Photo credit: Dean Hochman, CC BY 2.0.

What Belongs In Your Book’s Back Matter?

Your story may be done, but your book isn’t over yet.

Q: When is the last page of your book not the last page of your book?

A: When you haven’t added the back matter.

Every book needs back matter, whether it’s a single “about the author” paragraph that ends with a link to a website and a mailing list, or a five-page timeline detailing the major events of the Interstellar War. Your back matter has three purposes:

1. To help readers contextualize what they just read. (How did the Interstellar War get started… and what’s going to happen in the next book?)
2. To invite readers to take action by reviewing your book, joining your mailing list, or visiting your website. (This is how you turn readers into fans.)
3. To share information about yourself and your contributors. (“I’d like to thank my editor…”)

Your back matter can include any or all of the following:

• A teaser chapter for your next book. Get readers hooked on your series by giving them a taste of what’s coming.
• An invitation to join your mailing list. That way, readers will know when—and how—to buy the next book in the series.

Yes, Your Mailing List Is Important

• An invitation to review the book. You can put this on the same page as the mailing list invitation. Something like “If you enjoyed this book, don’t forget to review it on Amazon and Goodreads—and sign up for the mailing list to get exclusive updates and series news.”
• Appendices/glossaries/indices. If you are writing non-fiction—or if you’re writing certain types of SF&F or historical fiction—your back matter might include an appendix, glossary, or index.
• Acknowledgements. This is where you thank your editors, your designers, your beta readers, your family, your friends, that inspirational teacher you had in fifth grade… wow, you have a lot of people who helped make this book possible.
• About the author. Everyone wants to know what authors are really like.

Adding back matter is just one more way of making your book—and you—look professional. It’s as important as having a copyright page and a dedication in the front of your book. Yes, you could probably sell your book without back matter, but adding the appropriate back matter to your book will help you sell the next one.

Use the IBPA Industry Standards Checklist to Ensure Your Self-Published Book Looks Professional

So don’t forget your back matter—and don’t put it off until the last minute. Remember that even though the narrative of your book has ended, you’re still telling your readers a story: the story of what’s coming next, the story of how to follow you, and the story of why they should read more.

Nicole Dieker is a freelance writer, a senior editor at The Billfold, and a columnist at The Write Life. Her debut novel, The Biographies of Ordinary People, published in May 2017; you can follow her on Twitter @hellothefuture.