Front Matter and Back Matter for Ebooks: What to Include

Your ebook's front matter and back matter are invisible to most readers—until they're wrong. Then they become the difference between a professional book and an amateur self-pub.

The problem: There's no universal standard. Amazon doesn't care what's in your back matter. Apple Books has stricter rules. Kobo has different expectations again. Most authors end up either:

• Overloading front matter with 10+ pages of introductory content before Chapter 1
• Leaving back matter completely blank (losing reader engagement opportunities)
• Including links that trigger retailer rejections
• Using the same back matter everywhere without customization

Here's what actually works.

What Is Front Matter?

Front matter is everything that appears before Chapter 1. It's the reader's first impression after they click "buy." Too much and they bounce. Too little and the book feels incomplete. The trick is knowing which sections serve readers vs. which ones just slow down the experience.

The standard front matter sections:

• Title Page — Book title, subtitle, author name. Always required.
• Copyright Page — Publication year, ISBN (if you have one), copyright notice, legal disclaimers. Required on most platforms.
• Dedication — "To my spouse" or "For Dad." Optional but common. 1-2 pages max.
• Epigraph — A quote that sets the tone. Optional. Usually 1 page.
• Table of Contents — Required for most ebook platforms. Readers use this for navigation.
• Foreword — Written by someone else (usually an authority in your field). Optional, adds credibility.
• Preface — Your personal note to readers about why you wrote the book. Optional, 2-5 pages.
• Introduction — Context and scope. Many authors include this, but be careful—it's easy to overexplain.

What Is Back Matter?

Back matter is everything after the final chapter. This is your last chance to keep the reader engaged—many readers read the About the Author section immediately after finishing. It's also where you collect email addresses, drive traffic to your next book, and ask for reviews. Done right, back matter keeps readers in your ecosystem. Done wrong, it feels pushy or spammy.

The standard back matter sections:

• Acknowledgments — Thank editors, beta readers, your family. Optional, 1-3 pages. Readers often skip this, but it's nice to include.
• About the Author — Bio, photo, social links. Important. 1-2 pages. Many readers read this right after finishing.
• Also by This Author — Your other books. Essential for building a readership. This is free marketing.
• Bonus Content — Sample of your next book, downloadable checklist, exclusive story. Optional but powerful for engagement.
• Newsletter Signup — "Join my mailing list for exclusive content." Many successful authors lead with this.
• Call to Review — "If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review on Amazon." Direct but effective.
• Website and Social Links — Where readers can follow you. Keep it clean: maybe 3-4 links max.

The Minimal Setup (Recommended for Most Authors)

Front matter (minimal):

• Title page
• Copyright page
• Table of contents

This gets out of the way and lets readers get to Chapter 1 quickly. Professional, clean, zero friction.

Back matter (minimal):

• About the author (with photo if you have one)
• Also by / Next book CTA
• Newsletter or website link

This setup is professional, easy for readers to navigate, and captures reader engagement without feeling pushy.

The Standard Setup (Better for Building an Audience)

If you want to maximize reader engagement:

Front matter:

• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication (if meaningful)
• Table of contents

Back matter:

• Call to review
• About the author (with photo)
• Also by this author (or "Next in series")
• Bonus content offer or sample chapter
• Newsletter signup
• Website + social links

This gives you multiple opportunities to keep readers engaged after they finish. Many successful indie authors use this structure.

Genre-Specific Considerations

Fiction (Romance, Thriller, Fantasy):

Keep front matter minimal. Readers want to dive into the story, not wade through pages of preamble. A tight "Also by" section in back matter works well because fans of your first book want to know what's next.

Nonfiction (How-to, Self-Help, Business):

A brief foreword or introduction can add credibility. Back matter should include resources, further reading, or a bonus section that extends the value. Many nonfiction readers want to go deeper.

Short Story Collections:

A table of contents is essential (readers want to know what's included). Back matter should highlight other collections you've published.

Platform-Specific Rules (Critical)

This is where most authors get burned. Each platform has different rules about links and content.

Amazon KDP: Allows most content. BUT: If your back matter mentions "available on Apple Books and Kobo," Amazon may flag it as "promotional content for competitors" and reject the upload. You need separate Amazon-specific versions if you're going wide.

Apple Books: Stricter. Excessive links, aggressive upsells, or anything that feels like spam gets rejected. Keep back matter professional and brief.

Kobo: Generally permissive but has similar issues to Apple if you're too promotional about competitors.

This is why many successful wide-publishing authors maintain separate retailer-specific EPUB versions. Same book, different back matter for each platform.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Overloading front matter. More than 20-30 pages before Chapter 1 and readers bounce. Keep it brief.
• Dead or outdated links in back matter. If you include a website link, test it. Readers will click and judge you on it.
• Forgetting to update "also by" lists. If you've published 3 new books since this one, update the list.
• Including competitor links on Amazon. This triggers rejections. Use platform-specific versions instead.
• Being too aggressive with CTAs. "Please buy my next book!" feels pushy. "If you enjoyed this, check out X" is better.
• Inconsistent formatting between front/back matter and chapters. Your About page should look like the rest of the book.

How to Decide What to Include

Use this framework:

For front matter, ask: Does the reader NEED this before Chapter 1? A dedication? Probably not. A table of contents? Yes. A 10-page introduction? Only if it's truly essential.

For back matter, ask: Does this serve the reader or just me? A "buy my other books" section serves both. A 5-paragraph bio serves the reader's curiosity. A dozen links to social profiles serves only you—cut it to 3-4 max.

The reader first rule: If your front/back matter prioritizes reader experience over your promotional goals, you'll look professional. If it's bloated with sales pitches, you'll look like an amateur.

The Bottom Line

Most indie authors get this wrong because there's no standard. But after formatting hundreds of books, the pattern is clear: minimal front matter + strategic back matter = professional results across all platforms.

If you're publishing to multiple retailers, you may need customized versions of back matter anyway (especially Amazon vs everyone else). This is normal and worth the effort—it prevents rejections and keeps your branding consistent.