The Back Matter: A Breakdown

The “back matter” or end matter of a book is the pages or sections that follow the end of your main content.  These pages can include, the epilogue, afterword, about the author, index, appendix, glossary, and bibliography.  You may choose not to include any of these pages in the back of your book, depending on the genre and content.  It’s your book, so it’s up to you!

Here’s a breakdown of the standard information found on each page:

Epilogue

This page is written by the author as the narrator or character from the book to bring closure to the story.  

Afterword

The afterword is written by the author and wraps up anything else they wish to share about the development of the book.  If most of this is explained in the foreword in the front matter, then you may choose to not include an afterword.

About the Author

This page may appear in other parts of your book, but is commonly placed in the back matter, on the back cover, or on a dust jacket flap.  The about the author section may include an author photo and a brief bio. This would be a good page to include an “also by” section that lists any other books you have written that the reader can discover and purchase.

The following pages are most common in non-fiction books, and would appear in the back matter:

Index

An index includes a list of terms with corresponding page numbers that were referenced in the contents of your book.

Appendix

This page provides supplemental information to certain parts of your book that may have required updating or more elaboration to explain any inconsistencies.

Glossary: Here you would find a list of definitions that are important to your book, such as places or characters.  The definitions are often alphabetized.

Bibliography

This page cites any works you may have used to aid in your research for your content.

A common question we get asked is how to send us the back matter pages.  These pages should be included in your final PDF of the inside pages, as they are part of your complete book.  They should be positioned in the order you want them printed.  

Need help getting started? Here is a link to our free book templates, which automate some of the set-up and formatting tasks you may need to start the process!