What order should front-matter pages appear in?

Front matter follows an order that readers and the trade expect. The full sequence, with the optional pages in their proper slots:

1. Half title — just the book's title.
2. Also by this author — the backlist, on the left-hand page facing the title.
3. Title page — title, subtitle, author, imprint, and your publisher logo if you have one.
4. Copyright page — the © page, traditionally page iv.
5. Dedication.
6. Epigraph — an opening quotation.
7. Table of contents.
8. List of illustrations.
9. Foreword — written by someone else.
10. Preface — written by you, about how the book came about.
11. Introduction — written by you, and part of the book itself.
12. A note on the text.
13. Content note.
14. Cast of characters.
15. Chronology or timeline.

Then your story begins.

Foreword, preface, introduction

These three get mixed up constantly, and the distinction is simple:

• A foreword is by somebody other than the author, usually someone whose name helps.
• A preface is by the author, about the book — why it exists, how it was made.
• An introduction is by the author and is part of the book, not commentary on it. It's the only one of the three that a reader who skips front matter should not skip.

If a page could be a preface or an introduction, ask whether the reader needs it to understand the book. If yes, it's an introduction.

You don't have to arrange them

Each page carries its own position, so the Front & Back Matter tool assembles whatever you choose in the correct sequence, on the correct side of the spread, and the Interior Formatter places them at the front of your book with the right pagination.

Pages you write yourself slot in near the end of the section. See How do I add a page that isn't on the list?

Related

• Which back-matter pages should I include?
• Does it include front and back matter?