What is front matter in a book?

Front matter is the set of pages that come before chapter one. In a typical self-published book it includes some or all of: a half-title page, the title page, the copyright page, a dedication, an epigraph, a table of contents, and, for nonfiction, a foreword, preface or introduction. In traditionally printed books front matter is often numbered with lowercase Roman numerals, while the main text starts again at page 1.

Order matters because readers and reviewers expect a convention. The title page is a right-hand (recto) page; the copyright page sits on its back (verso). A dedication usually comes next on a recto page, followed by the table of contents. Print books often have blank versos between these pages so that each new section opens on the right.

For eBooks, keep front matter lean. Store previews ("Look Inside" and sample downloads) start at the beginning of the file, so several pages of front matter use up the sample before a reader reaches the story. Many authors move acknowledgements, "also by" lists and author bios to the back of the eBook for this reason.

Front matter counts toward your printed page count, so include it when you estimate spine width and printing cost.