The front matter consists of the Dedication page, Acknowledgement, Foreword, Author’s Note, etc. 


Although the front matter pages are only optional, you can choose which one of these pages you’d like to include based on your book’s category and what pages do justice in introducing or providing context for your book (especially if you’re writing under the Non-Fiction / Academic genre).



TYPES OF FRONT MATTER SECTIONS

  • Dedication
  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • Prologue
  • Table of Contents


Dedication

A book dedication is simply a way for you to dedicate or honor a special person or a small group of people in your life. The dedication is usually very short and is placed right after the title page. 


Used for: Books of all categories.


Foreword

The foreword is a short introduction to your book, typically by an expert in the field to add credibility to the subject of the book - which is why it is usually in the third person. Forewords are considered an endorsement for the book to your readers.


Used for: Predominantly Non-Fiction/Academic Books


How to get someone to write your book’s foreword-


  1. If your book is nonfiction, try to find a subject-matter expert on your topic who can lend credibility and context to your work.
  2. A Foreword’s length is usually one page or less.

Preface

A preface is an introductory passage written about a book by its author. It is an explanation of why the book exists. Prefaces are most common in nonfiction (prologues are more popular for fiction books). However, they are present in both. They enable you to speak directly about:

  • What you’ve created,
  • How you created it, and
  • Why it’s important — or why you specifically are qualified to write about it.


Used for: Non-Fiction / Fiction (if absolutely necessary)


How to write your book’s Preface-

  1. Use a conversational tone. A Preface is where you are speaking directly to your reader through your book.
  2. Keep it short. One or two pages should be your maximum. Any longer and you might run the risk of your reader skipping it entirely.
  3. Don’t give anything away.A preface is a chance to show off your content and draw readers in- so simply explain in any combination or selection of these objectives below
    • Why you chose the subject (and your expertise on it)
    • How you became interested in the subject
    • Why you were motivated to write about it
    • How long it took to write
    • The challenges you overcame while writing
    • The journey of writing it and how you changed in the process


Acknowledgments

The book acknowledgments section is where you recognize and thank everyone who helped you with your book. It’s a way to display your appreciation to them in a public and permanent forum.


Used for: Books in all categories.


How to write the acknowledgments page?-

  1. List out people whom you want to thank and were valuable in helping you in creating and publishing your book.
  2. Mention full names and keep the reason you want to thank them brief.
  3. Use a casual tone but don’t stray too far from the tone of the book.
  4. And like all front matter, keep it short.


Prologue

A prologue section is usually found right before the first chapter and separate from the main story. A prologue usually hooks in a reader and provides extra information that advances the plot in your book and is typically used for the following purposes-


  • Indicating an event to come in the story
  • Establishing a point of view
  • Setting the tone for the rest of the book
  • Providing background information or backstory on the main plot conflict


Used for: Only Fiction books


Note: Write a prologue only if you have additional information about your story that you cannot fit into your main story. Otherwise, you can skip it. 


How to write a prologue-

  1. Decide why you’re writing the prologue. Pick any or all of the reasons mentioned above and decide what you want to achieve with your prologue.
  2. Introduce the main character(s). This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to include all main characters (if you have many of them)- but, just the ones relevant to that particular scene you’re writing about.
  3. Drop hints. For instance, crime fiction and thrillers often make use of prologues to hint at characters, locations, and the mystery that is to come. Sometimes, a prologue may be set centuries or miles apart from the book, and appear wholly unrelated; however, it will somehow tie back into the main plot later in the novel.
  4. Add only relevant details. A prologue should not be an “information dump”: a good prologue enhances your story, rather than explaining it. The best way to decide what to include in a prologue is to ask yourself: what does the reader absolutely need to know before starting to read the main story?


Table of Contents

The advantage of having us publish your book is that you do not have to add in your table of contents. We will auto-generate it for you. However, if you would like to tell us which topics you want us to include in the table of contents, you can add the list of the chapters to your manuscript. Simple!



Learn more about preparing your book for publishing here.