You can also add other front matter as well as back matter. Ensure you have front matter and back matter that is organized properly to give your book a professional look. Your book is your content, plus front and back matter, plus a cover. As part of the best practice guides for authors from bb ebooks, front matter, back matter, and metadata is a short guide that will help you. Books are divided into three partsfront matter, body text with or without illustrations, and back matter. Front matter is the first section of a book and is generally the shortest.
If done haphazardly, its a sure sign in most peoples eyes that the book content will not be up to par. Nov 28, 2017 why the front matter of a book matters. Truth to be told, most new selfpublished authors wont get their first books into major bookstores anyway, but properly designed and formatted front and back matter are nevertheless. May 27, 2015 book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. The selfpublished author doesnt need to include any of these.
As i said previously, there are no hard and fast rules that dictate how a book must be structured, but the structure discussed here is one thats been around for a few hundred years. When you format your book for hard copy printing, you should follow the structure as shown in the diagram below. Back matter can include an about the author page or bibliography. Rightfacing pages are odd numbered pages in printed books because the first piece of paper is on the right side, facing up from. While these components are in two separate locations in the book the front. In an e book format, would it be acceptable to have those things in the back of the book rather than the front. However, an introduction also supplements the subject matter of. Nov 01, 2017 truth to be told, most new selfpublished authors wont get their first books into major bookstores anyway, but properly designed and formatted front and back matter are nevertheless something that makes your book look more professional.
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