Between the covers of your nonfiction book bookbaby blog. Today, we look at the elements which make up the back matter. Books are divided into three partsfront matter, body text with or without illustrations, and back matter. 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. Three major segments of a book most books are divided into three general parts. Your body content is the book itself its your introduction, conclusion and everything in between. Its there in poetry collections, memoirs, biographies, historical books, novels, comics, childrens books, short story collections, etc. Each part includes certain elements and usually they appear in a specific order. Front matter is the first section of a book and is generally the shortest. Jan 10, 2014 last week here, i presented the parts of a book which appear in the front of the book. Order of the pages in the front matter of a book tex. Front matter occurring prior to the core content of the book front matter is the first part of a book and is the part of a book that outlines the technical details.
These pages consist of the title page, page, dedication, other books, table of contents, foreword, preface, and many others. Find the answers to these questions in this instructional video designed for elementary. Front matter of a book what is included in the front matter of a book. The actual first page of your book after the front matter should always start on a righthand page and will be page 1. The table of contents normally goes right after the other front matter like the page, dedication, and other books page at the front of the book. Front matter is the material at the front of a book that usually offers information about the book. Front matter is the information that is presented before the body of the document. Front matter and back matter grammar factory publishing. The front matter is a section in the beginning of a book. 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 front matter pages usually arent visibly numbered. Nov 12, 20 it should include a description of the main features of the book, a category, your photo and a brief bio, the publisher, an isbn number, a library of congress number, a bar code, and the price. 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. The front matter contains pages normally found in every book such as the title page, page, and table of contents. What page numbering conventions are there for front matters. The front matter of a book consists of its very first pages. A dedication is a part of the front matter that is written by the author. After benchmarking a lot of books last summer i changed my front matter to 1cover, 2title page, 3jacket copy, 4the book imagine that, 5all the rest including the toc. Front matter includes the dedication, epigram, table of contents, foreword, preface, and acknowledgements.
At the front of most books there are several pages referred to as front matter. Solutions are practical, his best practice guidelines sensible and their rationales well explained. A successful book is more than just a manuscript thrown between a cover. 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.
When a book uses arabic page numbering, the usual habit is to treat the front cover as a page number 1, and start the book itself by page number 3. Optional items in the front matter at the beginning of a book are e. Please include all author names for contributed books the editor names and their affiliations, the book title and subtitle. The body matter or contents consist of parts, chapters, sections, and subsections. Half title page click on page 1 the page spreads panel, click on the text container to open the text editor. In traditional publishing, page numbers for the front matter appear in roman numerals. 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. The various parts of a book have specific technical names that are used throughout publishing. 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 front matter types menu lets you indicate an items type which may change how it is styled in outputs.
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 book s final edit. Front and back matter in books alliance of independent. 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. The front matter, and all its components, is a seriously important part of the book. Front matter may also contain a list of the figures, illustrations, or tables in the book, a list of abbreviations, a frontispiece, a list of contributors, and endpapers. 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 if you havent come across these terms before, dont be intimidated. Probably the most basic aspect of the front matter is the book title page and the half title. You can create, edit, delete, rename or reorder front matter items the same way that you would with chapters, with one additional option. It sits between the front matter and back 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. Nov 28, 2017 the front matter is a section in the beginning of a book. The front matter is paginated using lower roman numerals, however, the back matter. They simply refer to the first and last sections of your book. This is one of the aspects of front matter that is in every book, no matter the type or genre.
The first three parts of the front matter include the half title, frontispiece, and title page. It sits between the front matter and back matter of the book the body matter or contents consist of parts, chapters, sections, and subsections. The inside of your book, which we call the book block, is divided into three main sections. Front matter things like and preface, back matter things like index and appendices and the main body the main content of your book, typically made of up chapters, and sometimes parts with chapters. 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.
Keep in mind that there is no book that has all of these parts. Last week here, i presented the parts of a book which appear in the front of the book. The front matter includes any material that precedes the text. The front matter comes at the beginning of the book and includes the.
Were novices, so working with front matter and back matter is a new experience. Sep 15, 2014 the front matter is where youll find the following items. Well never look at a childrens picture book in the same way again. The sixteenth edition of the chicago manual of style calls for the beginning of the text to begin with the arabic number 1, while the front matter that precedes it is to be numbered with lowercase roman numerals. Thats right, before digging into the main course, i enjoy the appetizers or whats known by book production aficionados as front matter. Front matter of a book what is included in the front matter. The purpose of the front matter is to give information about the book, author, publisher, and isbn, as well as to list the table of contents. An introduction in the subject of the book, however, should appear as the first chapter of the book.
Follow the instructions below to edit the 5 front matter pages specifically for your book. And the part of a book that most confuses new independent authors. You can often tell a book is selfpublished because many of these parts will be missing or in the wrong order. It should include a description of the main features of the book, a category, your photo and a brief bio, the publisher, an isbn number, a library of congress number, a bar code, and the price. Most books contain at minimum three main parts of a book. Back matter is the final pages of a book, where endnotes, the appendix, the bibliography, the index, and. Book front matter includes some or all of these pages. It is often the first page of real content, before the first section of the book starts. Item 12 introduction should be there if the introduction is not part of the main matter which is clearly not the case in a scientific writting. As their names imply these parts come at the front of the book and the back of the book respectively. The basic components of the book may be broken down into three groups. The content often centers on the book s structure and themes and showcases the valueadd benefit for the reader.
Select the book title copy and type in the name of your book, and then select the author name and type in the name of the author. Joint the joint of a book is the small groove which runs vertically down the book itself between the book boards book cover and the spine. May 19, 2014 those parts are front matter and back matter. Copyright page example of copyright pages free copyright. A comprehensive comparison of lexemes in the major languages of tanna, vanuatu. Here are the elements you can find in the front matter of books, and a. Front matter of a book what is included in the front. Front matter generally appears only in the first of a multivolume work, although some elements such as a table of contents or index. These pages are numbered using roman numerals rather than the more common arabic numbering. Front matter pages are traditionally numbered in lowercase roman numerals i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc.
Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book the. For this exercise, you will need to refer to the dictionary that i edited recently for sil. Youll find that a preface is part of the front matter, whereas the introduction is the beginning of the book proper. Nov 07, 2012 every book, your book included, should have front matter, and making front matter look great is easy if you know how. The normal order of parts of the book s front matter. An understanding of the following parts of a book will help you properly construct your manuscript. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book. However, sometimes the front matter of the book is numbered seperately by roman numbers. Pat mcnees the difference between a preface, foreword. The parts of a book for self published authors bookstand. Front matter things like and preface, back matter things like index and appendices and the main body the main content of your book, typically made of up chapters, and sometimes parts. Book front matter what to include in the front of your book. The frontmatter, the body of the book, and the backmatter. Front matter a book is divided into three distinct parts.
The dedication or epigram is an optional page near the front of your book. After the last page of the manuscripts text, pagination continues in numerical sequence into the back matter. The front matter pages are numbered in lowercase roman numerals. Book design is the art of incorporating the content, style, format, design, and sequence of the various components and elements of a book into a coherent unit. Page numbers can in a header at the top of the page, or at the bottom, as they are in this book. Identify the front and back cover and title page of a book duration.
The first part of a book is known as the front matter. For guidance like this i recommend you download my free book construction blueprint which explains all the parts of the book and their order within the book. Spine section of book cover that covers the bound edge. Nov 17, 2019 the typical parts of a books front matter include the following. If the front matter is extensive and a second halftitle page is included, it is to be numbered as page 1 and its verso as page 2. Front matter is everything that comes before your content. The half title is usually the first page when you open the cover of the book it includes just the. Sep 29, 2009 for guidance like this i recommend you download my free book construction blueprint which explains all the parts of the book and their order within the book. Its the 30,000 to 50,000 words you just pumped out. Most fiction books dont use fun chapter titles so it just clogs up the front sample nonfiction its vital up front. Jul 12, 2012 thus, in the table of contents you would not mention the title page or the dedication nor the table of contents itself. Books are divided into three parts front matter, body text with or without illustrations, and back matter. We all know what the title page is, but whats a half title.
How do all of the pieces of the front matter fit together, though. Its a smooth way of opening a story without immediately dropping the reader into it. Its a smooth way of opening a story without immediately. Sep 17, 2014 book cover or book board the front and back covers of books are often referred to as book covers or book boards as they are often made of bookbinding board and cover the book. Books can be divided into three areas front matter, body content and back matter. Half title, or bastard title title only, on otherwise blank page book card or card page, listing previous works by author, or books. In the words of renowned typographer jan tschichold 19021974, book design, though largely forgotten today, relies upon methods and rules upon which it is impossible to improve, and which have been. This is the piece of artwork on the left otherwise known as verso side of the page opposite the title page on the right otherwise known as recto side. The front matter contains the nuts and bolts of the book s publicationinformation such as title, author, publisher, isbn, and library of congress data. Much of this will already exist in your book proposal and can easily be converted to the appropriate language if the book is being translated. Its everything that appears after the body of your manuscript. How to format front matter how to make an ebook series.
506 438 904 1405 1074 1224 475 1631 400 1438 57 1662 1124 82 287 333 333 642 961 431 1165 520 1520 723 1563 474 417 1576 225 717 304 1361 895 990 1576 1256 1554 1432 757 797 745 367 1224 678 859 813 791 249 1061 257