Front Matter of a Book: What to Include and in What Order

The front matter of a book is everything that comes before the first chapter. The traditional order is half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, foreword, preface, acknowledgments, and introduction. A self-published book only needs three of these: a title page, a copyright page, and (for most books) a table of contents. Everything else is optional.

The rest of this guide explains what each page is for, which side of the spread it goes on in print, how ebooks differ, and how to arrange your back matter.

The correct order of front matter in a book

Publishers in the US generally follow the order set out in The Chicago Manual of Style. You don't have to include every element, but the ones you do include should appear in this sequence:

1. Half title: just the book's title, no subtitle or author name
2. Also by / series page: a list of your other books (optional)
3. Title page: full title, subtitle, author name, and publisher or imprint
4. Copyright page: legal notice, ISBN, edition, credits
5. Dedication
6. Epigraph: a short quotation that sets the tone
7. Table of contents
8. List of illustrations or tables (mostly non-fiction)
9. Foreword: written by someone other than the author
10. Preface: written by the author about the book itself
11. Acknowledgments: often moved to the back instead
12. Introduction: sometimes treated as the start of the main text

A prologue is not front matter. It belongs to the story, so it comes right after the front matter and right before Chapter 1.

Front matter pages a self-published book actually needs

Readers will notice if certain pages are missing. They won't notice if you skip the rest.

Element	What it is	Print book	Ebook
Half title	Title alone, first page inside	Optional, common in print	Usually skipped
Title page	Title, subtitle, author, imprint	Needed	Needed
Copyright page	Rights notice, ISBN, edition	Needed	Needed
Dedication	One or two lines to a person	Optional	Optional
Epigraph	Short quotation	Optional	Optional
Table of contents	Chapter list	Needed for non-fiction; optional for novels	Expected; build a clickable one
Foreword	Written by another person	Only if someone writes one	Only if someone writes one
Preface	Author explains why and how the book was written	Optional, mainly non-fiction	Optional
Acknowledgments	Thanks	Optional, front or back	Usually back
Introduction	Sets up the content	Common in non-fiction	Common in non-fiction

For a typical self-published novel, a good minimum is a title page, copyright page, optional dedication, and contents. For non-fiction, add an introduction and perhaps a preface.

Title page and copyright page contents

The title page shows the full title and subtitle exactly as they appear on the cover and in your store listing, your author name (or pen name), and your imprint name if you have one. Keeping the title consistent across the cover, the title page, and your metadata matters, because stores compare them during review. If you're still settling on the wording, see how to choose a book title.

The copyright page usually sits on the back of the title page in print. A basic version includes:

• The copyright notice: © [year] [your name or pen name]
• An "all rights reserved" statement
• The ISBN for that specific format
• Edition information (first edition, second edition)
• Credits for the cover designer, editor, or other contributors, if you want to list them
• A fiction disclaimer for novels ("names, characters and incidents are products of the author's imagination…")
• Your imprint name and, if you like, a website

ISBN rules differ by store and format. According to each store's published terms, Amazon KDP doesn't require an ISBN for Kindle ebooks (Amazon assigns an ASIN). A KDP paperback does need one, and you can use KDP's free ISBN or your own. IngramSpark requires your own ISBN for each format and won't accept a free KDP ISBN. Confirm the current rules in each store's dashboard before you finalize the page. Each format should list its own ISBN, so your paperback and hardcover copyright pages will differ slightly.

For a full template with sample wording, see how to write a copyright page.

Foreword, preface, and introduction: the difference

Authors mix these up all the time, and readers who know the difference will notice.

• Foreword: written by someone else, usually a person whose name lends credibility. It's about the author or the book's importance. It's signed by that person. If nobody else wrote it, it isn't a foreword. Note the spelling too: "foreword" (words that come before), not "forward."
• Preface: written by you, about the book itself. Why you wrote it, how you researched it, what changed in a new edition. It is about the making of the book.
• Introduction: written by you, about the subject. It prepares the reader for the content: what the book covers, who it's for, how to use it. In non-fiction it often does real work, and many readers treat it as Chapter 0.

A practical example: a gardening book might have a foreword by a well-known horticulturist, a short preface where the author explains that the book grew out of twenty years of allotment notes, and an introduction that explains soil types and how the chapters are organized.

Most self-published books need at most one of these. If you're writing non-fiction, the introduction is usually the one worth keeping. For advice on structuring it, read how to write a non-fiction book.

Where dedications and epigraphs go

The dedication comes after the copyright page and is usually set alone on a right-hand page, centered, often a third of the way down. Keep it short. "For Maya" is a complete dedication.

The epigraph comes after the dedication. It's a brief quotation, often from a poem, scripture, or another book, that hints at the theme. Some authors also put epigraphs at the start of each part or chapter.

One caution: if you quote song lyrics or a recent poem, you may need permission from the rights holder, even for a single line. Public domain sources and your own invented quotations are the safe choices. If you're unsure, leave it out or use something clearly out of copyright.

Front matter layout in a print book

Print books follow a few conventions that ebooks don't.

Right-hand pages (recto) for openings. The half title, title page, dedication, contents, and the first page of each major section traditionally start on a right-hand page. The copyright page is the classic exception: it sits on the left-hand page (verso), on the back of the title page.

Blank pages are normal. To get each element onto a right-hand page, you'll often have a blank left-hand page before it. That's expected in print.

Roman numerals for front matter. Traditionally, front matter is numbered i, ii, iii, and so on, often with no number shown on the title and copyright pages. Arabic numbering starts at 1 on the first page of the main text. Many self-published novels skip numbering in the front matter altogether, which is also acceptable.

Front matter adds to page count. Every page counts toward printing cost and spine width. Four or five front matter pages plus blanks can add eight pages before Chapter 1. Run your final count through the book spine width calculator before you build the cover, not after.

How ebook front matter differs

Ebooks have no facing pages, so the recto/verso rules don't apply. You also don't need blank pages, and you shouldn't add page numbers, because text reflows on different screens.

The bigger difference is the sample. Readers browsing a store often read a free preview from the start of the book. Every page of front matter is a page they read before your story begins. A long run of title page, copyright, dedication, epigraph, contents, foreword, and acknowledgments can bury your opening.

Common ebook adjustments:

• Skip the half title
• Keep the copyright page short, or move the long version to the back (many indie authors do this; check your store's content guidelines first)
• Move acknowledgments, "also by," and "about the author" to the back
• Build a clickable table of contents so readers can jump between chapters

If you're writing in Inkora, you can edit the front matter pages in the built-in editor before you export. The same book exports as a print-ready interior PDF, EPUB 3, and DOCX, so you can trim the ebook version without touching the print version.

Back matter: what follows the last chapter

Back matter follows the last chapter. Its traditional order is:

1. Epilogue: part of the story, so it comes first
2. Afterword: author's reflection after the main text
3. Acknowledgments: if not in the front
4. Appendix or appendices: supporting material
5. Notes: endnotes, by chapter
6. Glossary
7. Bibliography or references
8. Index
9. About the author
10. Also by the author

For self-published books, the back matter is where you turn a finished reader into a returning reader. A short, useful setup for a novel:

• A brief thank-you that asks the reader to consider leaving a review. Keep it a polite request. Amazon's review policies prohibit offering anything in exchange for a review.
• About the author: two or three sentences in the third person, plus where to find you
• Also by: your other books, with the next in the series listed first
• A newsletter invitation, if you run one
• A preview of your next book, often the first chapter

Non-fiction back matter tends to be more practical: references, a glossary, worksheets or checklists in an appendix, and an index for longer reference books. An index is genuinely useful in print but much less so in an ebook, where readers can search.

Common problems and fixes

The free sample is mostly front matter. Readers open your preview and scroll through five pages before the story starts. Fix: cut the ebook front matter to title page, copyright, and contents, and move everything else to the back. Upload a revised file; stores accept updated manuscripts.

The wrong ISBN is on the copyright page. This often happens when an author copies the paperback file to make the hardcover. Fix: each format gets its own ISBN on its own copyright page. Correct the file and re-upload. If the book has already gone live with the wrong number, contact the store's support team before you change anything else.

The title page doesn't match the cover or listing. A subtitle appears on the cover but not inside, or the author name is spelled differently. Fix: make the cover, title page, and store metadata identical. Store review teams check this and can hold a book until it matches.

Page numbers start in the wrong place. Chapter 1 begins on page 9 because the front matter was numbered continuously. Fix: restart numbering at 1 on the first page of the main text and suppress numbers (or use roman numerals) in the front matter. In a word processor this usually means inserting a section break before Chapter 1.

The ebook has blank pages. These were left over from the print layout. Fix: remove them from the ebook file. Blank pages in an ebook look like errors to readers.

Adding pages changed the spine. You added a foreword late and the cover was rejected because the spine no longer fit. Fix: recalculate with your final page count using the book page count calculator and then the spine calculator, and rebuild the cover. If you use Inkora, the full-wrap cover PDF sizes the spine from the page count, so re-export after the interior is final. IngramSpark uses its own cover template, so check their spine width separately. Our IngramSpark publishing guide walks through that step.

The table of contents links go nowhere. Readers tap a chapter and nothing happens. Fix: use proper heading styles for every chapter title so the contents builds from them, then preview the file in the store's previewer before you publish.

Front matter tells readers and stores that your book is put together properly, and back matter is where you invite readers to keep going with you. Start with the essentials, keep the ebook opening short, and check that every page matches its format. When the interior is ready, how to self-publish a book covers what comes next.