Your Nonfiction Book’s Front Matter

Besides the main body of your nonfiction book, you have front and back matter that needs to be included in your manuscript before your book is edited and receives it’s final proofread. There are plenty of websites that talk about forewords, prefaces, introductions, and prologues, but lots of the information is only relevant to fiction authors. So today I’m providing a summary of these front matter components as they related to what you’re writing.

Not sure which front matter elements you need to include in your nonfiction book? No problem. Read on and I’ll explain which content components are essential for your book before you publish.

Your forward can be written by a thought leader, public figure or prominent person who is an authority on your subject matter. A foreword is extremely useful for nonfiction books because they add credibility to your subject matter expertise, and your writer should explain the connection between your book and you as it’s author. This section is also a good place to add the book’s hook. How is this book going to help or benefit your reader?

A foreword is one of the reasons why it’s important to network with your niche. At the start of your writing journey, start to identify contributors who could be willing to write your book’s foreword.

In Summary:

• Who Writes it: An authority in your niche
• What is the purpose: Explain the connection between you and your content

If your contributor hasn’t written a foreword before they may reach out to you to confirm your expectations, so here’s a couple of useful posts about how to write or find a foreword contributor:

• How do I get a Foreword for my Book – Alex Fullerton guest posted on Ingram Spark

Unless the reader is also in your field of expertise, [your reader] will be looking at the person’s title, rather than their name. So it works best if the person writing the foreword is a big name or a leader in the field you are writing on. Alex Fullerton

• How to Write a Foreword – Lisa Tener provides a useful list of guidelines.
• How to Write a Foreword for a book in 4 easy steps – Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur includes a four-part recap of different sections within a foreword.

…discuss the book, the author, and how you’re connected to it all. In short…you’re getting people excited for what’s coming. Dave Chesson

If you can’t secure a useful foreword before you publish your book, go ahead and publish your book without one. Once your book has momentum, reviews, and has attracted some attention within your niche you can work on finding the best contributor for your book, and add in the foreword at a later date.

Your preface provides your reader with a context. You can also acknowledge people who has contributed to your book. Although you’re providing background to how your book idea came from and what you hope to achieve by writing it, your preface shouldn’t contain information critical to your reader’s understanding of your book. Think of a preface as the icing on your cake, but readers can still eat the cake without it.

In Summary:

• Who Writes it: The author (you)
• What is the purpose: Add background context. Acknowledge contributors.

Additional tips for writing a nonfiction preface:

• How to write a Preface Dorrance Publishing provide a summary of key content segments that will help you write a compelling Preface.

When it comes to writing, there’s always a why. Dorrance Publishing

Your introduction focuses on your book’s subject matter and includes elements that are critical for your reader’s understanding of your topic. There will usually be content that it’s important to make sure your readers are aware of, before they read your book, and your introduction is where you communicate this supplemental information. This content can be used to clarify your perspective on your topic or explain how you’re approaching it.

If you have something to convey to your reader which doesn’t naturally fit within the body of your book, or it’s important for them to know before they dive into your book—include it in your introduction.

In Summary:

• Who Writes it: The author (you)
• What is the purpose: Explain elements to help your reader understand your topic or how you’re approaching it.

Additional tips for writing a nonfiction introduction:

• Writing the Perfect Introduction for your Nonfiction Book C.K. Bush guest blogged on Write Nonfiction Now about they type of introduction you need and when to write it.

A memoir, for instance, needs an introduction that serves to set up the narrative arc of the overall book through storytelling…If you’re writing a more straightforward nonfiction book…then, your introduction should set up a clear explanation of your objective for writing this book and why readers should care. C.K. Bush

• Book Launchers created a YouTube video focused on How to Write Nonfiction Book Introductions without boring your readers:

Julie Broad’s six minute video is packed full of useful advice for writing this important aspect of your book’s front matter.

A prologue is the fiction version of the nonfiction introduction, and provides readers with the information they need before they start reading a novel. So if you’re writing nonfiction you don’t need to worry about a prologue.

These three front-matter elements are core content marketing tools with the potential of enticing your reader to buy your book. Don’t rush through the creation of these sections—they’re too important for that.

Let me know if you have any questions about writing the front matter for your nonfiction book. Leave a comment in the section below.