Foreword vs preface vs introduction vs prologue: what each one is and which your book needs

The four at a glance

The order comes from The Chicago Manual of Style, the University of Chicago Press's guide that most US book publishers follow. Its chapter on the parts of a book lists the front matter in this order:

1. Praise pages, half title, series title, frontispiece and title page
2. Copyright page
3. Dedication and epigraph
4. Table of contents, and any list of illustrations or tables
5. Foreword
6. Preface and acknowledgments
7. Introduction, when it belongs to the front matter
8. Other front matter, such as a list of abbreviations

Chicago also lists an introduction that belongs to the main text, under its text divisions, along with the conclusion and the epilogue or afterword. A prologue is not on its front matter list; when a book has one, it sits right before chapter one.

Foreword: someone else vouches for you

A foreword (not "forward") is written by someone other than the author, and their name usually appears with it: "Foreword by Jane Smith." The Scribe Method gives it two jobs, and says to skip it if it does neither:

• Credibility. A respected person in your field tells the reader you are worth taking seriously.
• Context. Someone else explains why the book matters and says kind things about you that you could not say yourself without sounding self-promotional.

Its advice on who should write it: someone you already have a personal relationship with, who respects your work. If you would not put "Foreword by [name]" on your cover, ask that person for a short endorsement (a blurb) instead. And ask in person or by phone; a foreword is a personal favor.

How long: rarely more than 500 words, according to The Scribe Method. The foreword writer does not have to read the whole manuscript, since a foreword is about you and the topic.

How to make it easy for them. Busy people put off forewords because they are not sure what to say. Two ways around that, both from The Scribe Method:

1. A letter to the reader. Ask for about 500 words, written as a letter telling readers why they should read the book.
2. An interview. Ask them five questions, transcribe the answers, draft the foreword from them, and send it back for their approval. The questions: Who is the author? What makes them remarkable in their field? Why is this book important? What does the reader need to know about this topic? Why should the reader care about this book?

Get approval for every change you make to their words, and start early. Waiting on a foreword is a common way to push back a launch date.

Preface: your note on how the book came to be

A preface is written by the author, about the book rather than its subject: why you wrote it, what prompted it, how you researched it, and sometimes who helped. In Chicago's list, the preface and acknowledgments share a slot, and many prefaces end with thanks.

Most nonfiction books do without one. Write a preface only when the circumstances of the book are worth a page and do not belong in the argument. Good reasons:

• A new edition, and readers need to know what changed.
• An unusual method, such as a book built from hundreds of interviews or one client's records, used with permission.
• A personal reason for writing that matters to the reader but would slow down your introduction.

Keep it to a page or two. A simple shape, which we wrote for this guide:

Why this book exists: [the moment or question that started it]
How it was made: [interviews, research, years of client work]
What is new (new editions only): [what changed and why]
Thanks (optional, or move to acknowledgments): [a few names]

Introduction: the start of your argument

The introduction is the one most nonfiction books need. It is written by the author and it is about the reader: the problem they have, what the book promises, why you are the one to write it, and how the book is laid out. Its only job is to get the reader to start chapter one.

If your book has a preface and an introduction, the difference should be obvious: the preface is about the book, the introduction is about the reader. If they say the same thing, cut the preface.

For how to write one, with a structure and examples, read how to write a book introduction.

Prologue: a scene before the story starts

A prologue opens the book with a scene, often from the middle or end of the story, that the rest of the book explains: the night the company nearly failed, the diagnosis, the phone call. It is common in memoir and narrative nonfiction. In a how-to or business book it is rare, because readers came for the method and a prologue makes them wait for it.

If you want to open with a story in a practical book, open the introduction with it instead. You get the same hook without an extra section to skip.

How to write a prologue

For six short examples by type, see prologue examples.

1. Pick one moment, not a summary. Choose a single scene with a time and a place: the hospital corridor, the board meeting, the morning you left. A prologue that summarizes your life is an introduction in the wrong place.
2. Choose a moment the book will explain. The best prologues raise a question the reader can only answer by reading on: how did it come to this, and what happened next?
3. Start inside the action. Open as close to the turning point as you can, with what you saw, heard and did, and leave out the background. The chapters will supply it.
4. Keep it short. A few pages is usually enough. The prologue is a hook, and every extra page delays chapter one.
5. Pay it off. Return to the moment later in the book, so the reader sees how it fits. If the book never comes back to it, cut it.
6. Test it by removing it. Read the book starting at chapter one. If nothing is lost, the prologue is not needed.

At the other end of the book, an epilogue or afterword follows the last chapter. Chicago lists it with the conclusion among the text divisions. An epilogue usually tells what happened next; an afterword is often a later note from the author or someone else.

Which ones does your book need?

• Introduction: yes, almost always.
• Foreword: only if someone whose name adds real standing will write it, and you would put their name on the cover. If you are unsure, skip it.
• Preface: only for a new edition, an unusual method, or a personal reason that would clutter the introduction.
• Prologue: only if the book is driven by a story and the opening scene is strong enough to carry the reader into chapter one.

For a typical business, leadership or how-to book, that means an introduction, and possibly a foreword. The rest of the front and back matter, from the dedication to the author bio, is covered in Stage 9: the introduction, the conclusion and the parts around your book.

Further reading

The Scribe Method, Scribe's free book on writing and publishing, has a chapter on how to write your book foreword, including the interview questions above.