Self Publishing

For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been doing a blog series on the back matter of a book. (We did a similar one on the front matter) You’ll remember that the front matter is all of the material that comes before the central story – or body text – in a book. This includes…

Another section of the back matter that may or may not be included in a book is the discussion section. If it seems like many of the sections of the back matter are optional, that’s because they are! There are certain things that find their way into every book’s back matter (such as an about…

As a part of the book’s back matter, the bibliography is a crucial section that cites sources used throughout the book. These sources may be used to bolster the author’s credibility, strengthen their argument or cause, or negate certain claims made in other books. Whatever the reason, if an author uses an additional source when…

While the glossary defines specific words found in a book, the index merely tells you where to find them. As a part of the back matter, the index is found in the end pages of a book, and it can be a resourceful tool for readers who may be using the book in their research,…

Continuing with our series on back matter, today’s blog is all about the glossary. Sometimes called the idioticon, vocabulary, or clavis, the glossary is essentially a book’s personal dictionary. Utilizing one in your book is a great way to define, list, and expand upon unfamiliar, made up, or intricate terms used in the book.

Just like the foreword comes before the story within a novel or a book, the afterword comes after and is included in the back matter of the book. The afterword is often confused with the postscript. 

Probably the most basic aspect of the front matter is the book title page and the half title. This is one of the aspects of front matter that is in every book, no matter the type or genre. It’s there in poetry collections, memoirs, biographies, historical books, novels, comics, children’s books, short story collections, etc.…

Continuing with our series on the front matter of a book, today’s discussion is about the book introduction. The introduction to the book is different than the foreword, preface, and prologue. We’ve already learned that a foreword is written by someone other than the author of the book, that a preface is a sort of…

It takes a village to write a book, and the best way to thank those who’ve helped you, in some form or another, is by writing an acknowledgement page. An acknowledgement page is a special place in a book, one dedicated completely to inspirational, helpful, and encouraging persons in the author’s life. Whether big or…

Over the last couple of weeks, our blog has been focused on the varying aspects of a book’s frontmatter – from dedications to forewords to today’s post, which focuses on the preface. The preface is a section that comes before the story, and it is often jumbled up with the introduction, foreword, and prologue. These…