What should the first sentence of a book introduction be?

Something only your book could open with: a moment from a story, a fact the reader did not know, a question they have asked themselves, an admission, or a scene. Avoid openings that could start any book, such as "In today's world" or a dictionary definition. If the first line could be swapped into a competitor's book, rewrite it.

Should I write the introduction before or after the rest of the book?

Draft a rough version early if it helps you start, then rewrite it after the manuscript is revised. The introduction makes promises about what the book delivers, and you only know what it delivers once the chapters are done.

Is an introduction the same as a preface?

No. A preface is the author's short note on why or how the book came to be, and it sits in the front matter. An introduction is part of the argument: it sets up the reader's problem and what the book will do about it. Many nonfiction books have an introduction and no preface.

Should a nonfiction introduction summarize every chapter?

No. A short preview of the path, often a few lines on each part, helps the reader see where they are going. A chapter-by-chapter summary gives away the content and tells the reader they can stop. The Scribe Method lists summarizing the whole book as the first mistake to avoid.

Can I tell my own story in the introduction?

Yes, as long as it explains why the reader should trust you on this subject. Keep the parts of your story that earned you the knowledge in the book, and move the rest to the chapters where it teaches something, or leave it out.

How to Write a Book Introduction, With Examples and a Template

Stage 9 of this guide covers the introduction in one table. This page goes deeper.

The job of an introduction

Your introduction has two readers, and they arrive at different moments.

The browser. Someone holding the book in a store, or reading the free sample on a retailer page, where the first pages are usually what they see. They are asking, "Is this for me, and is it worth my time?"
The buyer. Someone who already owns the book and is deciding whether to give it an evening. Owning a book is not the same as reading it. They are asking, "Should I keep going?"

Both want the same proof: you understand their problem, the book will help, and you are the right person to say so. As The Scribe Method notes, readers worry less about a book's price than about its time. The introduction is the case for spending those hours, not a summary of them.

The six parts, in order

Strong nonfiction introductions move through these parts in roughly this order, sometimes combining two in one passage.

The hook
One opening line, and the paragraph or page after it, that makes the reader want the next sentence. It must be specific: if the first line could open a competitor's book, it is not a hook yet.
The problem, in the reader's words
Describe the reader's situation the way they would tell a friend, not the way an expert would label it. A reader who thinks "I work sixty hours a week and am still underpaid" will not recognize "suboptimal pricing architecture." If you interviewed readers while testing your idea, reuse their phrases. Where you can, show the problem through one short story.
The promise
Say what will be different for the reader after the book, concretely. "You will have a pricing conversation you are not afraid of" beats "you will transform your business." Promise only what the chapters deliver.
Why you
A short account of how you came to know this: the experience, the work, the mistakes. Include only what earns trust on this subject; the rest of your story can wait for the chapters where it teaches something.
What the book covers
A preview of the path, not a summary of the content. Name the parts and what each gives the reader, and stop before the answers. If someone could act on your preview alone, you have given away too much.
How to read it
Straight through or jump to what they need; where the worksheets are; who the book is for and who it is not for. End with a line that leads into chapter one.

Preface, foreword or introduction?

A foreword is written by someone else, usually a person whose name vouches for you or the book. A preface is the author's short note on why or how the book came to be: the circumstances, not the argument. The introduction is part of the book's argument; it sets up the reader's problem and what the book will do about it. The Chicago Manual of Style treats the three as separate front matter parts in its chapter on books and journals, and notes that an introduction can belong either to the front matter or to the main text. If a preface tempts you, check whether it belongs in the "why you" part instead.

How long should it be?

We could not find a reliable source that gives a word count for nonfiction introductions, so we will not invent one. The Scribe Method lists "being too long or overly explanatory" among the mistakes to avoid. Once every part above has done its job, stop.

Six example openings, one per hook type

Every opening below was written by Scribe Media for this page, for an invented book. None is quoted from a real book.

Story hook (an example we wrote)
For a fictional book on first-time management, The Quiet Promotion.

"On a Tuesday in March, my manager called me into her office, told me I was now running the team I had sat on for four years, and left for a two-week vacation. By Thursday, my best friend at work had stopped eating lunch with me. Nobody had told me that was part of the job."

Why it works: a specific day, a specific loss, and a last line that names the reader's fear before they can.

Surprising fact hook (an example we wrote)
For a fictional book on succession planning for family firms, Who Runs It Next.

"[A sourced figure on how many family businesses do not survive into the next generation.] Most of those owners did not fail at business. They failed at one conversation, and they put it off until it was too late to have it well."

Why it works: the fact is the shock, and the next line turns it into something the reader can control. In a real book, the bracket must be a number from a source you checked and cite in your notes. We left it as a placeholder rather than invent one.

Question hook (an example we wrote)
For a fictional book on pricing for independent consultants, Charge for the Outcome.

"When was the last time you quoted a price and felt good about it the next morning? If you had to think about it, this book is for you."

Why it works: the reader answers it silently, and the answer qualifies them as the audience.

Confession hook (an example we wrote)
For a fictional book on leading through a company crisis, After the Bad Quarter.

"I laid off forty-one people over a video call, and I read the announcement from a script my lawyer wrote. I have regretted the script ever since. This book is everything I wish I had known the week before that call."

Why it works: an admission builds trust faster than a credential, and it shows the author paid for the lesson.

Scene hook (an example we wrote)
For a fictional book on safety culture in construction, Nobody Gets Hurt Today.

"It is 6:40 in the morning and the crane is already turning. Thirty people stand in a loose half circle on wet gravel, holding coffee, half listening to a safety talk they have heard a hundred times. One of them will be in an ambulance by noon."

Why it works: present tense puts the reader on the site, and the last sentence makes the routine feel dangerous.

Bold claim hook (an example we wrote)
For a fictional book on hiring for small firms, Hire Slower.

"Your job interviews are not telling you who to hire. They are telling you who interviews well. Those are different people, and most small firms find that out on payroll."

Why it works: it contradicts something the reader does every month, then makes the cost concrete. Make a claim like this only if your chapters back it up.

A full worked example: one introduction, outlined

Here is a complete introduction outline for the fictional Charge for the Outcome, written by Scribe Media for this page. The author, Maya, is an invented independent operations consultant.

Worked example outline (an example we wrote)

Hook (question): "When was the last time you quoted a price and felt good about it the next morning?"
Problem, in the reader's words: A short story about a consultant who quoted $8,000 for a project that saved the client a full-time hire, then spent the weekend wondering if she had asked for too much. Name the feelings readers use: "I always round down," "I hate talking about money," "I am booked solid and still not making enough."
Promise: By the end of the book, the reader will be able to price one new project by the result it creates for the client, and explain that price on a call without apologizing for it.
Why Maya: Two paragraphs. Twelve years running operations for manufacturers, then six years as a consultant who undercharged for the first three. The turning point: a client who told her the project was worth ten times her fee. Nothing else from her career makes the cut.
What the book covers: Three parts, one line each. Part one: why hourly pricing caps your income and your client's trust. Part two: how to find and measure the outcome a client is buying. Part three: how to quote, defend and raise a price. No answers given.
How to read it: Read part one straight through; skip to part three if you have a proposal due this week. Each chapter ends with one worksheet. The book is for solo consultants and small firms, not for agencies billing large teams by the hour.
Turn the page: "Before we change your price, we need to look at what your current one is really telling clients. That starts with an invoice I sent in 2019."

Notice what is missing: Maya's degrees, her childhood, a definition of consulting and the pricing method itself.

A fill-in template

Template

Hook: [One line: a moment, a sourced fact, a question, an admission, a scene or a claim that only this book could open with.]

Problem: If you are [who the reader is], you know [their situation, in their words]. [A short story of someone living it.]

Promise: By the end of this book, you will be able to [one concrete result the chapters deliver].

Why me: I learned this [how: the work, the years, the mistake]. [One proof point you can stand behind.]

What is ahead: In part one, [what the reader will understand]. In part two, [what they will be able to do]. In part three, [where they will end up].

How to read it: [Straight through, or where to jump.] This book is for [reader]; it is not for [who it is not for].

Turn the page: [A line that leads straight into chapter one.]

Fill it in quickly, then rewrite every line in your own voice.

Mistakes that lose readers

Throat-clearing. "In today's fast-paced world," a dictionary definition, or three paragraphs on how the book came about before anything happens. Cut everything before your real first line.
The full life story. The reader needs to know why to trust you on this subject, not where you grew up. The Scribe Method warns against turning the introduction into an autobiography.
Apologizing. "I am not a professional writer," "there are many books on this already," "this is just my opinion." Each asks the reader to expect less.
Giving away nothing. Vague promises ("this book will change how you think") with no specific problem, result or path. The browser cannot tell if the book is for them.
Giving away everything. A chapter-by-chapter summary with the answers attached. The reader feels they got the book in ten pages and stops.
Promising more than the book delivers. Every promise in the introduction is checked at the conclusion. Cut any your chapters do not keep.

When to write it

Usually last, at least in its final form: you cannot promise what the book delivers until you know what it delivers. A workable sequence:

While outlining: write a rough introduction, a page or less, to pin down the reader, the problem and the promise.
While drafting: leave it alone, but note hook ideas as you write the first draft.
After revision: rewrite it against the finished chapters (see revising your draft), checking every promise against a chapter that keeps it.
Last check: ask someone who fits your reader to read only the introduction. Do they want chapter one?

How to write a book introduction, with example openings and a template

The job of an introduction

The six parts, in order

The hook

The problem, in the reader's words

The promise

Why you

What the book covers

How to read it