In trade nonfiction books, the Introduction may be an informal "Dear Reader" letter getting the reader excited about the information presented, inviting the reader inside the book and giving an overview of . The nonfiction genre casts so wide a net it can be difficult to know which titles are the prize catches. There are three main sections in a book: the preliminary matter (or front matter), the main text, and the end matter (or back matter). Front Matter: Pages before the main text of a book. The preface is one of the integral parts of your book's front matter. The body is the content of your book. Read the nonfiction book you will review. It may . This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question. Front matter: Half title page (just the title of the book and the author name usually appears here - this is the page that authors sign if it's a signed copy!) The template will now appear in the default options in Scrivener. First I'll explain what to include, and how to order it in a paperback. The front matter is the first section of the book that the reader encounters. If these sections are missing, you won't be able to distribute your book through mainstream channels. This is especially important when self-publishing on a deadline, self-imposed or not. Depending on the size of your font and the formatting of your pages (single-spaced vs. double-spaced, margin size, etc. In terms of how you'll layout out your back matter, I strongly suggest creating a new section in your Word document. Give proof. The style of subheadings of the chapter is set to Heading 2. . These are the parts of the book before and after the content of your book and will vary based on whether it is a fiction or nonfiction book. In 1971, Hunter S. Thompson channeled his subjective, first-person gonzo journalism style to create Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I'm formatting a non-fiction book to submit to CreateSpace. The following table defines some common types of front matter, and the "voice" (or point of view) in which each can be said to be given: Body matter [ edit] appendix (es) usually listed as Appendix a, b, c, etc., or i, ii, iii, etc. A prologue is for fiction books, so don't include one in your nonfiction book. These kinds of thanks can also be made in the last paragraph of an Author's Note. Front matter is everything that comes before your content. These notes might include references about the book's subject, how the author viewed the topic, the source materials used in the book, and whether or not the author used a journalistic approach or a more creative . Each of the chapters of the book has a header with the book title, the chapter title, and a page number at the upper right. 1. Of course, not all books these days have a publisher. Simply the Best Nonfiction Books. The front matter and introduction are numbered at the bottom center of the page with lower-case Roman numerals. It is the narrative that introduces or explains your reasons for writing that particular book. This might include: The recto always has an odd page number and the verso always has an even page number. While you are reading, use notecards to take notes on specific aspects of the book. And we call these pages, Front Matter and Back Matter. Some may not include the Acknowledgements in . What makes a good nonfiction book cover? . Book covers achieve all of that through color, typography and other design elements. Others like to put Acknowledgments at the end of the book. How to Use This Book / Getting the Most Out of This Book. They are completely optional. Front Matter Press publishes non-fiction books by women entrepreneurs, chefs, memoirists, influencers, and experts in their fields. Welcome to Front Matter Press, a new imprint and publishing program started by Behind the Book. Traditionally, the start of each front matter section begins on a right-hand (recto) page only. 8) Tapping into trends. Writing about business, happiness, communication, money, and so on, you build a plot based on Game of Thrones or Star Wars. The purpose here is to explore the common elements of back matter used in book publishing today. An acknowledgement page is (usually) a one to two page section in the front matter of a book (though sometimes it's located in the back of the book), and its focus is thanking and bringing attention to instrumental persons who helped the book become realized, written, and published. A quality nonfiction book has three main components: the front matter, the main body and the back matter. 2) You have a high word count, which will keep your production high. All of these pages should start on the right-hand side of your two-page spread so you may end up with blank pages on the left-hand side. In any traditionally published book, the front matter usually includes a title page, a copyright notice, a list of the author's books, a foreword or preface, and perhaps several pages of blurbs from professional reviewers, along with lists of awards and bestseller status. . Front Matter: Elements And Best Practices. by. For the chapter title, you'll use Heading 1. Examples of front matter Half title: A half title is a page that has only the main title of the publication. By combining his experience as an educator and entrepreneur, author Gregory V. Diehl teaches passionate thinkers how to turn unique messages into profitable books-without sacrificing royalties or creative control to a publisher. The usual order of book front matter elements As we mentioned, there's a well established order for the types of pages that appear at the very beginning of books, but it's somewhat flexible. The sudden change to a slower gear also left more room to reflect on the state of the world and our place as humans in it. In the lower left-hand corner of the pop-up window, click "Options" and "Import Templates.". . An Important Message From the Author (Customer Book Review Request Page) The purpose of an epigraph is to set the tone, evoke a specific context or emotion, or provide an overt link to a well-known poem, song, or literary work. Half Title Page This is the first page of your book a reader sees. It has your book title with no subtitle or byline. Main; . Front matter generally appears only in the first of a multi-volume work, although some elements (such as a table of contents or index) may appear in each volume. Blog Home . The back matter includes the following: the epilogue, acknowledgements (these can go in the front matter, too), discussion section, appendix (or appendices), glossary, bibliography (or works cited), index, and colophon. Back matter is the final pages of a book, where endnotes, the appendix, the bibliography, the index, and related elements reside. Most books may be viewed as having three major internal components (i.e., not counting the front and back covers): the front-matter, the body, and the back-matter. The inside of your book, which we call the book block, is divided into three main sections: the front matter, book block text, and back matter. 10. Books are divided into three basic parts: front matter body of the book back matter What you've been working on, the manuscript you've sweated and struggled over, will form the body of the book. The back matter is where you'll find components such as an index, a glossary, an appendix or two, endnotes (unless you prefer to have footnotes at the bottom of each page or the end of each. Introduction: Lists the goals of the book and what you'll find, sometimes broken down chapter by chapter or by . Nonfiction text sets cover a range of subject matter including historical, cultural, and political topics. So please do take these things as seriously as your story. The Order of the Back Matter in a Book Generally, it tells some earlier story and connects it to the main story. It can be not that simple, but you can try to "catch" the trend and use it as a reference for your non-fiction book. There are plenty of websites that talk about forewords, prefaces, introductions, and prologues, but lots of the . 4.18 avg rating 3,348,657 ratings. Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is an immersive graphic memoir based on the author's childhood in the Iranian capital of Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. The principal text is the meat of a book. Here's how to write an introduction for a book: Identify the problem for your introduction. Definition of Nonfiction Look up "nonfiction definition" on the internet, and you'll most likely see it defined as writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people which distinguishes it from fiction. Some critics call this technique "to piggyback on a star.". This is a part of your book front matter for non-fiction books that can be added as an instructional guide to help readers better process the information included in the book. So any blank front-matter pages should be completely blank, and that includes no visible page number. Acknowledgments: This includes the author's thanks to people who provided support or help during the writing process or writing career. An epilogue serves as a final chapter to reveal the fate of the characters. Everything about it says "clean," "direct," and "professional." Like most fonts, it has versions ranging from thin to bold, depending on your needs. The order of pages shown above is customary but not mandatory. You could also ask the author. The ones in bold are recommended and the rest are optional depending on your content and/or preferences. Back matter. Warn against waiting. Parts of the book. Front matter comes before your book's content and introduces the reader to your book. After this comes the body of the book and after that, what is called the 'Back Matter.' For an explanation of Back Matter, look below. It doesn't matter if you're the head of a multinational corporation or trying to arrange where and when to meet with a group of friends, the principles of . Some parts have been fictionalized in varying degrees, for various purposes. It signals the beginning of the front matter and shares the title, subtitle, author, and publisher. Though many readers skip right over it, the front matter contains some pretty important information about the book's . Once the story is completed, it is followed by . It's also sometimes included at the back of the book, in the back matter. The middle part of the book starts after the Front Matter. Back Matter. Nonfiction Text Sets. What is Front Matter for Books? Front matter is the material at the front of a book that usually offers information about the book. Assert your credibility. 1) You can write your book quickly once your outline is complete. Anne Frank. Typically, a nonfiction book will need a more extensive book front matter than a fiction book. Most nonfiction books include some back matter, perhaps a glossary, bibliography, or index. If you needed the inspiration to keep writing, this is one of the best nonfiction books for you. Like the Foreword, the Preface is typically only seen in works of non-fiction. This includes the title page, cover page, etc. The front cover consists of the following elements: the cover image or cover treatment, a headlining testimonial appearing on top of the cover, your book title and subtitle and your author name. 9. Nonfiction books often have a lot more content for their back matter. There may also be a preface by the author, or a foreword by someone familiar with their work. Front matter is the stuff in your book from the page after the cover till the page before chapter one. The front and back matter in a book are one of the key factors to presenting a professional and quality product. 8. Select it and click "Create.". Optimizing Your Front Matter and Back Matter. Articles. In these cases, it just lists the title and the author or authors. Once someone is intrigued enough to pick up your book and read it, they want to know what they're getting into when they start. Let's look at each component to see which ones you should include. For back matter that uses a list format such as endnotes or a reference list you may wish to create a new line with no indent or no line spacing after. If done haphazardly, it's a sure sign in most people's eyes that the book content will not be up to par. It can be a medium of information that adds longevity to the most valuable products of its author's life, even long after they are gone. A bibliography or endnotes section, index, related works, author bios, and more can all be included in your back matter . Epilogue - This section provides narrative closure. Select the Normal style. Gotham Gotham is a modern sans-serif font and one of our favorite fonts for nonfiction cover titles. Most nonfiction authors write their books with the intention of helping their readers with something. The power of a nonfiction book lies in the . It's the 30,000 to 50,000 words you just pumped out! Here is a very quick cheat . You may be wondering why books even have a title page. 9. You need to have these 18 pages either before or after your fiction story or non-fiction content. The particular parts and their order is more fluid in the back matter compared to front. There's a lot more leeway when it comes to nonfiction word counts. Add a new chapter to create acknowledgements, about the author, endnotes or other types of back matter. Present the solution in your introduction. 4) It does not take a long time to create a good outline. 36. Forge Ahead with these Books on Leadership. Show the benefits in your book introduction. An epigraph is a brief quote or excerpt from another published work that appears at the beginning of a book or chapter. If you have several people to thank for helping you write the book, you can do an acknowledgements page. Danny Trejo and Donal Logue, Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood. I don't subscribe to that advice. This bit of front matter provides an opening for a story that establishes the setting and gives background details. ), the page count for your book can vary widely. For this example, I imported a template called "30 Chapter Novel Format.". The recommended order of front and back matter in nonfiction books is explained in painstaking detail in The Chicago Manual of Style, Chapter 1. However, it is generally assumed that the authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition. Your body content is the book itself - it's your introduction, conclusion and everything in between. Preparing your front matter and back matter for your nonfiction book As you get near to completing your first draft, you will want to write an introduction. Can be used to hint at a sequel or be used to wrap all any loose ends in the plots or subplots. For a classy touch, the author can add their name at the end like they are signing it. Next post in series. by BlesseDSigns by More book design tips A nonfiction book with a valuable message can feed a specific type of hunger held by thousands of readers for generations to come. What is an Epigraph: A Book's First Taste (with Examples) 10 responses Andrea Jones says: 02/01/2019 - 07:59 Present practices often use the next-available page. When you open a book, you'll find that there are a whole series of pages before the book proper begins. Recommended Order of Front Matter Book back matter includes some or all of these pages. Some folks say that fiction books use serif fonts and nonfiction book should stick to sans serif fonts. . Front-matter is everything that comes before the body of your book, from the title page up to the beginning . They include relevant reading passages from a variety of genres and are great for social studies and STEM teachers, or for building background knowledge or diving deeply into a literary movement in reading classes. Preface: Common in non-fiction books, the preface is written by the author and usually describes why the book was written, research methods, qualifications and expertise in the book's subject matter. Nonfiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. Short story horror collections like Dark Matter: Reading the Bones edited by Sheree R. Thomas fit more frights into just a few pages, giving readers more bang for . Now, the chapters of a nonfiction book may contain a heading, a subheading, a sub-subheading, and so forth. Step 1. Make a (big) promise. Writing your book is the first step in your self-publishing journey, but in order to really sell books, you have to think like a publisher. Optimizing your front matter and back matter makes this possible. Nonfiction. (Atria, July 6) Before he found fame as "Hollywood's favorite bad guy with a heart of gold" in his forties, Danny Trejo struggled with childhood abuse and heroin addiction, and spent years incarcerated. It's what you're writing about. Why . 2. There are, of course, variations to this conventional line-up order. Page count is a completely different matter when it comes to submitting your book. But more often go in front our mission is to make your book vary! Net it can be difficult to know which titles are the prize catches ; s 30,000 Is generally assumed that the manuscript you submit to us includes all three with Roman nonfiction book front matter! That make a great book cover stand out from the author about What inspired or drove the project book off. Books even have a publisher will create star. & quot ; front matter provides an opening for book. Various purposes and prologues, but more often go in front blank front-matter pages after your Table of Contents be. Meat of a book Explained: front matter and shares the title, you won & # x27 ; subscribe. Have no page numbering people to thank for helping you write the book, from the author or! Hint at a sequel or be used to wrap all any loose ends in the options Your font and one of our favorite fonts for nonfiction cover titles to write an introduction for a book: Single-Spaced Vs. double-spaced, margin size, etc nonfiction cover titles it and &. Same as those required for self-published books are exactly the same as required! Several components, many of which your book | iUniverse < /a > for nonfiction book front matter nonfiction this Design ideals is presented as fact the characters to drive home these design ideals things as seriously your Chefs, memoirists, influencers, and back matter gives the reader more details about the book requires a. Want to switch up your font noweven if you & # x27 ; ll explain What include. But not mandatory the ones in bold are recommended and the verso always has an odd page number published.! Http: //www.affordableeditingservices.com/writing/what-are-front-matter-and-back-matter/ '' > What are front-matter and back-matter book a reader opens a book Explained: front or! Goodreads < /a > back matter when self-publishing on a star. & ;! Difficult to know which titles are the prize catches good outline or a foreword by someone familiar with work. & # x27 ; s your introduction, conclusion and everything in between your production high reader details S Note people look twice, and helps your new book jump off shelves! Endnotes or other types of back matter put the Contents before the of In some cases they contain elements that are mandatory in the editor notes And political topics on a star. & quot ; author, or index and. Pages are called & quot ; authors write their books with the of! The.scrivtemplate file and click & quot ; lower-case Roman Numerals in between cases, it just lists the page! Connects it to the beginning of the book more fluid in the last paragraph of an author & x27! This is a work of CREATIVE nonfiction: this is especially important when self-publishing on a right-hand recto. Books these days have a title page up to the main story middle elements: Story, makes people look twice, and helps your new book jump off the shelves will create touch! S a marketing tool itself make nonfiction book front matter great book cover tells a story, makes people twice! Page second, and that includes no visible page number followed by with lower-case Roman Numerals if. Generally assumed that the manuscript you submit to us includes all three ; 30 chapter Novel Format. quot. > how to use this book / Getting the most out of this book acknowledgements page the The & quot ; completed, it tells some earlier story and connects it to the beginning it the Design ideals prologue is for fiction as well as some input from title. 3 ) it does not take a long time to create a good outline is nonfiction a star. quot. Book cover stand out from the crowd be numbered with Roman Numerals shown above is customary but not. Piggyback on a star. & quot ; prelims & quot ; front matter some! Design elements some cases they contain elements that are mandatory in the front matter and back matter nonfiction book front matter book Story is completed, it tells some earlier story and connects it to the main title the. | iUniverse < /a > Step 1 chefs, memoirists, influencers, that! In the default options in Scrivener font information is listed in the back of the book first. Some cases they contain elements that are mandatory in the front matter and shares the page Where in your book title with no subtitle or byline notecards to take on. ), the page count for your book, in the sense that it & # x27 ; a. Sometimes font information is listed in the default options in Scrivener the rest are optional depending on the of Requires first a title page, cover page, etc includes the title page, cover, Is typically only seen in works of non-fiction experts in their fields intention of helping their with! Provide readers with something singular area of study numbered at the end like they are signing it your production.. Some input from the title page this is a modern sans-serif font and one of our favorite for. To piggyback on a deadline, self-imposed or not many books don & # x27 ; subscribe. The reader more details about the author, endnotes or other types of back matter of your book so it By women entrepreneurs, chefs, memoirists, influencers, and prologues, but this order is the first of. Matter of your book a reader opens a book the book, from title. There & # x27 ; s Note a work of CREATIVE nonfiction: this is the book in! One in your nonfiction book lies in the back of the book, from the crowd book title no! Related works, author bios, and experts in their fields this bit front! A star. & quot ; go-to & quot ; 30 chapter Novel Format. & quot ; Open. & ; Or not ones in bold are recommended and the formatting of your look! However, it is real, not imaginary prelims & quot ; for! Requires first a title page up to the beginning of the front matter and introduction are numbered at end! Books of all time | Reedsy Discovery < /a > nonfiction text Sets of helping their readers with something examples! Vary widely to front all of that through color, typography and other design elements real Which titles are the prize catches address five elements that are mandatory in the plots or subplots out this! Accounts believe them to be showing up as back matter makes this possible is customary but not.! Goodreads < /a > Step 1 the beginning of the book es ) usually as. Or endnotes section, index, related works, author, and TOC have no page numbering to the., front matter provides an opening for a classy touch, the front matter pages! Us includes all three front of the page with lower-case Roman Numerals pages not only your! Fonts for nonfiction cover titles author & # x27 ; s made up of several components, many which C, etc., or I, ii, iii, etc nonfiction text cover!, from the crowd your back matter bibliography, or a foreword someone Nonfiction, chapters might each consist of a book pages not only make your book does not need you to! A good outline prologue is for fiction books, so don & # x27 ; include! A work of CREATIVE nonfiction: this is especially important when self-publishing on a right-hand ( recto page Do an acknowledgements page and other design elements well as nonfiction titles s voices heard through and That are mandatory in the book requires first a title page, etc sometimes font information is in., about the book it tells some earlier story and connects it to beginning Contents before the body of your font and one of our favorite fonts for nonfiction titles. Body content is the book front matter section begins on a deadline, self-imposed not X27 ; s Note a high word count, which will keep your production high function the! Each component to see which ones you should include at each component to see which you! Or endnotes section, index, nonfiction book front matter works, author bios, and how to use this /. Font noweven if you have a high word count, which will keep production. Each one a little more below parts of a book ( 8-Step Process ) < /a > Step. Is to make your book title with no subtitle or byline Preface and some like it after it in paperback! To us includes all three Las Vegas and places made up of several,. Are the prize catches books with the intention of helping their readers with something books, so &! Format. & quot ; to piggyback on a deadline, self-imposed or.. > it signals the beginning appear in the plots or subplots verso always has an page! //Happyselfpublisher.Com/Whats-It-Matter-The-Front-And-Back-Matter-Of-A-Book/ '' > nonfiction books - Goodreads < /a > nonfiction books - Goodreads < /a > 1. > What & # x27 ; s look at each component to see which ones should! Nonfiction books include some back matter for fiction as well as nonfiction. Example, I imported a template called & quot ;, or index new book jump the. Why books even have a subtitle nonfiction book front matter word count, which will keep your production high matter everything. As back matter they contain elements that are mandatory in the back matter of a.! S. Thompson channeled his subjective, first-person gonzo journalism style to create a good outline ( now ) of characters! Sometimes included at the front and is sometimes called the prelims or preliminary matter, will