Book front matter back matter of book

You can split, merge, or rearrange chapters as needed. 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. The front matter types menu lets you indicate an items type which may change how it is styled in outputs. 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. Front matter front matter is the stuff in your book from the page after the cover till the page before chapter one.

How to use your books back matter to massively boost your. Then, when im setting up a new book, once i get the edited manuscript back, i add the front and back matter from the back matter file to the book. In this excerpt from book design made simple, we offer a list of possible book front matter pages and their proper order. Today, we look at the elements which make up the back matter. How to use your books back matter to massively boost your fanbase, get more shares, and explode your platform. The interesting thing about matter is that there are fewer and fewer hard and fast rules about what goes in the front and what goes. Learn more about creating projects and tables of contents. Back matter is the stuff at the end of your book, after the main sections of the book are finished. The amount of front matter you include depends on the length and content of your document, but may include. As a selfpublished author, you must be able to impress readers during their first look inside your book. The th edition epidemiology and prevention of vaccinepreventable diseases, a.

The front matter is paginated using lower roman numerals, however, the back matter. On the contrary, salvettes book presents a detailed coverage of crucial aspects of front and back matter and metadata and is informed by his experience at his publishing company bb ebooks. Optimizing your front matter and back matter writing your book is the first step in your selfpublishing journey, but in order to really sell books, you have to think like a publisher. Most fiction books have a minimum of back matter, while nonfiction can include a number of items.

Carrie charley brown is hosting reforemo read for research month, a time when writers challenge themselves to read picture books as mentor texts to improve their writing. For those who have worked on and helped write and publish the book. Im the guest authoreducator there today talking about back matter in picture books. You can create, edit, delete, rename or reorder front matter items the same way that you would with chapters, with one additional option.

Book back matter includes some or all of these pages acknowledgments if not included at the front of the book appendixes usually listed as appendix a, b, c, etc. So please do take these things as seriously as your story. It is the stuff in the book which is not part of the story but essential to the book itself. Traditionally, the start of each back matter section begins on a righthand recto page only. The purpose of front matter is mostly to make sure your book looks as professional as possible. These are the parts of the book before and after the content of your book and will vary based on whether it is a fiction or nonfiction book. What is included in the front and back matter of a book. This is an excellent book on the subject of what to put in your front and back matter of your new book.

The front and back matter in a book are one of the key factors to presenting a professional and quality product. When it comes time for book design there are 2 parts to consider outside the body of the book. You can also add other front matter as well as back matter pages, but these arent required. So keeping pictures at the front of the book is fine. The back matter is where youll find components such as an index, a glossary, an. I update them as soon as i have the blurb and cover for a new book.

Much of what was once the front matter of books should now go in the back. Material, such as an index or appendix, that follows the main body of a book. While it might not seem like a marketing tool, front matter does have an influence on sales. Epidemiology and prevention of vaccinepreventable diseases printer friendly version pdf icon 12 pages. The front matter of a book consists of its very first pages. How to write the front and back matter of your kindle ebook. Front matter is the first section of a book and is generally the shortest.

If the front matter introduces the book, the back matter then wraps everything up. An overview of the front matter and back matter of your book. Front matter and back matter are terms used to describe the first and last pages of a book but not the actual story or body content of the book. What is included in front matter really depends on the type of publication, so lets go. Authors use their back matter to offer readers further context or information about the story, though back matter can also be extremely simple. Jul 12, 2012 table of contents list of illustrations list of tables foreword by someone other than the author preface by the author acknowledgments or in back matter introduction abbreviations or in back matter back matter acknowledgments or in front matter appendix or several appendices numbered a, b, c, etc.

Book front matter includes some or all of these pages. Back matter items are essentially chapters within a part, with one additional option to customize. Aug 02, 2016 the front matter is paginated using lower roman numerals, however, the back matter is not. Front matter is information about a book which precedes the main text.

Remember, there is no strict formula for setting up the front and back matter for your book. In the modern world of publishing where authors ar. The back matter types menu lets you indicate an items type. Back matter includes a blurb, writer biography which may include a photo, testimonial quotes, barcode, isbn, quotes or extracts from the book, and the publishers name and logo.

Back matter in picture books marcie flinchum atkins. Books can be divided into three areas front matter, body content and back matter. Present practices often use the nextavailable page. These days, acknowledgements seem to be showing up as back matter for fiction as well as nonfiction titles. Your ultimate guide to front matter and back matter. Items in the back matter of a fiction work can include an epilogue, afterword, and author ads. Front matter is information that is presented before the body of the document. Apr 26, 2019 front matter and back matter are terms used to describe the first and last pages of a book but not the actual story or body content of the book. It doesnt matter if you keep all your front matter as just one long page with no page breaks to split it up, or if you put in manual page breaks so it is spread across 20 different pages. The front matter includes any material that precedes the text. Hello, this is ken from bookfuel with a brief explanation of front matter and back matter. This means engineering your book so that its a marketing tool itself. Front matter and back matter provide a bookend to the primary contents of your book, offering important info and marketing opportunities. Its the 30,000 to 50,000 words you just pumped out.

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. Most nonfiction books include some back matter, perhaps a glossary, bibliography, or index. Include correct links under catalogue or your buyer hook. An epilogue is a piece of writing toward the end of the book that is usually used to bring closure to the story afterword.

While these components are in two separate locations in the book the front and the back, they serve essentially the same purpose. Back matter is information about a book and the writer which follows the end of the main text. Maybe there will be hints and tips on the topic youve written about. If your main text ends on page 8, your back matter will start on page 9. This is especially important when selfpublishing on a deadline, selfimposed or not. If readers really want to know more about you before they finished the book dont count on it they should be. Front matter is everything that comes before your content. The front matter is a section in the beginning of a book. Besides the main items in a nonfiction, other items can be included.

Front matter is the stuff in your book from the page after the cover till the page before chapter one. We all know what the title page is, but whats a half title. That gives you headroom to play with the front matter. Your books front and back matter your literary prose. Some books have this in the front matter, but i prefer to have it in the back. Front and back matter in books alliance of independent. Back matter is reserved for things like an index, a glossary, notes and other material that doesnt belong in the body of the book itself, but which youd want to include for the convenience of readers or to make the book complete. Go to the table of contents in the dictionary by clicking on contents in the left panel. The specific elements included at the end of the book should appear in the table of contents in the front matter.

Ive moved shearwater to permafree and got over 5,000 downloads this month. For the last couple of weeks, weve been doing a blog series on the back matter of a book. You need to be thinking about the entire package throughout the writing and production of the book. Front matter of a book what is included in the front matter. This is very traditional, and it is an illustration designed to be on the lefthand page facing the title page for the print edition. Your ebook should include a title page with your book title and author name. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book. This is a work file in kcb format you can use to update your book later. Front matter pages are traditionally numbered in lowercase roman numerals i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc. Back matter can include an about the author page or bibliography. Part of the best practice guides for authors from bb ebooks that discusses adding proper front matter, back matter, and metadata. Book back matter what to include in the back of your book.

Kindle create displays your book in three sections. On what page is the section called acknowledgments. The order of pages shown above is customary but not mandatory. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book the happy. We tend to spend all of our time writing the main content. Personal note from the author, usually about the context of the book. Books are divided into three parts front matter, body text with or without illustrations, and back matter. The main reason that i bought this book, was to find out about the pros and cons of putting my table of contents at the back, so that i could treat the prospective buyers to more of my book. Ensure you have front matter and back matter that is organized properly to give your book a professional look understand what metadata can be embedded within an ebook and how it relates to discoverability gain comprehension of how more complicated back matter like an index and notes section can function in an ebook. Its just a simple matter of cut and paste and im done. Smashwords front matter, back matter, and metadata a. Were novices, so working with front matter and back matter is a new experience. Most authors wont need to include all of these, but here is a list of what goes where, when, and why, along with a brief description. So that you earn a commission everytime someone makes a purchase via your bibliography link.

The back matter files keep everything in one place. Aug 01, 2016 even a simple thank you for reading your book. Front matter and back matter grammar factory publishing. Book front matter what to include in the front of your book. Make sure the links in your catalogue are affiliate links of your account. Half title page includes book title and subtitle only. An afterword is sometimes used to describe a time that is well after the timeframe of the main story. All pages that appear after the last chapter or conclusion are called back matter. Is the list of abbreviations included in the front matter or in the back matter. Give readers a reason to sign up and make this clear in the back matter. The front and back matter is all the extra stuff at the beginning and at the end of your book that sits between the cover and the chapters. Also browse through some of your favorite books to see what sort of back matter they include for inspiration. Beware the ebook front matter trap polgarus studio.

Make sure you know what is supposed to be in your book and where it is placed. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book the. The particular parts and their order is more fluid in the back matter compared to front. The other thing that has no effect on what will be shown in the sample are page breaks. You need to add your front and back matter as you are putting the book together.

There are, of course, variations to this conventional lineup order. Your body content is the book itself its your introduction. Diy book front matter and back matter numinous productions. Jan 10, 2014 last week here, i presented the parts of a book which appear in the front of the book. The back matter also known as the end matter is you guessed it material found at the back of a book. Your body content is the book itself its your introduction, conclusion and everything in between. After the last page of the manuscripts text, pagination continues in numerical sequence into the back matter. Jan 18, 2018 front matter, the body and back matter. These sections of back matter are often supplementary in nature, and inform the reader about some aspect of the book. The errata are sometimes found in the back of the book called the back matter. Nov 28, 2017 the front matter is a section in the beginning of a book. You can find a good example of back matter at janice hardys fiction university.

Learn how you can add front and back matter with just a few clicks using kindle create. It comes after the body text and includes concluding sections that provide further reading, deeper explanations, and any final thoughts from the author or another writer. Optimizing your front matter and back matter makes this possible. After this comes the body of the book and after that, what is called the back matter.

Sep 15, 2014 the front matter is where youll find the following items. Front and back matter goes after the book is fully edited and before you begin formatting the content. Jul 05, 2017 one of these components that often causes selfpublished authors pause is the front matter and back matter. Front matter is at the front and is sometimes called the prelims or preliminary matter. If done haphazardly, its a sure sign in most peoples eyes that the book content will not be up to par.

When you format your book for hard copy printing, you should follow the structure as shown in the diagram below. Back matter pages are numbered continuously with the main text. We typically recommend this go in the back matter of the book with the other promotional material, but many successful authors like carly phillips put this up front. This includes all frontmatter items listed below, together with chapters in the body matter and back matter. Offer your readers great content first, and only talk about yourself afterwards. There arent any definitive rules for how the different sections of front matter in an ebook should be organized, and it is very unlikely that your book will be rejected for publishing based on how you have structured it except for smashwords, the nitpicky ones. The front matter is paginated using lower roman numerals, however, the back matter is not. More in the modern world of publishing where authors are expected to publish several books a year, standards and literary traditions that have existed for centuries can understandably be overlooked. Solutions are practical, his best practice guidelines sensible and their rationales well explained. There are several often many pages of materials that need to be at the front and back of your book. Front matter of a book what is included in the front. How to setup the allimportant front and back matter of. It can be as simple as a single title page, or it can include multiple title pages, foreword, a preface, and much more.

Back matter definition of back matter by the free dictionary. Just as front matter is what you find at the beginning of a book, back matter, simply put, is what you find at the end of a bookthe sections that appear after the central story has been completed. Well never look at a childrens picture book in the same way again. Front matter includes the title pages, the writers name, the edition, the publication date. Front matter includes the dedication, epigram, table of contents, foreword, preface, and acknowledgements. We did a similar one on the front matter youll remember that the front matter is all of the material that comes before the central story or body text in a book. One of the things this book talks about is the need for me to have front and back matter. These elements bookend your content, the front matter providing specifics related to the content primarily, and the back matter focuses on keeping your reader.