Front matter and back matter in a books

You likely go back to these pages called front matter and back matter to learn about the author, see if there are any intriguing dedications, and discover whether the author has other books to check out. Like angela i think ill file this away for future reference, but i think hope your lists are not prescriptive and required. Mar 02, 2016 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. Either way, the material that appears at the front of a book before the actual content is called front matter, and it actually contains some very important information. If readers really want to know more about you before they finished the book dont count on it they should be.

The matter of things all about front and back matter. The particular parts and their order is more fluid in the back matter compared to front. Im the guest authoreducator there today talking about back matter in picture books. Without rehashing the topic, there are a few special considerations for nonfiction books to think about.

Setting up front and back matter in scrivener duration. Most fiction books have a minimum of back matter, while nonfiction can include a number of items. How to create, edit, delete and change front matter items. 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. Were novices, so working with front matter and back matter is a new experience. Front matter is information about a book which precedes the main text. After this comes the body of the book and after that, what is called the back matter. After the last page of the manuscripts text, pagination continues in numerical sequence into the back matter. Most nonfiction books include some back matter, perhaps a glossary, bibliography, or index.

In fact, nonfiction books will use a lot more front and back matter in the design. Your body content is the book itself its your introduction, conclusion and everything in between. The amount of front matter you include depends on the length and content of your document, but may include. If its a romance, youre feeling the happily ever after. The process to create, edit, delete, rename or reorder back matter items is the same way as that for chapters, with one additional option. Gain comprehension of how more complicated back matter like an index and notes section can function in an ebook utilize vendorspecific buy links to boost your sales and author brand pick up a copy of front matter, back matter, and metadata and improve your publishing level of knowledge to give you a professional edge. This includes all front matter items listed below, together with chapters in the body matter and back matter. If the reader has enjoyed the story, the first thing they will want to do is check out your other titles. The front matter is a section in the beginning of a book. Front matter of a book what is included in the front matter.

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. Anachronisms and dysfunctions of ebook front and back matter. So please do take these things as seriously as your story. Acknowledgements if author wants them in the back matter. It needs to be void of typos and errors, have links that work, and kept up to date.

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. Now before we get into it, these are merely meant as suggestions and there are definitely some who refuse to put a table of contents at the beginning of their book for instance since it. You can split, merge, or rearrange chapters as needed. Front matter is at the front and is sometimes called the prelims or preliminary matter. What should be included in your front and back matter. Front matter is information that is presented before the body of the document. 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. Nov 06, 2017 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. This is a list of chapter headings and sometimes nested subheadings, together with their respective page numbers.

A half title page has just your book s title, while the full title page has your author name, publisher, and publishers logo. Sep 15, 2014 books are divided into three partsfront matter, body text with or without illustrations, and back matter. However, before we get into the important matter of the front and back matter sorry about that, we first need to talk about your author website. The back matter types menu lets you indicate an items type. It can also be found in the front or back of the book. Back matter definition of back matter by merriamwebster. Depending on the book and style it may be named differently. These elements bookend your content, the front matter providing specifics related to the content primarily, and the back matter focuses on keeping your reader. There are only two pages you must include in your front matter. Nonfiction book formatting for microsoft word lulu blog. Back matter pages are numbered continuously with the main text. Because the back matter file has all the books, i do have to go in and delete the current book. Front matter and back matter provide a bookend to the primary contents of your book, offering important info and marketing opportunities. Front matter of a book what is included in the front.

When it comes time for book design there are 2 parts to consider outside the body of the book. How to use your books back matter to massively boost your. Kindle create displays your book in three sections. Front matter front matter is the stuff in your book from the page after the cover till the page before chapter one. But that made me realize i was probably missing a major opportunity to connect with those readers, so i checked my back copy the material at the end of my book and found it seriously wanting. That allimportant book back matter and front matter.

Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book the happy. The front matter is paginated using lower roman numerals, however, the back matter is not. How to organize your books front matter includes a checklist of front matter items. Jun 25, 2015 how to format a book in ms word part iii. Books are divided into three parts front matter, body text with or without illustrations, and back matter. Front matter is the stuff in your book from the page after the cover till the page before chapter one. Found at the end, back matter includes any supporting text, documentation, notes, or indexes that are not part of the. As you create your ebooks whether its meant for kindle or kobo or nook or whoever, you have the option of inserting front matter or back matter sections. For those who have worked on and helped write and publish the book, can be in the front matter or the back matter. Front and back matter in books selfpublishing advice. Some books need a preface, for instance, others dont. The order of pages shown above is customary but not mandatory. In this excerpt from book design made simple, we offer a list of possible book front matter pages and their proper order.

Book front matter what to include in the front of your book. Its a smooth way of opening a story without immediately dropping the reader into it. Its just a simple matter of cut and paste and im done. 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. The front and back matter in a book are one of the key factors to presenting a professional and quality product. The back matter is where youll find components such as an index, a glossary, an. Your ultimate guide to front matter and back matter. The specific elements included at the end of the book should appear in the table of contents in the front matter. This excerpt from book design made simple offers insights into the best way to present this material. Make sure you know what is supposed to be in your book and where it is placed. Authors who diy in selfpublishing sometimes forget to add front matter and back matter. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book the. Nov 28, 2017 the front matter, and all its components, is a seriously important part of the book.

Your front and back matter could be the difference between a good book and a great book. I will usually list my books in the front matter, but in the back, i include a paragraph about each of the books to entice readers to go deeper. Today, we look at the elements which make up the back matter. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read front matter, back matter, and metadata. How do all of the pieces of the front matter fit together, though.

Your book back matter might be the most valuable section of the book. An overview of the front matter and back matter of your book. To create a book s front matter and also back matter, study many similar books to see what they did well. Jan 18, 2018 front matter, the body and back matter. Youve got your manuscript in top shape, but theres more to a book than the story when your publishing it yourself. Back matter items are essentially chapters within a part, with one additional option to customize. Front matter includes the title pages, the writers name, the edition, the publication date. Depending on the genre, the back matter may also include an afterword, appendix, glossary, index, bibliography and advertising about the author or publishers other books. The way your new book will achieve that lofty goal will be in the way that you set out both the front matter and the back matter of your book. Apr 26, 2019 what exactly is front matter and back matter. This is a work file in kcb format you can use to update your book later. Front matter is the material at the front of a book that usually offers information about the book. Your books front and back matter your literary prose.

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. Material, such as an index or appendix, that follows the main body of a book. Using back matter in your ebooks correctly by adam on 10302012 in blog, selfpublishing today id like to talk about something that i dont see talked about in too much detail on the web. 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. Feb 03, 20 anachronisms and dysfunctions of ebook front and back matter the process of digitizing a printed book involves much more than the conversion of ink on paper to bits in a file. 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. Your body content is the book itself its your introduction. Is the list of abbreviations included in the front matter or in the back matter. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book. How you should be using back matter in your ebooks adam geen. Back matter definition is matter following the main text of a book.

Mar 20, 2017 other books by if this is not your first book, you definitely want to list your other books. Here i am going to reveal the mysteries of front and back matter, which is what we used to call it when i started in publishing. Diy book front matter and back matter numinous productions. Back matter is the stuff at the end of your book, after the main sections of the book are finished. Remember, there is no strict formula for setting up the front and back matter for your book. May 19, 2014 hello, this is ken from bookfuel with a brief explanation of front matter and back matter. Best practice guides for authors ebook written by paul salvette. Back matter is the final pages of a book, where endnotes, the appendix, the bibliography, the index, and. Make it shine by arranging it in the proper order and designing it for great readability.

Book front matter includes some or all of these pages. On what page is the section called acknowledgments. Front matter, body, and back matter even if youve already polished your chapters to perfection, you still need to prepare various other parts of a book before publishing namely, the front matter and back matter. Back matter in your book celebrating independent authors. Back matter definition of back matter by the free dictionary. If done haphazardly, its a sure sign in most peoples eyes that the book content will not be up to par. 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. 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. Also, brian flocas locomotive has back matter and endpaper matter. The front matter includes any material that precedes the text. Books can be divided into three areas front matter, body content and back matter. It can be as simple as a single title page, or it can include multiple title pages, foreword, a preface, and much more. Jun 12, 2014 part of the best practice guides for authors from bb ebooks that discusses adding proper front matter, back matter, and metadata. Well never look at a childrens picture book in the same way again.

Its the 30,000 to 50,000 words you just pumped out. While you may have never heard of book front matter or back matter who decided on matter anyway theyre the first step to turn your hard work into a professional book. Back matter definition, the parts of a book that appear after the main text, as bibliography, index, and appendixes. Go to the table of contents in the dictionary by clicking on contents in the left panel. Using back matter in your ebooks correctly adam geen. When you format your book for hard copy printing, you should follow the structure as shown in the diagram below. This includes all frontmatter items listed below, together with chapters in the body matter and back matter. How to use your book s back matter to massively boost your fanbase, get more shares, and explode your platform. As with front matter, pressbooks will order your back matter in accordance with the chicago manual of style rules. Learn more about creating projects and tables of contents. These sections of back matter are often supplementary in nature, and inform the reader about some aspect of the book.

What is included in the front and back matter of a book. Jun 04, 2014 front matter, back matter, and metadata. What youve been working on, the manuscript youve sweated. It includes your bio, long or short, and can include your other books, website or contact information. Across all books of all genres, theres one thing in common. Solutions are practical, his best practice guidelines sensible and their rationales well explained. An overview of the front matter and back matter of your book paradiso gim.

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. It comes after the body text and includes concluding sections that. Functional aspects of the book must be mapped to digital equivalents. Some books have this in the front matter, but i prefer to have it in the back. Pressbooks lets you easily format these and other items as front matter in your book, which will appear prior to the main body. Whether you realize it or not, the front and back matter of your book is just as important as the story. Front matter of a book what is included in the front matter of a book. Smashwords front matter, back matter, and metadata a book. Jan 03, 2018 the back matter includes the following. In the previous two posts in our book anatomy 101 series, we looked at the range and organization of your book s front matter, and the main body of the book. Front matter is everything that comes before your content. The epilogue is a section that comes after the story, but is still, technically. A dystopian, probably a little misery mixed in with hope. If the front matter introduces the book, the back matter then wraps everything up.

Sometimes part of the preface rather than a separate section in its own right, or sometimes placed in the back matter rather than the front, it acknowledges those who contributed to the creation of the book. We 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. Ive moved shearwater to permafree and got over 5,000 downloads this month. 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. 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. The title page must go on a recto page, and the page must go on the verso page immediately following the title page in other words, the page is printed on. Book back matter what to include in the back of your book.

The front matter of a book consists of its very first pages. Sums up the book, sometimes within the story itself or sometimes with the author speaking as well. 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. I think front and back matter is important, and i certainly read it though i often dont read the front matter first if it goes on too long. These are competitive editorial strategies for making your book stand out. Jan 10, 2014 last week here, i presented the parts of a book which appear in the front of the book. How to write the front and back matter of your kindle ebook. This page is found either in the front or back matter of the book. Some common items in back matter include an index, bibliography or appendix. There may be no consequence for this, as we are in a new digital age where traditional ways of doing things are only useful when theyre needed.

Ive gone into some detail about what front back matter is and why its important. Just read laurie halse andersons thank you, sarah today with first graders and they wanted me to read every word of the back matter. Front matter is the first section of a book and is generally the shortest. It is more often found in the back of a work of fiction or an ebook. Your book s front and back matter is, essentially, the stuff that bookends the actual text of the book.