Order checked against the Chicago Manual of Style convention for the parts of a book on 6 September 2026 and unchanged. The copy-paste template is further down the page. Reviewed by Robert Prime, 6 September 2026.
The standard order for a book’s opening pages, set by long convention (and codified in the Chicago Manual of Style), is: half title → title page → copyright page → dedication → epigraph → table of contents → foreword → preface → acknowledgements → introduction, using only the elements your book actually needs. Back matter runs: epilogue/afterword → acknowledgements → appendices → notes → glossary → bibliography → index → about the author. Front matter takes lowercase roman numerals (i, ii, iii…), the main text restarts at arabic 1, and several opening pages are counted but never display a number.
That’s the print convention in one paragraph. The details that trip up self-publishers are which pages traditionally fall on a right-hand page, which elements to cut, and, increasingly important, why your ebook edition should carry far less front matter than your paperback. Here’s the full map.
The parts of a book at a glance
Every book has three parts inside its cover, always in this order: the front matter (everything before chapter one), the body (the text itself) and the back matter (everything after it).
| Part | What it is | Do you need it? |
|---|---|---|
| Cover and spine | The outside: front cover, spine (title, author, publisher logo) and back cover (blurb, barcode) | Yes |
| Half title | A page with only the title, before the full title page | Optional; traditional in print |
| Title page | Title, subtitle, author, and publisher or imprint | Yes |
| Copyright page | Copyright notice, ISBN, edition, rights reserved, printer and disclaimer | Yes for print; see our copyright page template |
| Dedication | A line or two to someone | Optional; dedication examples |
| Epigraph | A short quotation that sets the tone | Optional |
| Contents | Chapter list with page numbers (print) or links (ebook) | Non-fiction yes; novels optional in print, expected in ebooks |
| Foreword | Written by someone else, about the book or author | Optional |
| Preface | Written by the author, about how or why the book was written | Optional |
| Acknowledgements | Thanks to the people who helped | Optional; acknowledgements template |
| Introduction or prologue | The start of the text itself: an introduction (non-fiction) or a prologue (fiction) | Optional; counts as the body |
| Chapters | The text, sometimes grouped into parts | Yes |
| Epilogue or afterword | What happens after the story (epilogue), or the author looking back (afterword) | Optional |
| Appendix, notes, glossary, bibliography, index | Reference material | Non-fiction, as needed |
| About the author | A short bio and photo | Strongly recommended |
| Also by / newsletter | Your other books and a sign-up link | Recommended; it’s free marketing |
Foreword vs preface vs introduction
These three are the parts most often mixed up, and the difference is simply who writes them and what about:
| Written by | About | Where | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreword | Someone other than the author, usually well known in the field | The book or the author, and why it’s worth reading | Front matter |
| Preface | The author | How and why the book came to be written | Front matter |
| Introduction | The author | The subject itself: what the book covers and how to use it | Start of the body |
A useful test: if you could skip it and still understand the book, it’s a foreword or preface. If you’d miss something you need, it’s an introduction. Note the spelling: it’s a foreword (the word before), not a “forward”.
TL;DR, Key Takeaways
- Use only what you need. A typical novel needs five front-matter elements: half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, and (optionally) an epigraph or ToC. Everything else is for non-fiction or special cases.
- Right-hand pages matter in print. Half title, title page, dedication, epigraph, ToC opening, and chapter one all traditionally start recto (right-hand side); blank left-hand pages are normal and correct.
- Numbering: roman numerals for front matter, arabic from page 1 of the main text. Half title, title, copyright, dedication and epigraph are counted but show no number.
- Foreword vs preface vs introduction: a foreword is by someone else (and signed); a preface is by you, about the book (how it came to be); an introduction is by you, about the subject, and belongs to the text itself.
- Ebooks: strip it back. Front matter eats the Look Inside sample and delays the story; move non-essentials to the back and let readers land near page one.
- Back matter is marketing space, about the author, series links, and a newsletter sign-up belong at the moment of maximum reader goodwill: the end.
What is the correct front matter order?
The full Chicago-convention sequence, with what each element is for:
| # | Element | Page side | Numbered? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Half title | Recto | Counted, not shown | Title only, no subtitle or author. A formality inherited from bookbinding; fine to keep, fine to cut in POD |
| 2 | Series page / also-by / frontispiece | Verso | Counted, not shown | “Also by this author” traditionally sits here |
| 3 | Title page | Recto | Counted, not shown | Full title, subtitle, author, publisher/imprint |
| 4 | Copyright page | Verso | Counted, not shown | Copyright line, ISBN, edition, disclaimers, credits, see my UK copyright guide |
| 5 | Dedication | Recto | Counted, not shown | Short and personal |
| 6 | Epigraph | Recto (or facing ToC) | Counted, not shown | Quotation setting the tone; source attribution but no full citation |
| 7 | Table of contents | Recto | Roman numerals shown from here | Essential for non-fiction; optional for novels with unnamed chapters |
| 8 | List of illustrations / tables | Recto | Roman | Illustrated non-fiction only |
| 9 | Foreword | Recto | Roman | Written by someone else, signed with their name |
| 10 | Preface | Recto | Roman | By the author, about the book’s origins; signed if wanted |
| 11 | Acknowledgements | Recto | Roman | Can live here or in back matter, modern trade practice increasingly moves it back |
| 12 | Introduction | Recto | Arabic, page 1 if it’s part of the subject matter | If readers must read it to understand the book, it’s text, not front matter |
The golden rule sitting under the table: every element is optional except the title page and copyright page. A novel with half title, title, copyright, dedication and straight into chapter one is complete and professional. Front matter bloat, five throat-clearing sections before the story, is a self-publishing tell, not a mark of seriousness.
What order does back matter go in?
Working from the end of the main text outwards:
- Epilogue, story material; strictly the last chapter’s sibling, inside the text proper.
- Afterword, the author stepping out of the book to reflect on it.
- Acknowledgements, if not in front matter.
- Appendices, supplementary material, lettered A, B, C.
- Notes, endnotes, ordered by chapter.
- Glossary, alphabetical.
- Bibliography / further reading.
- Index, always last of the reference apparatus (print only; it’s meaningless in reflowable ebooks).
- About the author, and, for self-publishers, the working end of the book: series links, “also by”, review ask, and newsletter sign-up.
Back matter keeps arabic numbering, continuing from the text. Blank versos are again normal.
For self-published fiction the honest version of that list is short: afterword or author’s note if you have one, acknowledgements, about the author, and your reader-capture pages. The reference apparatus (notes, bibliography, index) is non-fiction’s department.
The copy-paste template
Three versions. Paste the one that fits into the top and bottom of your manuscript as placeholder headings, then delete the lines you do not need. “Recto” is a right-hand page in print; in an ebook there are no sides and no page numbers, so the ebook list drops both.
Novel, paperback
- Half title (recto, counted, no number shown)
- Also by the author (verso, no number) [optional]
- Title page (recto, no number)
- Copyright page (verso, no number). Use my copyright page template
- Dedication (recto, no number) [optional]
- Epigraph (recto, or verso facing chapter one, no number) [optional]
- Chapter One (recto, arabic page 1 starts here)
- Main text
- Author’s note or afterword (recto) [optional]
- Acknowledgements (recto) [optional]
- About the author (recto)
- Next in the series, with a link or QR code (recto)
- Newsletter sign-up page (recto or verso)
Non-fiction, paperback
- Half title (recto, no number)
- Also by the author (verso, no number) [optional]
- Title page (recto, no number)
- Copyright page (verso, no number)
- Dedication (recto, no number) [optional]
- Contents (recto; roman numerals shown from this page)
- List of figures or tables (recto, roman) [illustrated books only]
- Foreword (recto, roman; written and signed by someone else) [optional]
- Preface (recto, roman; you, about how the book came to be) [optional]
- Introduction (recto; arabic page 1 if the reader needs it to follow the argument)
- Chapters
- Appendix A, B, C (recto for A)
- Notes, by chapter
- Glossary
- Bibliography or further reading
- Index (print only)
- About the author, then the same reader-capture pages as the novel
Ebook, Kindle and EPUB
- Title page
- Copyright page
- Contents, linked (non-fiction; optional for novels with unnamed chapters)
- Dedication, only if short [optional]
- Chapter One
- Main text
- Author’s note [optional]
- About the author
- Also by the author, with store links
- Newsletter link and a review request
- Acknowledgements, last, or leave them to the paperback
The ebook list moves everything that is not the story to the back on purpose: the sample Amazon serves is the front of the file, and every page of front matter is a page of the sample spent on housekeeping.
Making it work in Word, Atticus or Vellum
In Word and LibreOffice each element is its own section: insert a section break (next page or odd page) between them, restart numbering at 1 where the text begins, switch the front sections to roman numerals, and untick “link to previous” before you suppress the header on display pages. The Word to KDP guide has the click path. Layout tools such as Atticus and Vellum treat each element as a page type you add from a menu and handle the numbering and recto starts for you, which is most of what you are paying them for.
UK authors: the copyright page is also where the ISBN and the moral-rights assertion go, and a printed book still has to be deposited with the British Library.
Should the ebook edition use the same front matter?
No, and this is the modern mistake even careful authors make. Two mechanics change the calculus:
The Look Inside sample. Amazon’s preview and downloadable sample serve the beginning of the file. Every page of front matter is a page of your sales pitch spent on a copyright notice. A browsing reader who opens your sample wants to know whether they like your writing; make sure the sample reaches it.
The start reading location. Kindle devices open a new book at a start point, typically past the front matter, but the sample doesn’t skip anything. Keep ebook front matter to roughly: title page, copyright page, and (for non-fiction) a linked table of contents. Dedication and epigraph can stay if they’re short and part of the experience; “also by” lists, maps, and acknowledgements work harder at the back, where a reader who’s just finished, your most persuadable audience, actually engages with them.
Reflowable EPUB also quietly deletes several print conventions: there are no rectos and versos, no page numbers (so no roman numerals), and the ToC’s real job is done by the navigation document your reader’s device shows. My Kindle formatting guide covers the mechanics, and the EPUB validation guide covers what breaks.
How does this work mechanically in print?
The conventions that make a print interior read as professionally made:
- New sections start recto. If the previous section ends on a recto, insert a blank verso. Blank left-hand pages are a sign of correct typesetting, not an error.
- Running headers stay off display pages, no headers or page numbers on the half title, title, copyright, dedication, epigraph, or the first page of a chapter.
- Roman numerals are shown from the ToC onwards (the earlier pages are counted silently), and arabic numbering restarts at 1 where the text proper begins, which includes an introduction that’s really chapter zero.
- Word processors fight all of this. Section breaks, restarting numbering, suppressing headers on first pages, and forcing recto starts are exactly the fiddly Word manoeuvres covered in my Word-to-KDP guide, and exactly the class of thing that produces the “formatting looks wrong in the proof” discovery three weeks before launch.
If you’d rather not hand-build any of it: my formatting service sets the full front and back matter to trade convention as part of every job, print-ready PDF and Kindle EPUB from £69, with the ebook edition’s front matter correctly slimmed, with a quick turnaround.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order do the first pages of a book go in?
Half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, foreword, preface, acknowledgements, introduction, using only the elements your book needs. Title page and copyright page are the only truly required items; a novel commonly uses just those plus a dedication.
What’s the difference between a foreword, a preface and an introduction?
A foreword is written by someone other than the author and signed by them, it lends credibility. A preface is the author writing about the book itself: why and how it was written. An introduction is the author writing about the subject matter, and because readers need it, it’s treated as part of the main text and starts on arabic page 1.
Do blank pages in a book mean a formatting mistake?
No, blank left-hand (verso) pages are correct typesetting. Key sections (title page, dedication, ToC, chapter one) traditionally begin on a right-hand page, so when the preceding section ends on a right-hand page, a blank left page is inserted deliberately.
Should my Kindle ebook have the same front matter as the paperback?
It should have less. Ebook samples and previews serve the front of the file, so heavy front matter delays the story and weakens the sample. Keep title, copyright and (for non-fiction) a linked contents page up front; move “also by” lists and acknowledgements to the back, where engaged finishers will see them.
Where does “About the Author” go?
At the very end of the back matter, after any notes, bibliography or index. For self-published books it anchors the book’s marketing endgame: author bio, series links, a review request and a newsletter sign-up, placed at the moment the reader has just finished and is most likely to act.
