The Anatomy of a Paperback
Don’t worry this isn’t a science lesson!!
The make-up of a book is more complex than most people realise so this musing is quite lengthy. A book's structure is how information is presented to the reader – not the content/plot (story, characters, settings, etc.) – it is purely how the book is physically organised.
In simple terms, a book comprises the front matter, book block, and back matter. The book block is the most significant portion, while the front and back matter are the non-story pages. Each part contains certain information and should be positioned in a particular order. Understanding the parts of a book should help any author format their book for their editor or publisher.
The cover
A paperback cover is quite simple and is made of a thicker paper stock than the inner pages. The cover comprises:
Front cover
Spine
Back cover
Front cover
The front cover needs to entice a reader to purchase it. So the front cover design needs colour, typography, and imagery that align with an author’s brand and the book’s message. The book needs to stand out.
The cover will include an image/design, book title, and author’s name. The image may wrap around the spine and back cover. When viewing the cover PDF, the front cover is on the right side.
Spine
The spine width must match the width of your book block and is centred in the cover PDF; the size can only be confirmed when the page count and paper stock are finalised. If there is space for text on the spine, it will include the book title and author’s name.
Back cover
The back cover will include a synopsis of the book (a pitch) that makes someone buy it. This description is a chance to give some details about the story… but not too much. There may also be a photo of the author, an ISBN barcode, logos, a QR code etc. When viewing the cover PDF, the back cover is on the left side.
The book description should include:
A ‘hook’ to grab a reader’s attention.
A ‘connection’
For non-fiction, this should address a pain point the book aims to solve.
For fiction, this may detail the main character’s problem or hint at the main plot.
The ‘bait’ should hint at how much more there is inside!
The book Block
Generally, the book Block (interior pages) is divided into these sections:
Front matter
Body/Contents/Story
Back matter
The front and back matter are often the final sections of the book to be pulled together and include important information a reader may not need but should be available.
Front matter
The front matter primarily provides specifics related to the body and appears before the actual content.
Looking at each section in a little more detail…
Title page
A book must have a title page but there are some variations:
A title page with the title and subtitle of the book and the author's name as it appears on your book cover. The publisher’s name may also appear on a full title page. The title page is always a right-hand page.
A half-title page with only the book title – not the author or publisher. It may also omit the subtitle and have a different typeface to that on the cover.
There may also be a frontispiece – an illustration on the left-hand page facing the title page.
Copyright page
Whether following the traditional or self-publishing route, creating an eBook, or a paper/hardback book on Amazon, a book must have a copyright page; it helps protect your writing from plagiarism. This page contains information that helps protect the intellectual property of the book.
The copyright page may contain:
Copyright notices
Legal notices
Book edition, with dates and versions
Publisher information
Disclaimers
Typefaces
Printing history
ISBN
Dedications/Acknowledgements
Many authors like to dedicate a book to someone special who has been influential in their life or made the book possible. However, this can also be more abstract and fun like giving thanks to the most comfortable armchair where all the ideas for a book came from!
The acknowledgements page is where you would give special thanks to those who helped along the way. This is an optional page and can be put in the back matter.
Contents list
A contents list is useful for readers and standard for most books, but it is optional, especially for a fiction book. After all, imagine you have written a thriller or murder mystery… your chapter titles may give clues to the plot/storyline, so a contents list in this situation may be a ‘spoiler’!
A Contents list is essential in a non-fiction book.
Foreword
A foreword is written by somebody other than the author. Non-fiction, particularly self-help or other kinds of uplifting books, often have forewords that provide a unique perspective into the book by someone knowledgeable/respected in the field.
Preface or Introduction
Written by the author, a preface or introduction can be used to inform the reader about the inspiration for the book.
Body
The content is the main part of the book, in a fiction book this is the plot, and in non-fiction, it is the information. While a book’s body is the largest proportion of the book, it has fewer components than the front or back matter:
Prologue/Introduction
Chapters/Main text
Epilogue/Conclusion
Prologue/Introduction
A prologue is optional but may be useful for the plot of a fiction book; the non-fiction version of a prologue is the introduction.
A prologue can be included to pique the reader's interest, providing a hint of what's to come, establishing the context and giving background details, often of some earlier story that ties into the main one.
Chapters/Main text
Most books have chapters – though they can be called parts or sections. Chapters divide the text block into more consumable bits. We all like to take a reading break at the end of a chapter rather than midway through!
Some books can be subdivided into parts with each part having chapters. A chapter can be short or long. The important thing is that it fully addresses the scene and doesn't lose the reader’s interest.
Epilogue/Conclusion
An epilogue comes at the end of the body. Some consider an epilogue as the final chapter but it can provide a short story after the main narrative. Epilogues can be used to answer a question or if a sequel is planned to pique interest in the next book. In a non-fiction book, there would be a conclusion.
Back matter
The back matter is positioned at the end of the book, contains non-story elements, and can be used to encourage readers to engage further after they’ve finished the book.
Looking at each section in a little more detail…
Afterword
An afterword is where an author (or someone else) reaches out to the reader — it is often where they may explain more about the writing process.
Acknowledgements See earlier.
Appendix or Addendum
An appendix provides extra details and information about the story and is used most often in fiction. An addendum is additional material in a subsequent printing or new edition and is more often found in non-fiction.
Appendices and addenda often contain figures, tables, photos and illustrations.
Appendices can also include several other parts of a book, including but not limited to:
Glossary: an in-book dictionary (in alphabetical order) defining words used in the main text.
Index: a list of terms and keywords (in alphabetical order) used in the book and page numbers telling readers where to find them in the body text.
Chronology: a timeline of pertinent events in the book or the real world.
Endnotes
Endnotes are, effectively, footnotes positioned in the back matter rather than at the bottom of the page where they are first mentioned.
Bibliography
A bibliography is the same as a reference list. If external sources are used to write a book, an author legally has to include a bibliography.
About the Author
This is often called the ‘Author Bio’ and is self-explanatory… but what should be included? This copy can include who the author is, where they are from, their hobbies and interests, what they care about, their inspiration for the book, and how they got started as a writer. It is up to the author how personal they want this section to be.
If others have contributed to the book, a ‘list of contributors’ can be included in this section.
Promotional material
This section is a simple marketing tool. If an author has the next book underway an image of it – images always catch the eye – or even an excerpt can encourage readers to purchase it or join a mailing list to be kept informed on when it is launched.
Other books by the Author
If an author has written other books it is a great idea to include a list of their publications, with full publishing details and even a QR code to where to purchase a copy.
Contact details
If an author wants to encourage engagement then a call to connect is a good idea, whether this is links to social media pages, signing up for a newsletter, or a link to an author's website. Using images in this section can also be very effective, especially on the About the Author page.
I hope this helps xx
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