Front and back matter in a nonfiction book: every part, in order
Front matter is everything before your first chapter; back matter is everything after the last one. Most books need only a few of these parts. Here is each one in order, what it is for, whether you need it, and how to write the three that are always personal: the dedication, the acknowledgments and the about the author page.
The front matter, in order
Scribe Media's guide to the parts of a book says front matter comes before your content and introduces the reader to your book. The order below follows that guide and Princeton University Press's manuscript preparation guidelines, which list title page, dedication, epigraph, contents, foreword, preface and acknowledgments in that sequence. Optional parts are marked; skip any you do not need.
| Part | What it is | Do you need it? |
|---|---|---|
| Half title | The first page: the title alone, with no subtitle or author name | Scribe calls it customary for nearly every book |
| Title page | Title, subtitle and author name | Yes, every book |
| Copyright page | Copyright notice, owner, year, ISBN and other publishing details | Most books; see below |
| Dedication | A line or two honoring someone | Optional |
| Epigraph | A short quotation that sets the tone, attributed to its source | Optional |
| Table of contents | The chapter list, with page numbers in print | Scribe says nearly all books have one |
| Foreword | A short piece by someone other than the author | Only if it adds credibility or context |
| Preface | The author on why they wrote the book | Rarely |
| Acknowledgments | Thanks to the people who helped | Most books have them; usually in the back now (see below) |
| Introduction | The author's case for reading the book | Yes; Scribe treats it as the start of the main text |
Descriptions from Scribe Media's parts of a book guide and The Scribe Method chapter on forewords; order from that guide and Princeton University Press. Scribe's guide also lists rarer parts (series title, blurbs, frontispiece, lists of figures and tables, a second half title) that most books skip.
The foreword, preface and introduction are the three parts people mix up most. Our guide on how to write a book introduction compares them side by side and gives a template for the introduction, so this page does not repeat that.
One note on ebooks. Amazon KDP's navigation guidelines recommend putting the table of contents near the start of the book, not the end, and leaving page numbers out, because Kindle books do not always match print page numbers.
The back matter, in order
Scribe's guide describes back matter as supplementary material that enhances the reader's experience. Before it comes the last chapter of the main text, the conclusion. The Scribe Method's chapter on outlining the conclusion says it should summarize the book, answer lingering questions, give a call to action and point to further resources; it is not the place for new ideas, and should be one of the shortest chapters in the book.
| Part | What it is | Do you need it? |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgments | Thanks, placed right after the last chapter | Chicago's current preference for most books |
| Appendix | Supporting material: research, forms, worksheets, in memoir photos or letters | Only if the reader will use it |
| Notes | Sources and asides, chapter by chapter | If you cite sources |
| Glossary | Definitions of uncommon or coined terms | Only if you use such terms |
| Bibliography | The works you cite, usually in Chicago style | If you cite other works |
| Index | Key terms with page numbers | Useful in reference-heavy print books |
| About the author | A short bio, usually in the third person | Yes, for almost any nonfiction book |
Order of acknowledgments, appendixes, notes, glossary, bibliography and index from Princeton University Press's guidelines; descriptions from Scribe Media's parts of a book guide; about the author last, as in Scribe's list.
Two cautions from Scribe's guide: notes and an appendix are very similar, and you probably do not need both; and an index should be made by an experienced indexer, not generated by software, because an index does not include every mention of a term. Princeton's guidelines also note that the index is prepared at a later stage.
Every one of these parts adds pages beyond your chapters, which matters when you estimate length; our guide to how many words a nonfiction book needs counts text pages only.
The copyright page
Scribe's guide says the copyright page holds the copyright notice, the owner, the year, the ISBN and other publishing details, and that the owner should almost always be you, the author. The US Copyright Office's Circular 3 explains the notice itself: the symbol © (or the word "Copyright"), the year of first publication, and the name of the owner, as in "© 2017 John Doe". Notice is optional for works published on or after March 1, 1989, but the circular says there are legal benefits to including it.
An illustration of a simple copyright page (placeholders in brackets):
Copyright © [year] [Your Name]
All rights reserved.
[Title]: [Subtitle]
ISBN [hardcover]
ISBN [paperback]
ISBN [ebook]
An illustration, not legal advice. Publishers often add an edition line, a disclaimer and the cover designer's credit.
How to write a dedication
The Scribe Method's chapter on writing your book dedication describes it as a short passage near the start of the book honoring someone who inspired or supported you. It is optional; you can thank people in the acknowledgments instead. Its advice:
- Choose one focus. A spouse, children, parents, a friend, a mentor, the people the book is about, or your readers.
- Remember everyone reads it. It is a private thank you in a public place.
- Keep it short. The chapter says a sentence or two is usually enough. Scribe's parts of a book guide adds that there is no formula other than short and sweet.
The chapter's best-known example is George R.R. Martin's: "For Phyllis, who made me put the dragons in." It works because it names one person and one specific thing she did.
Illustrations, written for this page, one for each kind of focus:
- Family: For my mother, who kept every report card and never once asked about the grades.
- The people in the book: For the night-shift nurses on the fourth floor, who taught me everything in chapter three.
- The reader: For every new manager who was told to figure it out.
- In memory: In memory of Dad, who would have read this twice and argued with chapter five.
Illustrative examples, not from real books.
How to write acknowledgments
Where they go. The Chicago Manual of Style's free Q&A says acknowledgments may go in the front matter, on their own or inside the preface, or in the back, where they work well immediately after the final chapter. Chicago's 18th edition (2024) changed its default: its list of what is new says it now prefers the back matter for most types of books. Our view: for a nonfiction book that teaches, the back is the better choice anyway, because the reader reaches your content sooner.
How to write them. The Scribe Method's chapter on writing your book acknowledgments gives four steps:
- Start with a list of everyone you want to thank, grouped by role: family, friends, editors and the production team, your publisher, agent or coach, colleagues, contributors and advisors, teachers and mentors.
- Be specific about what each person did.
- Write in your own voice, from the heart rather than formally.
- Do not worry about length. Scribe's parts of a book guide agrees: you do not want to leave someone out for the sake of length.
Specific is the whole skill. Compare these two lines:
Thanks to my team for all their support.
Thank you to Ana, who read every draft of chapter four and told me, kindly, that it was two chapters; and to the whole Denver office, who ran the business for the months I was writing it.
Illustrative examples, not from a real book.
Scribe's chapter sets no order. Our suggestion: the people who made the book possible (editor, coach, publisher), the people whose stories or expertise are in it, colleagues, and family last, so the line that matters most to you closes the page.
How to write the about the author page
Scribe's parts of a book guide calls the about the author page an expanded bio that can point readers to your other work, and notes most are written in the third person. The Scribe Method's chapter on writing your author bio adds the rules:
- Keep it short and relevant. Only the credentials, accomplishments and expertise that matter to this book's reader.
- Do not oversell or undersell. A long list of honors reads as promotion; leaving out the experience that qualifies you hides why the reader should trust you.
- Write in the third person.
- Get help. If writing about yourself is hard, ask a trusted friend to draft it, then get feedback before you finalize.
A first-time author has no books to list, and does not need any. The bio's job is the same one the introduction's credibility passage does: why you are the right guide for this reader.
- What you do: [Name] is a [role] who [the work, in plain words, tied to the book's reader].
- Why you can write this book: [The experience behind the book: years, number of clients, the problem you solved].
- One human detail: [Where you live, with whom, or what you do away from work].
- Where to find you: [Website or one channel].
An illustration for the first-time manager book used across our guides:
Jordan Lee is an engineering leader who has spent ten years coaching new managers through their first year. Jordan started as a software engineer, was promoted to manage a team of former peers, and got most of it wrong before getting it right. Jordan lives in Denver with a partner and two dogs, and writes about management at [website].
An invented author, written for this page.
What most people get wrong
- Adding parts because other books have them. Scribe's guide puts it plainly: your content determines your book's success, not whether it has an appendix or a preface.
- Too much before chapter one. A foreword, preface, introduction and long acknowledgments up front make the reader wait. Amazon KDP's Read sample shows a percentage of the book (10% for ebooks, 20% for print), so every page of front matter is a page of your chapters a browsing reader does not see.
- A dedication that needs explaining. One sentence, one person, one reason.
- Acknowledgments that list names with no reasons. The specific line is the one people remember.
- An about the author page that is a resume. Keep what this reader cares about.
The free book idea starter helps you pin down the reader and promise first. Your introduction, contents page and author bio all depend on them, so it is the right place to start before any front matter.
Scribe Media, which makes this site, sells publishing services that include the design and layout of these pages; Scribe Publishing is $4,833 a month for 6 months ($29,000 total) on scribemedia.com/pricing. Everything above can be done on your own.
Common questions
What is the order of front matter in a book?
A common order is half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, foreword, preface and acknowledgments, followed by the introduction as the start of the main text. That matches Scribe Media's guide to the parts of a book and Princeton University Press's manuscript guidelines. Most books use only some of these parts.
What goes in the back matter of a book?
Whatever helps the reader after the last chapter: acknowledgments, appendixes, notes, a glossary, a bibliography, an index and an about the author page are the usual parts. Scribe Media's parts of a book guide calls back matter supplementary material that enhances the reader's experience. Include only the parts your book needs.
Does a book need a table of contents?
Nearly all nonfiction books have one, according to Scribe Media's parts of a book guide. For a Kindle ebook, Amazon KDP's navigation guidelines recommend placing the table of contents near the start of the book and leaving page numbers out, because Kindle pages do not match print pages.
Where do acknowledgments go in a book?
Either place works. The Chicago Manual of Style's Q&A says acknowledgments may go in the front matter or in the back, and that in the back they work well immediately after the final chapter. Chicago's 18th edition (2024) now prefers the back matter for most types of books.
What should a first-time author write in an about the author page?
Two to four sentences in the third person: what you do, the experience that qualifies you to write this book, and one human detail or a place readers can find you. The Scribe Method's chapter on author bios advises keeping only credentials relevant to the reader and avoiding both overselling and underselling.
Sources, checked October 21, 2026: Scribe Media, Parts of a Book; The Scribe Method, chapters on the dedication, acknowledgments, foreword, conclusion and author bio; Princeton University Press, Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for Standard Word Processing Software; The Chicago Manual of Style Online, Q&A on acknowledgments and "What's New in the 18th Edition"; US Copyright Office, Circular 3, Copyright Notice; Amazon KDP help, Navigation Guidelines and Read Sample (Look Inside the Book); scribemedia.com/pricing. Every sample dedication, acknowledgment, copyright page and bio is an illustration written for this page. Published by Scribe Media. This guide is general information, not legal advice.