Last reviewed by Robert Prime, July 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 → 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.
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 our 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.
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. Our 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 our 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: our 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, usually within 24 hours.
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.
About the Author
Robert Prime is a self-published author, veteran e-commerce strategist, and the founder of publishing.co.uk. With over 25 years in digital business — including running the Amazon advertising agency MrPrime.com, he brings a practical, numbers-first perspective to self-publishing. After navigating the formatting and marketing of his own book, Google. Panic. Repeat., he built publishing.co.uk to help UK authors avoid the same pitfalls. He is co-owner of the LoveReading.co.uk network and a member of the Forbes Business Council.
