- Material at the start of a book before the main text.
- Includes: title page, copyright, dedication, TOC, foreword, preface, acknowledgments.
- Numbered in lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii).
- Fiction front matter: 3-6 pages.
- Nonfiction front matter: 6-15 pages.
Front matter is the material at the start of a book before the main text begins — title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, foreword, preface, and acknowledgments. Front matter is numbered in lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii) and is shorter for fiction (3-6 pages) than for nonfiction (6-15 pages).
Chapter i·Why it matters
Front matter is one of the small details that signals "professional book" versus "self-published with mistakes." Missing a copyright page, mis-formatted Roman numerals, or a dedication on the wrong side of the spread — readers don’t consciously notice, but reviewers and booksellers do. Standard front matter is part of looking polished.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Title page: title, subtitle, author name, publisher.
- Copyright page: copyright notice, ISBN, edition, disclaimers.
- Dedication (optional).
- Table of contents (mandatory for nonfiction, optional for fiction).
- Foreword (by someone other than the author, if applicable).
- Preface (by the author, explaining context).
- Acknowledgments (optional in fiction, common in nonfiction).
Chapter iii·Example
A self-publishing author’s front matter for her 80,000-word novel: title page (1), copyright (1), dedication (1), table of contents for ebook readers (1). Four pages total, lowercase Roman numerals i-iv. Vellum generates it automatically; she reviews once before publication.
Chapter iv·Related questions
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