Readers judge a book before chapter one, and they decide what to do next after the last page. This guide covers book front matter and back matter formatting in full: the correct order of the opening pages, what belongs on each one, how the closing pages turn a finished reader into a reviewer or a subscriber, and how print and ebook placement differ.
Book front matter and back matter formatting order at a glance
Front matter is everything that comes before the main text: the title pages, the copyright page, the dedication, the table of contents, and any short opening pieces that prepare the reader. Back matter is everything after the main text ends: acknowledgements placed at the back, the author bio, the list of your other books, a review request, and ways to stay in touch. The main text sits between them, and each part has its own job.
Order matters because readers and booksellers learn these patterns without thinking about them. A copyright page that shows up after chapter two looks like a mistake. A table of contents placed after the prologue looks unfinished. When the order is right, nobody notices it at all, and that invisibility is exactly what professional formatting aims for. The book feels made, not assembled.
Here is the standard front matter order. Use the pages your book needs, but do not shuffle the sequence: half title page, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph if you use one, table of contents, list of illustrations or maps if needed, foreword, preface, introduction, and then chapter one. A reliable back matter sequence is: acknowledgements if not placed in front, appendix or notes if needed, author bio, also by page, a short review request, and a newsletter or contact page at the very end.
Not every book needs every page. A novel rarely needs a list of illustrations. A memoir might need no appendix. But every published book needs a title page and a copyright page, nearly every book needs a table of contents in the ebook, and every author benefits from at least a short bio and one clear next step for the reader in the back.
Front matter pages in order, and what goes on each one
The half title page is simply the book title on its own page, with nothing else. It is a traditional print page and many independent authors keep it because it gives the book a quiet, classic opening. In an ebook it is usually dropped, because screen readers meet the title on the cover and in the metadata already.
The title page is the formal face of the book. It carries the full title and subtitle, your author name exactly as it appears on the cover, and the publisher name or imprint if you use one, with the city left off in most modern practice. Keep it clean and centered in print, and match the cover wording word for word.
The copyright page is the legal heart of the front matter. It sits on the back of the title page in print, which means it falls on a left hand page. It holds your copyright notice with the year and your name, your rights reserved line, and the ISBN for that format. Print, ebook, hardcover, and audio each use a different ISBN when separate ISBNs are assigned, so list the one that belongs to the edition in hand. If you are still deciding how to handle identifiers, follow our step by step guide on how to get an ISBN for your book before you finalize this page, because changing it after publication is a needless chore. The copyright page can also hold your publisher contact line, credits for cover design and editing, and a short disclaimer for memoir or health and finance topics.
The dedication gets its own page and stays short: a name or a single line is stronger than a paragraph. An epigraph, a short quotation that sets the tone, can share the pattern of its own page or sit below the dedication in some designs, though its own page reads better. The table of contents follows. In print it lists chapters with page numbers. In an ebook it is a set of links and page numbers are dropped, since the screen has no fixed pages.
Keep foreword, preface, and introduction separate. A foreword is written by someone else. A preface is written by you and explains how the book came to be. An introduction opens the subject or the story itself. Most books need only one of the three, and fiction often needs none.
Back matter pages that turn readers into supporters
The back matter is the most underused selling space in a self published book. The reader who reaches it has finished your book, which makes them the warmest audience you will ever have. Format these pages with the same care as the front, keep each one short, and give them a clear order so the book ends with purpose instead of trailing off.
Acknowledgements can sit in the front or the back. Placed in the back, they keep the opening fast, which suits fiction and memoir well. The author bio follows: three to five lines in the third person, your name, what you write, one credential or personal detail that builds trust, and where readers can find you. Use the same photo style you use elsewhere if your layout includes a photo in print.
An also by page lists your other books, in series order where that applies, with full titles. In an ebook, each title should be a link to its store page once you have one. After that comes the review request. Keep it brief, kind, and specific: thank the reader, say honestly what reviews do for an independent author, and name the store where the book was bought. A short paragraph works better than a page of pleading, and it must never offer anything in exchange for a review, which stores do not allow.
Close the book with a way to stay in touch: a newsletter signup line, written out in print and linked in the ebook, plus your website if you keep one. That small page can become the start of a reader list you can reach directly.
Print and ebook placement: what changes and what stays
The content of your front matter and back matter barely changes between formats. The placement and the mechanics do. In print, pages fall on fixed sides. Chapter one traditionally starts on a right hand page, front matter sections start on right hand pages where the design calls for it, and blank pages sometimes appear to make that happen. Those blanks are normal in print and should be left truly blank, with no page number or running head.
In an ebook, there are no left and right pages. Each major front matter section starts on a new screen, the half title page is usually removed, and the table of contents becomes a linked list that the reading app also uses for navigation. Put the copyright page early, right after the title page, keep the dedication on its own screen, and let readers reach chapter one quickly. Long front matter in an ebook pushes the story further from the sample a shopper downloads, and samples that end before the story starts cost sales.
Back matter in an ebook needs working links above all. Your also by titles, your review request, and your newsletter line should all be tappable, and you should test each link on a real device or app before you publish. In print, the same pages rely on short, readable addresses, since the reader has to type them. When you lay out the paperback itself, follow a complete walkthrough like our guide to how to format a paperback interior for KDP step by step so the front matter page sides, margins, and page numbering all line up with the rest of the interior.
For page numbers, one rule is enough: leave front matter unnumbered, or use small roman numerals as traditional publishers do, and start arabic numbering where the main text begins. Never number the title page or the copyright page, and stay consistent.
Common front matter and back matter mistakes
The most common mistake is copying a copyright page template without checking it: the wrong year, a placeholder ISBN, a publisher name that differs from the cover. Read that page aloud once, slowly, the way you would proof a contract.
Next come ordering slips: contents after the introduction, a dedication buried below the copyright text, acknowledgements repeated in both the front and the back. Pick one home for each element and keep it there. In ebooks, the parallel mistake is a table of contents typed by hand with page numbers that go nowhere, instead of a linked contents built from your heading styles.
Back matter mistakes are usually missed chances rather than errors: no bio, no also by page even when earlier books exist, no review request at all, or a request that runs for three pages. The reverse error is clutter: five different social links, a long sales pitch, and excerpts dumped in without a heading. One excerpt from the next book, clearly labeled, is a strong ending. Three competing offers are not. Keep the final pages short, ordered, and easy to act on.
How Folio Authors handles front matter and back matter
These opening and closing pages are small, but they touch everything: your ISBN, your table of contents, your bio, and your links. Folio Authors keeps assessment, editing, formatting, cover design, and publishing in one dashboard, so your front matter and back matter are built from the same book details as your cover and your store listing, instead of being typed again in three places with three chances to drift apart.
You can start at no cost: your first assessment is free, and it includes a 500 word editing sample, with no card needed. When you are ready to publish, Amazon KDP is $99 one time, and a free ISBN is included or you can use your own, which keeps the copyright page simple. The Standard plan is $150 one time and unlocks all Folio tools, with publishing, audiobook, and marketing tools charged separately. If you want a person to polish the details, custom formatting is $100. Through all of it, you keep 100 percent of your rights and royalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as front matter in a book?
Front matter is the material before the main text: the half title and title pages, the copyright page, the dedication, the table of contents, and any foreword, preface, or introduction. It introduces the book and carries its legal and navigation pages.
What should go on the copyright page?
At minimum, your copyright notice with the year and your name, a rights reserved line, and the ISBN for that format. Many authors also add publisher details, designer and editor credits, and a disclaimer when the topic calls for one.
Does a novel need front matter beyond a title and copyright page?
It needs less than nonfiction, but not nothing. Keep the title page, copyright page, and a contents page for the ebook, add a dedication if you want one, and let chapter one arrive quickly. Skip long prefaces that delay the story.
What back matter should every author include?
Include an author bio, an also by page if you have other books, a short and honest review request, and one way to stay in touch, such as a newsletter address. Those four pages do most of the work of turning a reader into a supporter.
Should ebook front matter match the print book exactly?
Keep the same content and order, but adapt the form. Drop the half title page, remove page numbers from the contents, make the contents and back matter links tappable, and keep the opening short so the sample reaches the story fast.
The Bottom Line
Front matter earns trust before the story starts, and back matter earns the next step after it ends. Follow the standard order, check the copyright page like a contract, keep the ebook version linked and lean, and close every book with a bio, a kind review request, and one clear way to stay in touch.
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