Anatomy of a Book

When writing your book, keep in mind the proper format in which books commonly appear. Readers are used to seeing parts of a book in a certain order, as outlined below.

Unless you are publishing an exceptionally long book that has a high page count, typically important parts of the book will begin on the right-hand page, leaving the left-hand page blank if need be. Following this protocol makes finding a specific section while flipping through the book easier for the reader.

The standard layout for the interior of a book is:

Frontmatter in this order:

• Half-Title Page (can be eliminated for space issues)
• Complex Title Page (includes subtitles; author’s, illustrator’s, and developmental editor’s names if applicable; publisher’s logo and/or imprint; often mirrors the book’s cover in style and layout)

• Copyright Page, including the following items:
  • Publisher Contact Information
  • Copyright Year and Author’s Name
  • Cover Design Copyright (Depending on your contract with a cover designer, or if you design the cover yourself, this copyright may be different than the book’s text copyright.)
  • Cover Designer’s Information
  • Standard “All Rights Reserved” Clause (See the copyright page in this book.)
  • Photography, Illustration, and/or Graphics Credits (for both interior and exterior graphics)
  • Credit for Scripture Quotation
  • ISBN and LCCN
  • Date of First Printing

• Dedication and/or Acknowledgements Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Foreword (usually written by someone else)
• Preface (optional)

Chapters or Sections

Backmatter in this order:

• Conclusion
• Appendix including:
  • Glossary
  • Bibliography
• About the Author
• How to Order Page

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