CONTENTS
When you’re writing a book, there’s more to think about than just the story itself. A book is made up of different parts, like the front matter, the body, and the back matter. These sections might not always get as much attention as the story, but they’re important. They help readers, protect your work legally, and make the whole reading experience better.
In this article, we’ll cover things like the title page and copyright information in the front matter, the prologue and chapters in the body, and the afterword and author bio in the back matter. Whether you’re new to writing or already experienced, knowing how these parts work will help you create a book that looks professional and well-organized.
The Front Matter
What comes first in a book? The front matter comes first, right after the front cover. These are the pages you see before the story begins. This section is all about the author and publisher information.
The front matter gives you space to thank your publishing team and people who inspired you, and to put your own name. It also helps protect your book as your own work. These pages usually have different page numbers than the rest of the book. Instead of regular numbers (1, 2, 3), they often use lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, v).
Here’s what you’ll find in the front matter:
1. Title Page
Every book needs a title page. This page shows your name (or pen name) and the title of your book (including any subtitles), just like they appear on your book cover. Sometimes, the publisher’s name is also on this page. Selecting the right title and author name is crucial; you can use our Book Title Generator and Pen Name Generator to find the perfect fit for your book.
Remember, your title and cover work like a poster for your book, so they need to look good. For tips on creating an eye‑catching cover, see our guide on designing book cover art . The title page always goes on the right-hand page.
A half-title page only shows the book’s title, not your name or the publisher. It might also leave out any subtitles. The writing style on this page often looks different from the title on the cover.
If you have lots of front-matter pages, consider a second-half title page. This helps show where the front matter ends and your actual story begins. This effectively signals the commencement of the main narrative.
A frontispiece is a picture on the left-hand page that faces the title page on the right. You don’t have to include this, but it can look nice, especially in children’s books, sci-fi, fantasy, or life stories.
2. Copyright Page
Every book needs a copyright page. Whether a big company publishes your book, you publish it yourself, or you just put it on Amazon as an ebook, paperback, or hardcover, a copyright page helps stop people from stealing your writing.
Sometimes called a colophon or edition notice, the copyright page has information that legally registers your book and protects the work you spent so much time creating.
The copyright page might include:
- Copyright notices
- Legal notices
- Book edition, with dates and versions
- Publisher information
- Library of Congress catalog number
- Disclaimers
- Typefaces
- Printer’s key
- Printing history
- ISBN
If you’re new to publishing, be sure to read our articles on how to publish a book and formatting a manuscript in Google Docs to set up your book professionally.
3. Table of Contents
A table of contents (TOC) guides readers through your book, and while common in most genres, it’s not universally required, particularly in fiction. Authors of fiction may opt to omit a TOC to maintain suspense and avoid revealing plot developments prematurely, thereby preserving the reader’s immersive experience.
For a nonfiction book, you definitely need a TOC. But for mysteries, thrillers, sequels, and other fiction types, a TOC might accidentally reveal clues about upcoming surprises, story pace, and character secrets.
If you want readers to be glued to your fast-paced story, one that they can’t stop reading, skip the TOC. Keep your readers in suspense, and they’ll keep turning pages. Then they won’t need a TOC, just a bookmark. Need help structuring your manuscript? Our article on formatting a book in Google Docs walks you through the process step by step.
4. Dedication/Acknowledgement Pages
Who do you dedicate your book to? The dedication page is where you thank that special person who helped make your book happen. You can be creative here and show your personality. For example, I could dedicate my next book, “To the simple coffee bean, for none of this could have been accomplished without you.”
An author can dedicate their book to a friend, family member, or really anyone they want. The acknowledgement page is similar to the dedication page. This is where you say thank you to everyone who helped you along the way. You don’t have to include this page in the front matter. You can put it in the back matter instead if you prefer.
5. Foreword
The foreword is written by someone other than the author. It gives readers a different view of the book that they might not otherwise see. Forewords are common in non-fiction books, especially self-help or inspirational books.
A foreword might also be included if the author died before the book was published. Remember, a foreword is optional. When a book has both a foreword and a preface in the front matter, the foreword usually comes first.
6. Preface or Introduction
The preface is an introduction written by the author. It helps guide readers to understand the book the way the author wants them to. It might explain how the book was written or what inspired the author.
Don’t mix this up with the prologue, which we’ll talk about later. The prologue is actually part of your story. The preface, however, is part of the front matter and not part of the story itself. This is your chance to talk directly to your reader outside of the plot.
7. Epigraph
You might see epigraphs at the start of books, movies, and even video games. An epigraph is a quote from the author or someone else that helps transition from the front matter to the main part of the book. Sometimes, you don’t want a lot of words right before starting your book. The best approach might be to throw your readers straight into your story.
A good way to do this could be a short excerpt from your book or any book. Or a famous quote from a celebrity. Or a poem. Or something interesting you once heard a stranger say. Choose an option that best aligns with your book’s tone and theme.
All of these are epigraphs. Often, epigraphs are the best way to tell your readers to get ready because they’re about to experience something exciting.
The Body
Between the front matter and the back matter is the body. The body is the main part of the book and contains the story if it’s fiction or the important information if it’s nonfiction. Even though the body makes up most of your book, it actually has fewer different parts than the front or back matter.
Here’s what makes up the body of your work:
1. Prologue
A prologue is the first bit of storytelling your reader experiences. You don’t have to include one, but it might help with your plot. (This is for fiction books. In nonfiction books, the introduction serves this purpose instead.)
A prologue might introduce the villain’s evil plans or show a big threat that most people in the story don’t know is coming. Many authors use their prologue to tell a story from a different viewpoint or period than the main story.
If you’re just starting out, our how to write a book guide and novella writing guide can help you plan your story structure and decide whether to include a prologue or epilogue.
2. Chapters
Every book has chapters, though they can sometimes be called other things, like parts or sections. Chapters break up the text into smaller, easier-to-read pieces. You can also divide your story into bigger sections. Some books have 2-4 parts with several chapters in each part. It’s like the acts and scenes in a play.
There are many creative ways to name and divide your chapters. Readers may find a continuous block of text without breaks challenging to engage with. How long should a chapter be? A chapter can be really long or very short. It should be long enough to tell the scene you’re writing fully, but short enough that readers stay interested.
Do chapters need to be the same length? No, chapters don’t have to be the same length. Trying to make every chapter the same size might actually hurt your storytelling. Should chapters look the same? It’s good to keep the same format throughout your book so readers don’t get confused, unless confusing the reader is actually what you want your book to do.
An epilogue is the final chapter in a book or series. While the prologue comes before the main story, the epilogue comes right after it. Some people debate whether an epilogue counts as a chapter, but I’ve never understood why.
Epilogues are used in fiction books. They provide a small story after the main story ends. Like prologues, they might be told from a different viewpoint or period. Epilogues are helpful for fixing plot holes or answering questions your readers might have.
One of the most famous epilogues in modern fiction is at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It takes place 17 years after the last chapter ends, and it both wraps up the original series and sets up J.K. Rowling’s play, “The Cursed Child.”
If you want to prepare readers for a sequel or series, the epilogue is a perfect place to get them interested.
The Back Matter
Also known as end matter, the back matter goes at the end of your book. It contains things that aren’t part of the story, like a glossary, information about the author, or a page about your next book. We’ve reached the end of the story, but that doesn’t mean the book is over.
1. Afterword
Like the foreword or preface, an afterword is where the author (or someone else) talks directly to the reader, often explaining more about how they created the book.
It’s not part of your main story or what happens after, but another chance to connect with your reader. Even though it’s not part of the story, some people include the afterword in the body of the text. It doesn’t really matter how you label it, though.
2. Appendix or Addendum
The appendix gives extra details and information about the story or topics covered in the main part of the book. The addendum adds new material after the first printing or first edition, like when an author fixes something from the original.
Sometimes, people use the words appendix and addendum to mean the same thing. But usually, an appendix is used more in fiction books, while an addendum is found more often in nonfiction.
Appendices and addenda (these are the fancy plural forms) often include figures, tables, and even photos or pictures. They can be a nice addition to your book, one that might convince potential readers to buy a copy.
Appendices can also include several other parts of a book, such as:
- Glossary: An in-book dictionary. It lists and defines important words used in the main text in ABC order.
- Index: A list of terms and keywords (in ABC order) used in the book and the page numbers where readers can find them.
- Chronology: A timeline of events that happened throughout your book or series or in the real world if your book is nonfiction.
3. Endnotes
Unlike footnotes, which appear at the bottom of pages where they matter, endnotes appear after the main text. Endnotes are basically footnotes that are placed in the back matter. These are usually extra notes about specific parts of the main text. Endnotes are more common in nonfiction books.
4. Bibliography
Also called a reference list, the bibliography is one of the most (legally) important parts of the back matter. If you use information from other sources in your book, you must include a bibliography. Give proper credit to your sources. If you don’t, you might be accused of stealing others’ work.
Next to your Bibliography, you might also find copyright permissions. If you used any copyrighted material in your book, the copyright permissions page shows that you got permission to use it.
5. Author Bio
If you have a big series or have something else you want to promote (like a free story to get someone on your mailing list), then you’ll want a coming soon or read more section. This section is optional, but many writers who create long series use it, especially self-published authors.
For authors, it’s really important to convince readers to do something after they finish your book. Usually, you’ll want them to buy your next book or sign up for your newsletter. Don’t forget to build your audience—our article on growing your author email list shows you how to keep readers engaged after the book ends.
One popular approach is to include a picture or sample chapter from your next book at the end of your current book. With e-books, you can also add links to your next book or to your free story offer.
6. Coming Soon/Read More
If you have a big series or have something else you want to promote (like a free story to get someone on your mailing list), then you’ll want a coming soon or read more section. This section is optional, but many writers who create long series use it, especially self-published authors.
For authors, it’s really important to convince readers to do something after they finish your book. Usually, you’ll want them to buy your next book or sign up for your newsletter. You can ask them to do this in the Coming Soon/Read More section.
One popular approach is to include a picture or sample chapter from your next book at the end of your current book. With e-books, you can also add links to your next book or to your free story offer.
7. Also By
While sometimes included with your author bio, many authors have a separate “Also By” page, which simply lists all the books you’ve written or at least all the books that readers of that genre would like. This is also a good place to include links to your social media, website, Patreon, and anything else you want to share with your readers.
Using a tool like Atticus, you can even create templates for your Also By page. This lets you create one master Also By page and then add it to every book with just one click. Also, if you change the Also By page for one book, you can set it to automatically update on all other books that use that same template.
Final Thoughts
The story is the heart of your book, but the structure of front matter, body, and back matter plays a key role in its success. The front matter introduces the book, the body holds the main story, and the back matter adds extra details. By focusing on these parts and tailoring them to your audience, you protect your work and enhance the reading experience. A well-organized book leaves a lasting impression and invites readers to return. For inspiration and professional assistance, explore our book cover portfolio and custom book cover design services.
Frequently asked questions
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What are the physical sections of a book called?
The physical sections of a book are called signatures. A signature is just a group of pages that are folded and put together to form part of the book. A book is made up of several of these groups.
What do you call sections of a book?
The sections of a book can be called chapters or parts. Some books have big sections called “parts” that are made up of different chapters. You might also find things like an introduction, prologue, or epilogue in certain books.
What is the structure of a book called?
The structure of a book is called the layout or format. This is how the book is put together, including the title page, the table of contents, chapters, and any extra parts like notes or the index. When people talk about how the book is physically made, they might call it bookbinding.
What are the bound sections of a book called?
The bound sections of a book are also called signatures or folios. A signature is a folded sheet of paper with several pages, and a folio is a big piece of paper folded in half to make pages.
What is a small section of a book called?
A small section of a book could be called a paragraph, passage, or excerpt. If you take a small part of a book, like a quote, it’s often called an excerpt.
