Anatomy of a Book – What Goes Inside?

If you haven’t discovered Writer’s Bane: Formatting 101, you’ve been missing out on a lot of answers to questions. This includes what goes inside your book, how to prepare a manuscript for a typeset, and how to design the interior of your book. Let me share a sampling of one common question I get in workshops and email: 

What else do I put inside my book?

Front Matter

Before a reader gets to the first chapter there are several key pages that need to be there first. This also can impact how professional looking your book is seen to book store chains and should be overlooked. For example, everyone should be doing a half title and full title page, followed by a proper copyright page. These three pages can add a space to sign and a feeling of legitimacy to your book. Inside Formatting 101 I dive into great detail and give several examples of what these pages look like, their purpose, and an author’s reason for using one or how to use them to your advantage. In short, here’s a list of pages (in a recommended hierarchy) that can be added as roman numeral pages before chapter 1, page 1 unfolds:

1. Half Title page – this general just has the title, subtitle, and often matches the title font from the front cover.
2. Full Title page – this should have title, subtitle, series, author, and publisher logo.
3. Copyright page – Title, Author, Copyright date, publisher information, design and editorial credits, legal jargon, Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN), and International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for all formats. Take a look at many books for examples.
4. Dedication – Short and sweet. Often centered on a page or in children’s books seen above copyrights on the same page!
5. Endorsement – Sometimes I see this before the half title page or even before the dedication. I recommend it here since it comes off cleaner and less jarring for readers.
6. Table of Contents – You want to place this here as a dividing line between actual reader content and the formalities and legal aspects of what is listed above it.
7. Foreword – Any words that need to come before read this book. Whether you are preparing the reader or having someone comment on the book. It’s often encouraged to email and ask for a foreword about the author or book from other authors or professionals that write or enjoy what your book is about. Even celebrities do this!
8. Words from the Author – A more author centric foreword.
9. About the Author – This is here for nonfiction books. Often readers want to know who the expert on the topic is before reading further on a topic. 
10. Acknowledgements – These can go here or in the back matter.
11. Preface – More common in nonfiction. This is often a statement of some kind on the topic to encourage readers or share something about the book. Often this can reference the fact of acknowledging a school of thought or piece of history that was not included and the reasoning behind it or where to discover more on the topics within.
12. Prologue – More common in fiction. This is an event that the readers should experience that influences the story or shares vital information. Whether its past events that created magic to a girl witnessing something through a keyhole that will impact the plot. It should have a direct connection to the character or plot in some way.
13. Introduction or Overview – Seen in nonfiction, this is gearing up what the book is about or what they should be learning as they travel through the content. Sometimes this may even have instructions of some kind on how to use the book.

Content

This should always start as chapter 1 or section 1 on a right page with PAGE 1. It seems strange, but many programs including InDesign force typesetters to follow this rule. In short, this is not up for discussion as far as the publishing and design industries are concerned. Be mindful of what pages fall between your front matter and back matter. This includes:

1. Section page – Traditionally on the right or odd page. 
2. Chapter page – First one starts traditionally on the right or odd page. All consecutive chapter pages can fall on either side or only on the right page depending on the amount of content or designers preference. More and more books will land these on right and left pages to save on page count and lower print costs.
3. Body page – These are the pages that hold the rest of the story. They often have the page numbers on the bottom center or outer margins, content justified and uniform across the page, and headers and/or footers. These often will have the title, subtitle, author, chapter, or subchapter information depending on type of book and designer’s preference.

Back Matter

This is very much like the front matter, but items you would prefer them to read and explore after your story. If you are working on nonfiction, this is often where to find more resources, referenced materials, and even tools for applying what the reader has learned or even fill in gaps that may be needed. For example, in Formatting 101 I’ve added a large glossary in hopes of catching any moment where a term is used that may be industry or design specific to make the content more widely understood to even those exploring book formatting and publishing for the first time.

1. Epilogue – This is seen in fiction work where we get to see what transpired after the events. It can often feature showing the characters happy ending in greater detail, the rise of something more happening in the series, or even showing events from another POV for this one chapter only to reveal something more about the story. Again, it should impact the reader via their connection to the character or plot.
2. About the Author – Unlike nonfiction, it is more traditional to see this placed here in fiction work. Be sure to include your social media!
3. Acknowledgements – If you have one that is more than 1-2 pages long, you may want to place this here in the back of the book.
4. Book Listing – Recommending other books you or similar authors in your network can be helpful.
5. Preview or Sneak Peek – It’s not uncommon in romance novels to see the first chapter or snapshot of what the next book will be about. This can be handy for any genre to showcase that this is part of a series.
6. Bibliography or References – Often seen in nonfiction as a means to cite sources.
7. Endnotes – Many folks still use endnotes, but I do encourage you to consider footnotes since this works favorably for eBook readers as well as the only kind accepted by KDP/Amazon and other vendors.
8. Index – Again, indexes are being replaced with the ability to have searchable ebooks and PDFs or digital copies of books. They are still very much curated content and take lots of time to prepare, but a personal preference in today’s world.
9. Appendix – Content or worksheets. Materials you either referenced or provided, including excerpts of public domain material, is often seen in nonfiction. Fiction usually saves this for fun extras, coloring pages, and even the occasional recipe.
10. Book Club Questions – Librarians love them and book clubs live for them. Don’t underestimate the power of providing these. There shouldn’t be a clear answer. I always tell fellow author’s pretend this is a chance to start your very own fight club!

Discover More

Like the advice and information you see here? Check out the Formatting 101 textbook here. This tome holds a variety of answers for those seeking to become typesetters, looking to self-publish their book, or simply want to learn how to communicate and prepare their manuscripts to get the most out of their designers. The Writer’s Bane is a curse and passion, both a want and need to tell a story. In this volume, you will learn the importance for prepping a book for layout as well as laying it out in a way that appeals to your readers of any genre including picture books, chapter books, fiction, memoirs, textbooks, workbooks, and everything in-between.

Writer’s Bane: Formatting 101