Front matter is every page that comes before Chapter 1, and while the full list looks long, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, foreword, preface, acknowledgments, introduction, only the title page and copyright page are actually expected in every book. Everything else is optional, chosen based on what your specific book needs, not a checklist to fill out completely.
This guide covers what each element is, in what order they go, and which ones you can safely skip. Each section links to a full article when you want more detail.
The half title is a page with just the title, no author name or subtitle, common in traditionally designed print books but not essential. The title page is the formal identification of the book, including title, subtitle, and author name, followed by the copyright page, which carries legal and publication information including the copyright notice, ISBN, and edition details. A dedication is a short, personal note naming who the book is dedicated to, and an epigraph is a quotation placed at the front of the book to set tone or frame the reader's experience.
The table of contents lists chapters or sections with page numbers, common in nonfiction and often skipped in novels. A foreword is a short piece written by someone other than the author, always signed by that person, while a preface is written by the author, usually explaining the book's background or how it came to be. Acknowledgments thank the people who helped with the book, and can also appear in the back matter instead. An introduction has the author lay out the purpose and scope of the work, common in nonfiction. And a prologue, technically not front matter since it's part of the story itself, appears in the same general position before Chapter 1.
Only the title page and copyright page are close to universal. Everything else is a judgment call based on your specific book:
Front matter follows a settled, traditional sequence: half title, an optional frontispiece, the full title page, the copyright page, a dedication, an optional epigraph, the table of contents, and then any foreword, preface, or acknowledgments, followed by the introduction if the book has one. See Front Matter Order for the full breakdown, including why the order matters for how professional a book reads.
Front matter decisions are typically made during interior layout, alongside the rest of your formatting choices. See Interior Layout Basics and the Complete Guide to Book Cover Design and Interior Layout.
Need Help With Your Book's Layout?
Entrada Publishing's layout team can help you decide which front matter elements your book needs, and format them correctly.
Every page that appears before Chapter 1: the title page, copyright page, and any optional elements like a dedication, foreword, preface, or introduction.
No. Only the title page and copyright page are close to universal. Everything else depends on your specific book, and most novels keep front matter minimal.
Half title, frontispiece (if any), title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph (if any), table of contents, then foreword, preface, and acknowledgments, followed by the introduction if the book has one.
Not technically. A prologue is part of the story itself, even though it appears in the same general position before Chapter 1. See Is a Prologue the Same as a Preface?