Pick up any traditionally published novel and flip to the pages before Chapter One. There’s a half-title page, a title page, a copyright page, maybe a dedication. Flip to the back and you’ll find acknowledgments, an “About the Author” page, a list of other books. These pages have names, a fixed order, and conventions that go back centuries.
Most self-published books get this wrong — not because the content is bad, but because pages appear in the wrong order, required elements are missing, or the numbering doesn’t follow convention. The result is a book that feels off before the reader reaches the first chapter.
This guide covers every element of front matter and back matter, in the correct order, with clear guidance on what’s required, what’s optional, and how these pages interact with your page count and printing cost.
Front matter vs. back matter: definitions
Front matter is everything before the first chapter of your book. It includes the title page, copyright page, dedication, and other preliminary pages. Front matter establishes the book’s identity and sets the stage for the content.
Back matter is everything after the final chapter. It includes acknowledgments, the author bio, a list of your other books, and any supplementary material. Back matter serves the reader who just finished your book and is deciding what to read next.
Body text is the content between them — your chapters, parts, prologue, and epilogue. The body is what the reader came for; the front and back matter are the professional framing.
Front matter: every element in order
Here is the standard order for front matter in a printed book. Not every element is required — most fiction books use only four or five of these. But when you include an element, it must appear in this position.
1. Half-title page (recto)
Just the book’s title, centered on the page. No author name, no subtitle, no decoration. This is the first printed page the reader sees when they open the cover.
Required? Optional, but strongly recommended. It’s a signal of professional production. Traditionally published books almost always include one.
2. Also By page or series page (verso)
The back of the half-title page. Lists your other books (“Also by Jane Author”) or provides series information. Some publishers leave this page blank. Some use it for a frontispiece illustration.
Required? Optional. Most useful for series authors who want to establish the reading order immediately.
3. Title page (recto)
The full title, subtitle (if any), author name, and optionally your publisher or imprint name. This is the book’s formal identity page — retailers, libraries, and distributors reference it alongside the copyright page. Cambric auto-generates the title page from your project metadata — title, subtitle, author name, and imprint — styled to match your chosen template.
Required? Yes. Every book needs a title page.
4. Copyright page (verso)
The back of the title page. Contains the copyright notice, ISBN, edition information, fiction disclaimer, credits, and any other legal or cataloging information. This page is a small world unto itself — we cover every element and provide templates in our complete copyright page guide. Cambric generates the copyright page from fields you fill in once (copyright year, ISBN, edition, disclaimer text) and formats it according to industry convention.
Required? Yes. The copyright notice is the only element with legal weight, but the full copyright page is an industry expectation that retailers and distributors rely on.
5. Dedication (recto)
A short dedication to a person, group, or idea. Typically just a few words or lines, centered on the page. “For Sarah.” “For everyone who was told they couldn’t.” Keep it brief — a dedication that runs to a full paragraph is a preface.
Required? Optional, but common in fiction. This is one of the most personal pages in the book.
6. Epigraph (recto)
A quotation from another work that sets the tone or theme for the book. Attributed to its source. An epigraph should illuminate something about the story without giving anything away.
Required? Optional. More common in literary fiction, thriller, and fantasy. Rare in romance and non-fiction.
Note on permissions: If you quote a work still under copyright, you may need permission from the rights holder. Short quotations often fall under fair use, but “short” is subjective. When in doubt, check.
7. Table of contents (recto)
Lists chapters and their page numbers. For fiction, this is optional — most novels don’t include one, and readers don’t expect it. For non-fiction, it’s essential. Readers use it to navigate, and online retailers display it in the “Look Inside” preview.
Required? Required for non-fiction. Optional for fiction.
8. List of illustrations or maps (recto)
If your book contains maps, illustrations, or figures, a list with page numbers helps readers find them. Most common in fantasy (maps), academic non-fiction (figures), and art-adjacent books.
Required? Optional. Include it if you have more than a handful of illustrations that readers will want to reference.
9. Foreword (recto)
Written by someone other than the author — typically a respected figure in the field or genre. A foreword lends credibility. It’s always signed with the foreword author’s name.
Required? Optional. More common in non-fiction. If you don’t have a foreword, don’t manufacture one. A foreword from an unknown person adds nothing.
Common mistake: Confusing “foreword” with “forward.” It’s fore-word — a word that comes before.
10. Preface (recto)
Written by the author. Explains why you wrote the book, the circumstances behind it, or how to read it. A preface is about the book itself, not its content.
Required? Optional. More common in non-fiction and literary fiction. Rare in genre fiction.
11. Acknowledgments (if placed in front)
Some authors place acknowledgments in the front matter rather than the back. This is less common and generally discouraged for fiction — readers want to get to the story. If you include acknowledgments, the back matter is the conventional location.
12. Prologue (recto)
A prologue is technically part of the body text, not front matter, but it appears before Chapter One and is often confused with front matter. A prologue is narrative content — a scene from a different time, perspective, or context that sets up the story.
Required? Optional. If you include one, it should be a genuine narrative choice, not a dumping ground for backstory.
Back matter: every element in order
Back matter appears after your final chapter (or epilogue). The order below is standard, though some variation exists between publishers.
1. Epilogue
Like the prologue, an epilogue is technically body text, not back matter. It’s a concluding scene that follows the main narrative — often set in a different time period, showing consequences or resolution.
2. Afterword
Written by the author or a guest. Reflects on the book’s content, its creation, or its real-world context. More common in non-fiction and historical fiction.
Required? Optional.
3. Acknowledgments
Thank the people who helped make the book possible — editors, beta readers, cover designers, your spouse who tolerated you disappearing for six months. Keep it genuine and reasonably concise.
Required? Optional, but expected in traditionally published books and common in indie publishing. Readers who love your book will read this page.
4. About the Author
A short biography — three to five sentences. Include what you write, where you live (in general terms), and one or two personal details that make you human. A photo is optional but recommended.
Required? Strongly recommended. Readers who finish your book want to know who wrote it.
5. Also By (other books)
A list of your other titles, ideally organized by series. For series authors, this is one of the most commercially important pages in the book. A reader who just finished your novel and finds a list of five more books in the series is a reader who’s about to buy five more books.
Required? Optional, but if you have other books, include this page. It’s free marketing.
6. Glossary
A list of terms and definitions. Relevant for fantasy (invented languages, world-specific terms), historical fiction (period terminology), and non-fiction (technical vocabulary).
Required? Optional. Include it when your book uses terminology readers might need to reference.
7. Endnotes
If your book uses endnotes rather than footnotes, they’re collected here. Numbered by chapter. More common in non-fiction.
8. Bibliography or references
A list of sources cited or consulted. Standard for academic and research-oriented non-fiction. Rare in fiction unless you’re writing historical fiction with a research basis.
9. Index
An alphabetical list of topics with page numbers. Standard in non-fiction reference works. Rare in narrative non-fiction and essentially nonexistent in fiction.
Note: Building a proper index is a specialized skill. Professional indexers exist for a reason. Auto-generated indexes from Word or InDesign are better than nothing, but a human-built index is noticeably superior.
10. Excerpt or preview
The first chapter (or first few pages) of your next book. This is a powerful sell-through tool, especially for series fiction. Place it last so it doesn’t interfere with the natural conclusion of the book the reader just finished.
Required? Optional, but highly effective for series authors.
Fiction vs. non-fiction: what changes
The structure above applies broadly, but fiction and non-fiction books emphasize different elements.
A typical fiction book uses: Half-title, title page, copyright page, dedication (optional), epigraph (optional), then chapters, then acknowledgments, about the author, also by, and an excerpt of the next book.
A typical non-fiction book uses: Half-title, title page, copyright page, table of contents, foreword (if available), preface, then chapters, then acknowledgments, about the author, also by, glossary (if needed), endnotes (if needed), bibliography, and index.
Fiction tends to have minimal front matter and commercially focused back matter. Non-fiction tends to have extensive front matter and reference-oriented back matter.
Page numbering conventions
Front matter and body text use different numbering systems. This is one of the conventions that most clearly separates professional formatting from amateur work.
Front matter uses lowercase Roman numerals: i, ii, iii, iv, v, and so on. The half-title page is page i, even if the number isn’t printed on the page. Most front matter pages don’t display page numbers at all — the numbering exists for reference but is typically hidden.
Body text starts at Arabic numeral 1 on the first page of Chapter One (or the prologue, if you have one). The numbering continues sequentially through the back matter.
Why this matters: When KDP or IngramSpark reports your page count, they count all pages — front matter, body, and back matter. But readers see Arabic numbers starting at 1 for the first chapter, which means your “page 1” and KDP’s “page 1” may not be the same page. This discrepancy can cause confusion when setting up your book’s metadata.
How front and back matter affect page count
Every page of front and back matter adds to your total page count, which directly affects printing cost. A typical fiction book might have:
- Front matter: 6-10 pages (half-title, blank verso, title page, copyright page, dedication, blank verso or epigraph)
- Back matter: 4-8 pages (acknowledgments, about the author, also by, excerpt)
That’s 10-18 pages of non-story content. At KDP’s approximate printing rate of $0.012 per page, those pages add about $0.12-$0.22 to your printing cost per copy. Not much individually, but across thousands of copies, it adds up.
More importantly, extra pages affect your spine width. A thicker spine means you need to adjust your cover template. If you’re close to a page-count threshold that changes KDP’s minimum inside margin (for instance, crossing from 150 to 151 pages requires widening your gutter from 0.375” to 0.5”), a few extra back matter pages could push you over.
You can calculate exactly how your page count affects printing cost and spine width with our KDP Book Calculator.
Remember: KDP requires an even total page count. If your book comes out to an odd number, you’ll need to add a blank page at the end.
Common mistakes
Wrong order. The dedication does not go before the copyright page. The table of contents does not go after the prologue. The order listed above is the industry standard. Deviating from it doesn’t make your book creative — it makes it look like you didn’t know the convention.
Too much front matter in fiction. A novel doesn’t need a preface, a foreword, and a note from the author before Chapter One. Get the reader to the story. Save the personal notes for the back matter, where readers who loved the book will seek them out voluntarily.
Missing copyright page. Some indie authors skip this entirely, usually because they forgot or didn’t know how. It’s a small page that does important work. Our copyright page guide provides templates you can use in five minutes.
Back matter in the wrong order. The “Also By” list should come after the author bio, not before. The excerpt should be last. When readers finish the final chapter, they want a brief cool-down (acknowledgments, author bio) before being pitched the next book.
Not accounting for recto/verso. In a printed book, odd-numbered pages are recto (right-hand) and even-numbered pages are verso (left-hand). Major sections (title page, first chapter, dedication) should start on recto pages. This means you may need blank pages (called “blank verso” pages) to ensure the next section starts on the right side. This is standard — every traditionally published book does it. Cambric inserts these blank pages automatically based on your binder structure, so you never have to count pages by hand to figure out which side a chapter lands on.
Putting it all together
The front and back matter of your book is the professional frame around your content. Get it right and readers won’t notice it — they’ll just feel like they’re holding a real book. Get it wrong and something feels off before they read the first word.
The conventions exist because they work. Centuries of bookmaking have established this order for practical reasons: the title page identifies the book, the copyright page protects it, the dedication personalizes it, and the body begins. After the story ends, the acknowledgments provide closure, the author bio creates connection, and the “Also By” page drives your business.
For a complete walkthrough of the full formatting process — including margins, fonts, and PDF export settings — see our guide on how to format a book for KDP.
Cambric generates your front and back matter pages automatically from your project metadata and binder structure. Add a dedication, reorder your back matter, include an excerpt — each page follows the conventions above, with correct numbering and recto/verso placement, without you having to manage blank pages or Roman numerals manually. The title page, copyright page, dedication, and also-by page are all created from your project settings and styled to match your template. At $109 one-time for a desktop app that runs locally, it’s one less thing to worry about while you focus on the writing.