Glossary
Front matter and back matter
Front matter and back matter: Front matter is everything before chapter one: title page, copyright, dedication, contents, foreword and introduction. Back matter is everything after the last chapter: acknowledgements, about the author, notes, and a call to action. Together they frame the book, and in ebooks the back matter is where the next sale happens.
Front matter, in order
- Title page (title, subtitle, author).
- Copyright page (year, rights, disclaimer, ISBN if any).
- Dedication, optional and short.
- Table of contents, linked in an ebook.
- Foreword (written by someone else) or preface (by you), optional.
- Introduction, which many readers treat as chapter zero.
Keep ebook front matter short: Amazon’s sample and the “start reading” location skip most of it, and Kindle Unlimited does not pay for pages before the start.
Back matter that earns
- A thank-you and a review request, one paragraph, with the store link.
- About the author, with what you do and where to find you.
- Also by or a preview of the next book.
- A call to action: the newsletter, the free companion, the course, the consultation.
Legal lines worth having
A copyright notice, a short disclaimer for health, legal or financial content, and, for AI-assisted books, an optional note on how the book was made. Amazon requires disclosure at upload, not inside the book, but some authors add a line for transparency.
Frequently asked questions
Does an ebook need a copyright page?
It is customary and takes one line. Copyright exists without it, but the page states the rights and the disclaimer.
Should the introduction be front matter or chapter one?
If it is essential reading, make it chapter one so nobody skips it and the sample includes it.
Can I add dedication and acknowledgements in create-ebook?
Yes. Dedication, foreword, acknowledgements and about the author are editable fields, included in every export.