Books, whether printed or on a screen, have more to them than just the content. The important part of the book is surrounded by other parts: known as Front Matter and Back Matter. There are a variety of ways to organise both sections, with only minor disagreement amongst publishers, so here’s what they typically are and how they’re placed:
Front Matter:
- Title page (both full and half): the title of your book
- Copyright information: legal info, could include credits for pictures or cover art (only one starting on verso side)
- Table of Contents (aka TOC): listing of chapters and sub-chapters with page numbers
- Dedication: specific folks mentioned to whom the work is devoted
- Acknowledgements: recognising folks who helped create the work
- Introduction: an explanation of why the work was created
- Forward: often written by another person, explains how the author is connected to the topic
- Preface: written by the author explaining how the book came to be
- Prologue (sometimes considered part of the book block): a scene in the story, either long before or extracted from the middle of the story, a teaser
Back Matter:
- Epilogue: similar to the prologue but at the end, tying up loose ends in the story
- Afterword: how the book was created, sometimes written by another person
- Appendix: tables, diagrams, maps, and other useful non-text info for the reader to consult
- Bibliography: formal listing of sources gleaned to create this book
- Colophon: information about printing, paper, ink, binding, type face
- Glossary: definitions of words or terms used in the book that may not be commonly known
- Pronunciation guide: how to pronounce new words…especially useful if you have characters with strange names, gives you a chance to steer the reader towards your clever naming method
- Index: alphabetical list of important words with the page numbers where they are used
- Notes: explanation of how the author gathered and put together the info in the book
- References: casual pointers to other works where you found the info you mention in your book
- About the author: your chance to tell the reader all about yourself, who you are, where you came from, what you have planned for the future
- Order form or Next Book Announcement: a list of your previous works and how to get them, or an advert for your next book and when it will be released, could include the first chapter as a teaser
Quite a bit there, but not all are needed. Some are more common to Fiction, some to Non-Fiction. If you can’t think of a reason to put any of these in your book, you are welcome to leave them out.