At first glance, a book seems like a pretty straightforward device: front, pages, back. But when you look closer, you realize there are actually quite a few moving parts. It can be a little overwhelming, especially if you’re self-publishing and putting together your first book on your own.
Whether you’re self publishing or seeking traditional publication, it’s always a good idea to have a foundational understanding of how a book is put together. For starters, a complete book will look more professional and cover your legal bases (more on that below). Understanding the parts of a book will also give you more tools to reach your readers with—things like glossaries, afterwords, and epilogues are all places where you can incorporate more information or extra material that will help deepen that connection.
It’s important to remember that although we talk about a ton of different parts of a book, not every book needs every single one of these parts. Some are better suited to novels, while others are necessary for nonfiction books. Read on to learn which parts you’ll need to include in your book.
The front matter
The “front matter” of a book refers to everything that exists before the actual story begins. They’re the reader’s first experience with a book. Some you’ll probably be familiar with already, like the title and cover; others may be new to you.
The cover
The first thing the reader will encounter is the front cover. If you’re self-publishing, you’ll be entirely in control of what your cover looks like. If you’re traditionally publishing, your publisher may ask for your input.
An effective cover will have an eye-catching design (graphics and borders are very popular today), a color scheme which reflects the story’s content, images and motifs which hint at what lies within, and, of course, the title.
The title
A good title is worth a thousand words. It does a couple of things: it grabs the reader’s attention, and it gives them a sense of what kind of book they’re picking up. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is an evocative literary fiction title; The Hunting Party is a popular suspense novel (and you just know that the people who think they’re doing the hunting are in for a surprise).
The endpapers
Hardcover books have endpapers, which are the decorative paper attached to the inside of the book cover. Often, these will be a simple bold color. But you can also use this space to add something extra to your book; your endpapers might be a map of a fantasy land, a wallpaper print similar to that in your protagonist’s home, a diary entry from a historical figure, and so forth. Paperback books don’t have endpapers.
The half-title page
The half-title page is a very simple opening page that’s mostly blank, except for the book’s title and sometimes a small graphic. This used to be called the “bastard title page,” and served as a temporary cover when readers would buy an uncovered manuscript to add their own. Now, it’s where an author will sign their name.
The endorsements
Endorsements, sometimes known as accolades or simply adoration, are quick snippets of praise for the author’s work. Sometimes it will be for the book in question (having come from pre-release reviews), and sometimes it will be for the author’s prior work. They’ll say things like [Author’s] words are a beacon in dark times or If you love laugh-out-loud characters that jump off the page, you need to read this book.
Endorsements will either be after the title page, on the back cover, or both.
The copyright page
The copyright page includes a quick note with a ©️ symbol, the author’s name, and the year of publication. Below it there will be a caution not to reproduce any part of the book without permission. It will also include a few key details:
1. The ISBN
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. Every published book, whether it’s paperback, hardcover, digital, traditionally published, or self published, needs to have one. It will be either ten or thirteen digits and printed just below the copyright.
2. The imprint
The imprint is the specific publishing branch that released the book. While most fiction is published under one of the “Big Five,” each major publisher has within it many smaller publishing arms. For example, the popular fantasy publisher Tor is an imprint of Macmillan, while Orion Books is an imprint of Hachett.
Some independent authors will create their own “imprint” by registering as an LLC company. In this case, you’d put your personal imprint on this page as well. The imprint may have a tiny logo here, which will also be on the book’s spine.
3. The disclaimer
You’ve probably seen something like this at the beginning of a novel before: This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, businesses, places, and events in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
“Entirely coincidental.” This means that if you write a nasty portrayal about the guy that was mean to you in high school, they can’t sue you.
If you’re writing a nonfiction book, your disclaimer might look something like this: The content of this book is for informational or entertainment purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or guarantee success in any endeavor. You understand that this book is not intended as a substitute for consultation with a licensed professional. The use of this book implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.
This just means that if someone reads your book and goes off and does something stupid, again, they can’t sue you.
The dedication
The dedication page is the little memo that you sometimes see in books that says For my adoring husband and tolerant children or For my friends that have been there through thick and thin or For my readers. This is always on the right hand (or “recto”) page. You don’t have to include this if you don’t want to.
The table of contents
The table of contents is a list of sections in the book, and it comes after the dedication but before the rest of the body text. It’s used most often in nonfiction books so that a reader can easily find the information they’re looking for.
But sometimes fiction writers use them too, especially in digital books. Because you can’t use a bookmark as easily in an ebook, a table of contents allows the reader to click through to the chapter at which they left off.
The preface
The preface is a sort of pre-introduction to the text. It’s usually the author explaining why they wrote the book, or why they thought it was an important book at that particular time. These are pretty short—not more than one page. If the author feels the need to extrapolate even further, they might follow the preface with a separate introduction.
The foreword
The foreword is another introduction, but it’s written by someone other than the author. If it’s a nonfiction book, it might be a professional in the author’s fields who believes in the work they’re doing.
Forewords are less common in fiction books, but they’ll sometimes be included in commemorative or anniversary editions. For example, when Lloyd Alexander’s fantasy novel Taran Wanderer was released in a new 50th anniversary edition, contemporary fantasy author Holly Black wrote the foreword explaining how important and influential Alexander’s work had been.
Forewords can also be written by friends and family, especially if they’re in some way in the public eye.
Note that’s “fore” as in “before”, and “word” as in… “word.” Not “forward.”
The body matter
The “body” of a book is what readers are looking for: the story or core content. Many readers skip to this section, especially in fiction; they want to start reading the first chapter!
The prologue
In fiction, a prologue is a short chapter that precedes the main story. It might be something that happens many years before, or many years after, or near the climax of the novel. Its role is to give the reader more information, often used for foreshadowing or dramatic irony, before the story begins. Not all novels have a prologue.
The “parts,” if your narrative is divided into “parts”
Some books are divided into parts: Part 1, Part 2, and so forth. This is most common in narrative books—that is, novels and memoirs. You’ll occasionally see these being called Acts. A writer might use this approach when the story undergoes significant time jumps or the character undergoes a series of internal shifts. The parts are the larger measurements; they’re further divided into smaller chapters.
The chapters
Almost all books have chapters, even if they don’t have “parts.” These sections can be given numbers, subtitles, or both. In nonfiction, each chapter covers a distinct lesson or idea; in fiction, chapters are mainly used to break up a story into easily digestible chunks.
Occasionally you’ll find novels without chapters (Molly Fox’s Birthday by Deirdre Madden is one example), but it’s pretty rare.
There’s no set length for how long a chapter has to be, but they generally range from about 1,500 to 5,000 words.
The footnotes
Footnotes are teeny tiny notes that appear at the bottom (the “foot”) of a page, and they correspond to teeny tiny numbers that appear throughout the text. They’re used to convey background information that give context to what the writer is saying. They occur most often in nonfiction work, but you’ll sometimes see them in fiction as well. Jonathan Stroud uses them to great effect in his Bartimaeus Sequence series.
The epilogue
The epilogue is the very last chapter of a novel, and it’s used to wrap up any loose ends in the story. It will often take place later on and show the reader what happens to the character and the impact they leave behind. Not all novels have an epilogue, but it can be a fun way to give the reader a glimpse into the future.
The back matter
The back matter of a book is the wrap up; it comes after the story and is often the author’s way of saying goodbye to the reader. It may include bonus content, references, and shout-outs to people who were involved in the publishing process.
The afterword or author’s note
A nonfiction book will often have an afterword, while fiction books will usually have an author’s note. This is where the author can talk to the reader and explain anything they want to share: where their ideas came from, what they were trying to accomplish with the book, and so forth. In historical fiction, this is where an author would explain what really happened and what was creative license.
The glossary
A glossary is like a mini dictionary; it lists any words the reader may be unfamiliar with. In historical or cross-cultural fiction, they might be foreign words in another language; in fantasy or science fiction, they might be words in a fictional language from a fictional world. Or, the glossary can list specific industry jargon that your characters use in the workplace.
In a nonfiction book, the author might include a glossary of terms that they refer to throughout the text. If your book uses everyday vernacular that most people will understand, you probably don’t need to include a glossary.
The endnotes
The endnotes are a lot like footnotes, except they appear at the very end of the text. These will generally involve cool trivia, places where the reader can go to learn more, and the author’s thoughts or experiences with things they’ve included in the book. Unlike footnotes, this shouldn’t be information that the reader needs to understand what they’re reading; instead, it should take things the reader’s read about and go a bit deeper.
This is also where the writer can put their citations. If you’ve borrowed information from another author—whether that’s a book, a newspaper article, a blog post, a documentary, or anything else where someone other than you has done the work—it will need a citation. This involves the cited author, the place where the work appeared, the publication year, and any other relevant details.
The acknowledgments
The acknowledgements are an author’s “Thank you” speech. It’s good practice to thank your publisher, editor, agent, and anyone else who may have helped you along the way, as well as friends, family, critique partners, beta readers, and mentors.
The bibliography
A bibliography lists an author’s research sources. This is most common in nonfiction books, but you’ll occasionally see them in fiction books too. This proves that you, the writer, have put in the work, as well as offering the reader places where they can take an even more in depth look at a desired topic.
The index
In nonfiction work, the index lists all the topics that are covered in the book in alphabetical order along with page numbers for where those topics are mentioned. This helps readers navigate the content if they don’t have time to read the whole thing from start to finish.
For instance, they could go to the index and look up a specific location, time period, or topic like “family,” “folklore,” or “farming” and find out which page they can turn to to learn more.
The book club guide
Novels will sometimes have book club guides that encourage readers to think creatively and analytically about the book. This can include a few pages of discussion questions, suggested activities, and “behind the scenes” content. You might include excerpts from your rough draft, recipes inspired by the story, pictures of key locations, and so forth.
This bonus material will help make the novel a more exciting and complex experience that readers can share with their friends.
The author bio
Now it’s time to talk about you! The last page of a book is where you stick your author biography: what you’ve been up to, other books or articles you’ve written, any personal details you’re comfortable sharing (although you don’t have to), and, most importantly, where they can find out more about you.
This might be an author website, a Patreon newsletter, social media profiles, etc. Because if / when they love what you’ve written, they’re going to want to read more! (And hopefully give you some of their hard earned money for it.)
The colophon
Colophon comes from a Greek word that means “the finishing touch,” and normally appears on the very last page. It will include the publisher and imprint as well as any relevant production information: the font, the kind of paper, what the cover is made of, and so forth. This is most common in special edition volumes, but you’ll sometimes see it in standard trade books as well.
Not all books will have a colophon, because some of this information will be present in the copyright page. But, it can be a nice way to close out the reader’s experience and remind them that they’re holding something special in their hands.
The back cover blurb
Finally, you have the back of the book. This will be a bit different on paperbacks and hardcovers. On a paperback, the back will have what’s called a “blurb”: a summary of what the book is about. There may also be a few of those endorsements we looked at above.
On a hardcover format, the blurb may be printed on the inner flap of the dust jacket (the wide piece that wraps around the book to protect it). The back of a hardcover will be simpler, with endorsements and possibly a shorter description.
Once the reader is seduced by the cover design, they’ll usually turn the book over and read the back to get a sense of what the story is about and what they can get from it. There may also be a tiny photo of you with the author bio printed alongside.
From title page to end matter, format your book the right way
Many readers don’t realize how complex the production of a book can be. Whether you’re writing fiction, nonfiction, or something in between, it’s important to know which parts of a book to include in your finished product to give it that professional, polished look.
Consider going to your local bookshop or library to see a couple examples of books in your genre, so you can get a sense of what it should look and feel like. Then, you can put together a book that readers will be inclined to pick up and trust.
