What is back matter in a book?

Back matter is everything that follows the final chapter. In nonfiction it commonly includes appendices, endnotes, a bibliography, a glossary and an index. In fiction it is usually shorter: acknowledgements, an author's note, an "about the author" page and a list of other books by the same author.

For self-publishers, back matter is valuable marketing space. A reader who has just finished your book is the person most likely to buy the next one, so this is where to put a short call to action: a link to the next book in the series, an invitation to join your mailing list, or a polite request to leave a review. In eBooks those links can be clickable; in print, use a short, memorable web address.

Keep it focused. A long run of pages after "The End" can make an eBook look shorter than readers expected, and anything time-sensitive — prices, release dates, offers — will go out of date. If a store has rules about linking to competing retailers inside the book, follow them; check the platform's current content guidelines.

Back matter adds to your printed page count, which affects spine width and printing cost, so finalise it before you build the cover.