Last reviewed by Robert Prime, 12 October 2026, against Amazon’s Format Front Matter, Body Matter, and Back Matter page and its metadata guidelines.
Quick Answer: The half title is just the book’s title, alone on the first right-hand page. The title page follows on the next right-hand page: title, subtitle, author name and, if you have one, your imprint. The “also by” page lists your other books, on the left-hand page facing the title page in print, or at the back of an ebook. No page numbers or headers on any of them. The title must match what you typed into KDP, letter for letter.
Would you rather someone else did it? Our book formatting services UK start at £69, VAT included, with files back in 24 hours.
Table of Contents
- Where these pages go
- Half title page template
- Title page templates
- “Also by” page templates
- The KDP rules that cause rejections
- Ebook versions
- Common mistakes
- Frequently asked questions
Where these pages go
Amazon’s front matter page gives the usual order as: half title, title, copyright, reviews and praise, dedication, table of contents, preface, acknowledgements, prologue, introduction. In a printed book that becomes:
| Page | Side | What is on it |
|---|---|---|
| i | Right (recto) | Half title |
| ii | Left (verso) | “Also by”, or blank |
| iii | Right | Title page |
| iv | Left | Copyright page |
| v | Right | Dedication, then contents |
Amazon’s rules for the first two:
- Half title: “Always falls on a right-facing page”, “Doesn’t contain page numbers or page headers”, “Contains the book title”.
- Title page: “Always falls on a right-facing page directly after the half title page”, “Doesn’t contain page numbers or page headers”, “Typically contains the book title, subtitle, and author name”, and “Doesn’t include ‘by’ before author name, even if contained in manuscript”.
- Copyright page: “Always falls on the first left-facing page after the title page”. Our copyright page template covers that one.
The pages are counted even though no number is printed on them. For the whole sequence, front to back, see the parts of a book in the right order.
Half title page template
The shortest page in the book. Title only. No subtitle, no author, no series.
[TITLE OF THE BOOK]Set it in the same typeface as the title page, smaller, a third of the way down the page. Centred is standard.
Do I need one? No: KDP calls many front matter elements optional. But a half title makes a paperback look like it came from a publisher, and it gives you the facing left-hand page for an “also by” list. It costs little: on Amazon.co.uk a regular-size black-ink paperback over 110 pages is charged £0.010 a page (printing cost page), so the half title and its blank back add 2p.
Title page templates
Novel
[TITLE]
[Subtitle, if any]
[AUTHOR NAME]
[Imprint name or logo, at the foot of the page, optional]Book in a series
[TITLE]
Book [number] of [Series Name]
[AUTHOR NAME]Use the same series name and number you enter in KDP’s series field. Amazon says series numbers go in that field “as digits only”, but on your title page you can write it out in words if you prefer the look.
Non-fiction with a subtitle
[TITLE]
[The Subtitle That Explains What the Book Does]
[AUTHOR NAME]
[Credentials line, optional, e.g. "with a foreword by Name"]
[Imprint name]
[City]Two authors, or an illustrator
[TITLE]
[AUTHOR ONE] and [AUTHOR TWO]
Illustrated by [ILLUSTRATOR NAME]Pen name
Use the pen name here, the same as on the cover. Your legal name belongs on the copyright line, not the title page; pen names for self-published authors explains how the two fit together.
“Also by” page templates
The “also by” page sells your backlist to someone who already likes your writing. Keep it to titles, grouped, in reading order.
Print, facing the title page
ALSO BY [AUTHOR NAME]
THE [SERIES NAME] SERIES
[Book One Title]
[Book Two Title]
[Book Three Title]
STANDALONE NOVELS
[Title]
[Title]
WRITING AS [OTHER PEN NAME]
[Title]Print, short version
Also by [Author Name]
[Title]
[Title]
[Title]Ebook, at the back, with links
MORE BOOKS BY [AUTHOR NAME]
[Book One Title] [link to the book's Amazon page]
[Book Two Title] [link]
[Book Three Title] [link]
Sign up for news of the next book: [newsletter link]Only list books that are published or have a fixed release date. A “coming soon” title that slips becomes an out-of-date page in every copy you have printed.
The KDP rules that cause rejections
The title must match your KDP details. Amazon’s metadata guidelines: “Title information doesn’t need to appear in your manuscript, but it must match the metadata if it does.” A title page saying The Silent Garden when KDP says The Silent Gardens is a mismatch. Our guide to the KDP metadata title mismatch error shows how to fix one.
Subtitle and author too. Check the subtitle and author name on the title page against the book details field by field, including capitals, colons and middle initials.
No “by”. Amazon’s front matter page says the title page “Doesn’t include ‘by’ before author name”.
No page numbers or headers on the half title or title page. In Word, that means a section break before the text and “different first page” or unlinked headers; the Word to KDP guide has the click path.
Ebook versions
Ebooks are read from the start, and the first pages are the free sample. So:
- Keep a title page, short and plain.
- Drop the half title: in an ebook it is just an extra screen.
- Move “also by” to the back, with links, where the reader who just finished your book will see it.
- You can move the copyright page to the back too, so the sample reaches your first chapter sooner.
Common mistakes
Putting the subtitle on the half title. Title only.
Adding “by” on the title page. Amazon says not to.
A different title from the cover or KDP. Every version of the title must be identical.
Numbering the front pages. They count but they do not show a number.
An “also by” list that includes unpublished books. Promise only what you can deliver.
Starting the title page on a left-hand page. It goes on the right.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a half title and a title page?
The half title is the title alone. The title page has the title, subtitle, author name and usually the imprint. The half title comes first.
Does a self-published book need a half title?
No, it is optional. It does make a paperback look professionally produced and gives you a left-hand page for an “also by” list.
Which side does the title page go on?
The right-hand page. Amazon says it “Always falls on a right-facing page directly after the half title page”.
Should the title page say “by [name]”?
No. Amazon’s front matter guidance says the title page “Doesn’t include ‘by’ before author name”.
Where does the “also by” page go?
In print, on the left-hand page facing the title page, or at the back. In an ebook, at the back with store links.
Can I put my publishing imprint on the title page?
Yes, at the foot of the page. It should be the same name you enter as publisher in KDP.
Final thoughts
These three pages take ten minutes to make and say a lot about the book before page one. Title alone on the half title, title, subtitle and name on the title page, every word matching what you typed into KDP, and your backlist where a fan will find it.
If you would rather not set front matter, page breaks and recto starts by hand, our formatting service does the whole interior. If you are doing it yourself, run the finished PDF through the free KDP readiness check before you upload.
— Robert publishing.co.uk
