Front Matter: Prologue, Preface, Introduction, and Foreword
All four—prologue, preface, introduction, and foreword—go at the beginning of the book (all but the introduction are front matter), but what’s the difference? How do you know which one to use?
Prologue
A prologue is normally used in fiction. It is often written by a character in the book and reads like a short story. It can be used to help the reader understand the history of the setting or characters. The reason it isn’t part of the body of text is because it doesn’t fit with the timeline of the rest of the book. It’s like a “catch-up” for the reader.
If Star Wars were a book, the rolling words at the beginning of every movie would be the prologue.
Prologues pair nicely with epilogues, but it’s not necessary to include both.
Preface
A preface is normally used in nonfiction books. It is written by the author and often about the book (not the topic). These can include why the author wrote the book, how they are qualified, or anything else about the book writing process.
Introduction
An introduction is more commonly found in nonfiction than fiction, although it could be used for either genre. In both, the author writes to give background or context about the topic, sometimes summarizing the main argument.
The introduction is actually considered part of the body of the book. These pages are numbered with Arabic numerals rather than Roman.
Foreword
A foreword (like “word before”) is written by someone other than the author. This person should be recognized as an expert who is knowledgeable in the subject matter. This is written to praise and give credibility to the author and the book. It can also be used as a marketing tool, because although the author may not be well known, the foreword writer likely is.
If you want a foreword at the end of the book, try an “afterword.”
To learn more about other front matter, check out this post! To learn more about back matter, check out this post!
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