front matter
A Good First Impression: The Difference Between a Foreword, a Preface, and an Introduction
September 8, 2011
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by Carly Willsie
Last year the New York Times reported that 764,448 books were self-published in 2009—a figure up 181 percent from the previous year. In that same period, 288,355 were published with a traditional house, prompting the Times to declare that “book publishing is simply becoming self-publishing.”
With the majority of authors taking the publishing process into their own hands, writers have to fill in the gaps an editor or production associate would normally be responsible for. Structuring a book appropriately and effectively is one of those essential components. A book that begins with a bang can make the difference between a reader buying the book and putting it back on the shelf. We’re here to help you figure out what, exactly, goes into those crucial beginning pages.
The Foreword
According to the esteemed Chicago Manual of Style, a foreword is “a brief essay of endorsement that is written by someone other than the book’s author.” Your foreword should be written by a professional—preferably a person who is respected and well known in a field relating to your book’s topic. Use the foreword to establish your credibility; readers may not recognize your name, but if they know the author of the foreword, they’ll likely pick up your book. Forewords should only be a few pages in length and you should mention the foreword on the title page or cover to attract readers. Check out our previous post on getting great endorsements for your book; much of the advice also applies to requesting a foreword.
The Preface and Acknowledgments
The preface is where you get personal. In this section, written by the author, you can share why you were compelled to write the book and explain any interesting methods you used to create it. You should also use the preface to further establish your credibility and expertise to readers; show them why you are the perfect person to write the book. Feel free to use the preface to acknowledge the people who helped you along the way. However, if your acknowledgments take up more than a few paragraphs, put them in an entirely separate section labeled “Acknowledgments.”
The Introduction
The BPS Books Blog describes the introduction this way: “If a preface is about the book as a book, the introduction is about the content of the book.” Sum up the book’s theme in the introduction, but be careful not to go overboard. You want to tease the reader without boring them. Note that the introduction should be placed at the beginning of the text and be paginated with Arabic numerals—not lowercase Roman numerals like the preceding front matter. Writing coach Lisa Tener advises writers to “think like your reader” as they compose the introduction. Consider the introductions that have made an impact on you as well as the ones you bypassed. Go from there, and don’t be afraid to write the introduction after you’ve finished the rest of the manuscript.
You might also want to check out Pat McNees’ helpful blog post on the subject of front matter, in which she lists the order the separate sections should appear in. Of course, if you’re publishing a book in digital format only, there is some debate about whether front matter should be included at the beginning at all. DigitalBookWorld.com points out the benefits of moving the title pages, table of contents, and the copyright to the back of the book—namely that in digital previews, the reader will be able to start with the first chapter. Whether at the front or the back, the preface and introduction aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
As you move forward with writing and structuring the book, don’t take the beginning lightly. In a world where people have hundreds of thousands of books at their fingertips 24/7, a well-written, intriguing introduction, foreword, or preface can have an important impact on the reader.
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Talking the Talk: Publishing Terms and Jargon
January 25, 2007
by Alan Grimes
"It’s all pounds, shillings, and pence to me, darling." —Absolutely Fabulous
Just like most industries, book publishing has its own peculiar jargon—a language that may be confusing to first-time authors. To minimize confusion and miscommunication during your book’s production, here's a list of some of the more common terms you might come across:
General Terms
- Back matter: The text that occurs after the last chapter in the book (or the main body of text). Back matter often comprises such parts as the index, endnotes, author biography, bibliography, etc. The pages are numbered with Arabic numerals.
- CIP: Cataloging in Publication information is the bibliographic information supplied by the Library of Congress and printed on the copyright page. Librarians use this information when adding new titles to their collections.
- Galley/ARC: Often used interchangeably, these two terms refer to advance printed copies of a book that are used for review and publicity purposes before publication. (ARC stands for “Advance Readers’ Copy.”) These advance editions typically come out four months before the publication date.
- Front matter: The text that occurs before the first chapter in the book (or the main body of text). Front matter often comprises such parts as the dedication, acknowledgments, table of contents, etc. The pages are numbered with Roman numerals.
- Imprint: The company name under which your book is being published (e.g., Greenleaf Book Group Press, Penguin Classics, etc.).
- ISBN: The International Standard Book Number is a unique thirteen-digit number assigned to every book and obtained from the R. R. Bowker company. This is the number most often used to order a book or keep track of it in the supply chain.
- LCCN: The Library of Congress Control Number is the Library of Congress’s system of uniquely numbering books. Librarians use this information to access the book’s correct cataloging data.
- Trim: This is the physical dimension (measured in width and length) of your book after the printer has cut it to the desired size. Common trim sizes include 8.5 x 11, 5.5 x 8.5, and 6 x 9—in the United States, they're always measured in inches.
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Hey! What's the Matter?: Understanding the Basic Sections of a Book
May 25, 2006
by Jay Hodges
Does the foreword belong before the preface? When do the page numbers start? What’s the difference between a preface and an introduction? If you need answers to demystify the front matter of your book, read on.
Books are generally divided into three sections: front matter, principal text, and back matter. Front matter is the material at the front of a book that usually offers information about the book. The principal text is the meat of a book. Back matter is the final pages of a book, where endnotes, the appendix, the bibliography, the index, and related elements reside. Though the front matter may not be as sexy as the main text or as information packed as the back matter, it’s an opportunity for authors to set the tone for their readers’ experience.
Barebones front matter may consist of only a half-title page, full-title page, and copyright page in a work of fiction, and these elements plus a table of contents in a work of nonfiction. A really extensive front matter section might contain the following components (listed in the order preferred by The Chicago Manual of Style): half title, series title or frontispiece, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, list of illustrations, list of tables, foreword, preface, acknowledgements (if not part of the preface or in the back matter), introduction (if not part of the principal text), list of abbreviations (if not in the back matter), chronology (if not in the back matter), and second half title.
The name of each component is generally descriptive of the information it provides. For example, a table of contents is a list of the contents in a book, and the half title page consists only of the main title (sans subtitle). The kind of information that goes into a foreword, an introduction, or a preface, however, is less obvious. As a result, many authors choose not to include these elements in their books, which is unfortunate because each of these components could enhance a reader’s experience with a book.
The front matter is the only section where a page can be easily added once the book is in page proofs (printed typeset pages that show all elements as they will appear in a printed book). Because of this, the front matter has a separate page numbering sequence from the rest of the book. All pages in the principle text have arabic numbers, and the first page of actual content is page 1 (this may be chapter 1 or an introduction or prologue). Front matter pages are numbered from 1 through whatever page is necessary, but the page numbers appear as lowercase roman numerals. Some front matter pages do not include page numbers—blanks, half title, title, copyright, dedication, and epigraph—although they are counted as numbered pages.
Be Foreword
A foreword is a substantial introduction or statement about a book by someone other than the author of the book. Since someone else is giving your book props just by agreeing to write a foreword and sign his name to it, it’s almost like a very long endorsement of the work minus the gushiness about how great you are. The better the author of the foreword is known, the more helpful the foreword will be in generating interest in your book and increasing sales. Imagine the readers a foreword by Jack Welch or Steve Jobs would attract compared to a foreword written by your neighbor (unless your neighbor happens to be Jack Welch or Steve Jobs, of course). But don’t sweat it if you don’t have access to the big names; it’s unlikely that a foreword by Author’s Neighbor will hinder your sales.
Tell ’Em All About It
A preface could be described as a book’s profile. It includes material about the book that is separate from the book’s subject matter, such as why the author decided to begin the work, the scope of the work, and the work’s intended audience. Sometimes authors use the preface as a place to discuss research methods and to acknowledge assistance, though the latter is usually included in a separate front matter element, the acknowledgments.
Introduce Yourself
Though introductions vary in the type of content they present, they generally should identify the book’s audience, establish a clear sense of the topic and angle the author will develop, tell the reader why the topic has value, and set the stage for the rest of the book by establishing the necessary context and language. Some introductions will describe the function of each chapter in a book, which could help readers decide if they want to read the entire book or only parts of it.
The introduction should be more closely connected to the book than any other component in the front matter. Ideally, an introduction functions as the first couple of paragraphs in a chapter should, by drawing in readers and making them want to keep reading.
Either the author or someone the author deems appropriate and capable to write about the subject can write an introduction. Keep in mind that though introductions can be written by the author or a contributor, someone other than the book’s author must write the foreword.
A big bad review of the order in which the top 10 most common front matter elements should be presented:
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Half-title page
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Title page
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Copyright page
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Dedication
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Epigraph
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Table of Contents
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Foreword
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Preface
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Acknowledgements
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Introduction
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