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Internal Structure of a Book

by Ron Kurtus (revised 30 May 2016)

In most cases, the internal structure of a book is laid out in a specific sequence. In self-publishing, it is important to follow the standard, accepted structure for your book.

The major divisions of a book are the front matter, body matter and back matter. The front matter usually consists of half title, title, copyright and dedication pages, as well as the table of contents, forward, preface, introduction and prologue. The body consists of parts, chapters and sections. The back matter has different items for fiction and non-fiction.

Questions you may have include:

This lesson will answer those questions.



Front matter

The front matter of a book typically consists of number of subdivisions, which may be single pages or a series of pages. Fiction and nonfiction front matter are usually similar. Some material may be excluded in e-books.

The following front matter pages are required:

The following front matter pages are optional:

(See Front Matter of a Book for more information.)

Body matter

Although the body matter is the largest division of a book, it also has the simplest structure. A book can be divided into parts, chapters, sections and often sub-sections.

Parts

The part of a book consists of related chapters. The designation of the part may be a single page or several pages. Often the page lists the chapters to follow. Parts are usually numbered.

Chapters

Chapters are at least several pages long and can be quite long. They consist of material on a single topic. In fiction, a chapter may be one event or one point of view in the action.

Each chapter can be divided into sections.

Sections

Sections are subdivisions of chapters. Each section can even be divided into subsections.

Back matter

The back matter is usually different in fiction as compared to non-fiction.

(See Back Matter of a Book for more information.)

Fiction back matter

Items in the back matter of a fiction work include:

Non-fiction back matter

Non-fiction back matter can include a number of items. They are listed below in the order seen in the book.

Summary

The structure of a book consists of the front matter, body matter and back matter. The front matter usually consists of half title, title, copyright and dedication pages, as well as the table of contents, forward, preface, introduction and prologue. The body consists of parts, chapters and sections. The back matter has different items for fiction and non-fiction.


Be logical in your approach


Resources and references

Ron Kurtus' Credentials

Websites

Book design - Wikipedia

Self-Publishing Basics: An Unabridged List of the Parts of a Book - TheBookDesigner.com

Publishing Resources

Books

Top-rated books on Self-Publishing


Questions and comments

Do you have any questions, comments, or opinions on this subject? If so, send an email with your feedback. I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.


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Internal Structure of a Book




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