After the last page of the manuscripts text, pagination continues in numerical sequence into the back matter. Nov 03, 2012 how to format your nonfiction manuscript. A formal postscript, in a books back matter, is usually called an afterword. If whoever is doing the work would just look at and mimic a professionally designed book interior at least they would have the elements in the order of what is generally accepted. Just as front matter is what you find at the beginning of a book, back matter, simply put, is what you find at the end of a bookthe sections that appear after the central story has been completed. Building a book cover in indesign with 3up layout of cover, spine, and back cover. In this post, learn how to create a cover that sells.
We also acknowledge previous national science foundation support under grant numbers. Book design is the art of incorporating the content, style, format, design, and sequence of the various components and elements of a book into a coherent unit. You can create your indexes in microsoft word or hire an indexer to do it for you. In the words of renowned typographer jan tschichold 19021974, book design, though largely forgotten today, relies upon methods and rules upon which it is impossible to improve. This back matter contains the index and about the author. Mar 02, 2016 carrie charley brown is hosting reforemo read for research month, a time when writers challenge themselves to read picture books as mentor texts to improve their writing. The cover can scare away a customer or lure them in. It comes after the body text and includes concluding sections that. Basic book designnumber of pages wikibooks, open books. Basic book designnumber of pages wikibooks, open books for.
So what are the various parts of the book and where are they. Typically, the back matter may include an epilogue, afterword, appendix and author biography. May 27, 2015 book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. Dont include items such as halftitle pages unless you know the right way to design them. If you have well over 2025 pages of ads in the back of your book thats going to have an effect on your. Make it shine by arranging it in the proper order and designing it for great readability. After a few years, you have new material to incorporate. Learn how you can add front and back matter with just a few clicks using kindle create. Book front matter includes some or all of these pages. Even if you feel more comfortable with words than design, canva was created for design beginners. Aug 15, 2017 building a book cover in indesign with 3up layout of cover, spine, and back cover. Frontmatter publishing and book design basics libguides. Offset presses print books in signatures of eight, sixteen, or thirtytwo pages.
Back matter definition of back matter by merriamwebster. When a book is filled with facts or topics a reader might want to find quickly, an index is the fastest way to find them. Make design matter is an accessible book about a complex subject. These sections of back matter are often supplementary in nature, and inform the reader about some aspect of the book. You might ask, does the back of the book even matter. Book cover design is a complex balance of images, text, and information and you need someone who understands how each of these elements interacts with the others to best sell your book. Back matter is an important part of a professional business document, and any other long document. The worst thing your book s interior design can do is distract your readers from reading your work. Building a book cover in indesign with 3up layout of cover. In this excerpt from book design made simple, we offer a list of possible book front matter pages and their proper order. Some elements are expected and others are optional, but there is a standard order. Back matter can include an about the author page or bibliography. The book designer all started in the fall of 2009, looking around at all the change to book publishing, i thought i would add my voice to the mix.
It includes information about the author, publisher, order, and tone of the book. It proposes strategic design guidelines based on holistic concepts. Aug 04, 2019 the libretexts libraries are powered by mindtouch and are supported by the department of education open textbook pilot project, the uc davis office of the provost, the uc davis library, the california state university affordable learning solutions program, and merlot. This is part of a video series on formatting a book for print in ms word. You can also add other front matter as well as back matter pages, but these arent required. Each edition of your book may have different front and back matter, for example, to list different isbns or calls to action.
Bad covers, with pixelated images, watermarks clearly visible, text badly formatted or aligned, and so forth, suggest to the reader that the interior of the book will be equally sloppy. The fourth part in a series on book design, this article. Publishing and book design basics frontmatter search this guide search. Jan 10, 2014 last week here, i presented the parts of a book which appear in the front of the book. I usually place my back matter folder beneath the main manuscript folder, whereas scriveners manuscript format template provides an existing folder for front matter. Do you know how to prepare your manuscript for your editor, proofreader, and especially your book designer. So it is the responsibility of your book designer or you, if you choose to design your book yourself to ensure that the details of your book lead your future readers to your book, give off a.
Apr 01, 20 if whoever is doing the work would just look at and mimic a professionally designed book interior at least they would have the elements in the order of what is generally accepted. There arent any definitive rules for how the different sections of front matter in an ebook should be organized, and it is very unlikely that your book will be rejected for publishing based on how you have structured it except for smashwords, the nitpicky ones. The back matter is where youll find components such as an index, a glossary, an appendix or two, endnotes unless you prefer. As i said previously, there are no hard and fast rules that dictate how a book must be structured, but the structure discussed here is one thats been around for a few hundred years. Ask your printer to use recycled paper and soybased ink. There are two types of indexes subject matter and detailed. It may also credit the books designer and other persons or companies involved in its physical production. Design your own book layout for print in microsoft word with these free book formatting templates and tutorials. You can create your indexes in microsoft word or hire an indexer to do it. Im the guest authoreducator there today talking about back matter in picture books. Why you need a category on the back cover of your book. A professional designer brings more than just photoshop skills to the table. A welldesigned cover is the first assurance the reader has that the book is of a high quality, both in content and delivery.
The reason is that the main matter numbering is continued from a previous works and will continue in the next works, and the appendicies have to be omitted from this numbering. It is however something that ive seen certain authors inquire about on the kindleboards so i thought why not bring it up for some discussion as you create your ebooks whether its meant for kindle or kobo or nook or whoever, you have the option of inserting front matter or back. This excerpt from book design made simple offers insights into the best way to present this material. You rewrite your book, adding the new material here and there, or you add a new chapter at the end. Just as front matter is what you find at the beginning of a book, back matter, simply. It is a given fact that i cannot number the appendicies i. If the front matter introduces the book, the back matter then wraps everything up. Authors use their back matter to offer readers further context or information about the story, though back matter can also be extremely simple. As a book designer, i strongly urge selfpublishers to hire a professional editor and proofreader prior to delivering a manuscript to our designer for layout. Today, we look at the elements which make up the back matter. Why book covers are so important writers and authors. When a book uses arabic page numbering, the usual habit is to treat the front cover as a page number 1, and start the book itself by page number 3.
Free book design templates and tutorials for formatting in ms. A new edition of a book means that the content has been significantly revised or expanded. Your book back matter might be the most valuable section of the book. That means were deciding how we want our book, the great pj elf chase, to look in its final stage. How to write the front and back matter of your kindle ebook. Although the cover of your book guide your readers to buy your book, the interior design will make them decide whether they will actually read it. The front cover of the book is a critical design element. The fourth part in a series on book design, this article examines the pages following the main body of a book. When designing the back of your book whether its a diy project or youve hired a professional, consider the following. The back matter also known as the end matter is you guessed it material found at the back of a book. Mar 20, 2017 i dont add excerpts of other books in my book matter because i find that redundant with amazons look inside.
Book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. Readers might judge a book by its cover, but youll also want to make sure the design around whats inside your ebook is completely up to scratch. A book cover must include the title of the book, the authors name, and any design elements that will catch the readers eye. Last week here, i presented the parts of a book which appear in the front of the book.
Book cover design is something that will seperate a bestseller from an unloved book in a bargain bin. Book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your book s final edit. Building a book cover in indesign with 3up layout of. The final section of the book interior is the back matter. Back matter in your book celebrating independent authors.
We tend to spend all of our time writing the main content of the book and fail to factor in the extra time required to write and organize the front and back matter. Book back matter includes some or all of these pages. Were novices, so working with front matter and back matter is a new experience. Each sheet holds 12, 16, or 24 actual pages, which means the book has to contain a multiple of 12, 16, or 24 pages. However, sometimes the frontmatter of the book is numbered seperately by roman numbers.
Front cover, spine, and back cover of the dustjacket the spine of the book is an important aspect in book design, especially in the cover design. All of these pieces front matter, body text, and back matter fit together perfectly to create a complete book. Carrie charley brown is hosting reforemo read for research month, a time when writers challenge themselves to read picture books as mentor texts to improve their writing. Today id like to talk about something that i dont see talked about in too much detail on the web. Even if youve already polished your chapters to perfection, you still need to prepare various other parts of a book before publishing namely, the front matter and back matter. Nov 15, 20 it goes without saying that the cover of your book is key. Book design includes not only the graphic design of the front and back cover, but also the layout and typographic design of every page within your book. When you format your book for hard copy printing, you should follow the structure as shown in the diagram below. This guide is designed to help selfpublishers with common questions about the logistics of book publishing and basic book design. Jan, 2020 the book designer all started in the fall of 2009, looking around at all the change to book publishing, i thought i would add my voice to the mix.
Professional and technical writingdesignback matter. Back matter study guide for certification of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing professionals. However, these sections can add a lot of depth and additional information to the book. How to format your nonfiction manuscript barbara mcnichol.
Build your book format a paperback manuscript word for. Suppose you write a book on the current political situation in country x. The back matter, also known as end matter, if used, normally consists of one or more of the following components. Free book design templates and tutorials for formatting in. The best design in the world wont matter if you cant actually deliver your cover in the correct format.
Back matter definition is matter following the main text of a book. Back matter is the stuff at the end of your book, after the main sections of the book are finished. It goes without saying that the cover of your book is key. The reason is that the mainmatter numbering is continued from a previous works and will continue in the next works, and the appendicies have to be omitted from this numbering. One book section that was popular in the golden age of pulp fiction thats now making a comeback is the coming soon page. With an amazing library of templates and easy, draganddrop tools, you can create a professional. Front and back matter in books selfpublishing advice.
Back matter in picture books marcie flinchum atkins. How to write and publish a book yourself selfpublishing cheatsheet. Youll learn the nitty gritty about book back matter in chapter 29, designing your back matter. How you should be using back matter in your ebooks adam geen. Some informative blog posts have addressed techniques for creating an effective front cover, but an often overlooked aspect of book cover design is the back of the book. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book the. Rightfacing pages are odd numbered pages in printed books because the first piece of paper is on the right side, facing up from the open, printed book. Jan 03, 2018 all of these pieces front matter, body text, and back matter fit together perfectly to create a complete book.
Discusses and illustrates the relocation of traditional front matter. Back matter design of human powered vehicles ebooks. If youve already started working on your next book, this is a perfect place to put a teaserthink about including the first chapter of the next book in your series to whet readers appetites for more. Nov, 2019 the back matter also known as the end matter is you guessed it material found at the back of a book. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book.