frontmatter
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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