Parts of a Book: What You Need to Know

There are three sections to every book, and those sections include important pages within them. We’re breaking down everything you need to know about parts of a book and how to get them right.

Books have specific sections: front matter, the body, and end matter. There are also important pages and subsections that exist in each of the three sections. The type of book you write will guide some of the pages you’ll need to add to your book. Other pages like the title page, copyright page, dedication, book chapters, and author biography, are standard pages that every book needs.

The pages and subsections you need in the three main sections of your book depend on whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction. For fiction books, you can often get away with fewer end matter sections. Whereas, nonfiction books tend to need more front matter and end matter sections.

Here is every part of a book and how to get them right for your manuscript:

1. The Front Matter

The front matter of your book includes the title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, etc. You may also choose to include a preface written by yourself or a foreword written by someone who is familiar with your work.

The front matter contains important information about your book, including your book’s copyright and publisher information.

Title Page

The title page includes your full title and your name or the name you choose to publish under, also known as a pen name. This information matches the title and author name on the cover of your book.

Copyright Page

The copyright page, or “colophon,” includes information about copyrights, ISBN, edition dates, as well as your book publisher and book printer. The copyright page typically appears on the reverse side of your title page.

Accolades

Quotes from esteemed publications and reviewers in praise of your book go on this page. This information may appear on the back cover of your book as well.

Dedication Page

This is where you name the person or people you chose to dedicate your book to and why. The dedication page typically appears right after your copyright page.

Table of Contents

To build out your table of contents, or ToC, list out your chapter headings in the order they appear in your book. The ToC should also list all major sections in the front matter and back matter. Fun fact: Most novels do not include a ToC or have chapter names.

Preface

A preface is an introduction written by you, the author, and discusses how your book came into being.

Foreword (nonfiction)

A foreword is most commonly included in nonfiction books and is written by someone else (not the author of the book). This person is often a close friend, scholar, or family member who is knowledgeable of the author’s work. Be sure that it’s spelled foreword, not forward, foreward, or forword.

Epigraph

An epigraph is an excerpt or quote you use that connects to your book’s subject matter. You can choose text from a poem, another book, a song, or just about any source. The epigraph appears immediately before the first chapter, and it’s typically only a sentence in length.

2. The Body

The main text of your book is referred to as the body. It sits between your book’s front matter and end matter. This is where your story takes place in its entirety. It’s where the magic happens. It’s not just your content that’s important here, it’s also your arrangement of the sections.

Introduction (nonfiction)

The introduction is only used in nonfiction books and it’s meant to guide your readers into your work. Often authors will discuss early events or other pieces of information that are directly relevant to the main theme of the book. This gives readers a solid foundation of understanding before they begin reading your book.

Prologue (fiction)

A prologue is only used in works of fiction, and the goal of a prologue is to grip readers and entice them enough to keep them reading. Many authors include intriguing events in the prologue that only begin to make sense as readers continue through the story. Think of the prologue as dropping breadcrumbs for your readers to pique their interest and lead them into your story.

Chapters

Every book has chapters, and those chapters can also be grouped into parts or acts.

Epilogue (fiction)

The epilogue is only used in fiction and is meant to wrap up the story and tie all loose ends together. An epilogue is often one scene that takes place some time in the future. Characters are in a different place in time, and the reader is filled in on what’s transpired since the end of the last chapter. Also, if you will have more books to come in the series, you can use the epilogue to hint at what will take place in the follow-up book.

Conclusion (nonfiction)

A conclusion is only used in nonfiction works, but it’s becoming less common. Ultimately, the conclusion is meant to sum up core concepts from your text.

Afterword (nonfiction)

The afterword can be written by the author or someone they know, and it’s meant to include any other final thoughts or notes on the book.

3. The End Matter

The end matter, also often referred to as the back matter, is material that appears at the end of your book. For fiction books, the end matter is typically pretty simple: acknowledgments, author bio, and possibly discussion questions. For nonfiction books, the end matter holds a lot of important technical information, and also includes a bibliography or endnotes page that details the sources for quoted material found in the book.

Acknowledgments

The acknowledgments page is a place to thank everyone who contributed to the creation of your book. This often includes the author’s agent and editor(s), close friends and family, and individuals who helped with research or gave interviews (if they haven’t asked to be anonymous). The acknowledgments typically appear after the last chapter—or the epilogue if you’ve written a fiction book.

Author Biography

This is where you will provide a summary of your personal life, education, and any previous works you’ve published.

Coming Soon/Read More

If you have another book already in the works or have a website, social media, or email newsletter, you’ll want to highlight that information on this page.

Discussion Questions

Discussion questions can be included in both fiction and nonfiction books. These should be thought-provoking questions about the book that can be used in an academic setting (nonfiction) or a book club (fiction).

Appendix (nonfiction)

Only used in nonfiction, the appendix, or addendum, provided additional details or any updated information that may have been published by sources used in your book that were updated while your book was in production. This helps you avoid having to rewrite sections every time an update to information was made. Instead, you can use the appendix to capture any new information.

Glossary

The glossary can be used in fiction and nonfiction, and it includes definitions that appear in the text. For fiction, the glossary may contain words that you made up as part of your world-building, as well as definitions for those words. The glossary should be written in alphabetical order.

Bibliography/Endnotes

A bibliography or endnotes section is a full, detailed list of all the sources you cited in your book. This section is often only used for nonfiction books, but there may be some instances where a fiction book may need a bibliography. Your bibliography should follow one manual of style; we recommend using bibliography or endnote instructions from The Chicago Manual of Style, and the easiest way to format your sources is by using a website called Easybib. Remember, your bibliography or endnotes section is a formal list of citations that protects you from plagiarism. For every quote you include in your book, you’ll need to include the corresponding source.

Index

An index is a list of special terms or phrases used in the book, along with the pages they appear in your formatted final version of your book, so readers can find them easily. You won’t want to fill in your index with page numbers for terms in your manuscript. Wait until your book formatting has been finalized and approved. Otherwise, your page numbers may continue to shift around.

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