Back Matter Order: What Comes After "The End"

Back matter is everything that follows the last line of your story or final chapter, and it has a settled order: acknowledgments (if not placed up front), an afterword or epilogue-adjacent notes, appendices, a glossary, notes, a bibliography, an index, then the reader-facing pages, about the author, an also-by list, and a short preview of your next book. Nothing here is strictly required, but each page earns its place, and the last few are quietly the most valuable marketing real estate in the whole book.

Readers who reach your final page are your warmest possible audience. They finished. They liked it enough to keep turning. What you put in front of them next decides whether that goodwill turns into a second sale or simply ends. The back matter is where a book stops being a story and starts being a small, well-run business. Here is the conventional sequence, what each element does, and how to make the closing pages work for you.

The back matter, in order

As with front matter, think of this as a set of slots. Use the ones your book needs, in this sequence, and leave the rest out.

1. Epilogue. In fiction, a closing scene set after the main action. It belongs with the story, so many designers treat it as the true end of the body rather than back matter.
2. Afterword or postscript. The author steps out to reflect on the work, its reception, or a later development.
3. Acknowledgments. Your thanks to editors, beta readers, and family. This can live in the front matter instead, and in fiction it very often moves to the back so the story starts sooner.
4. Appendices. Supporting material too bulky for the body: worksheets, tables, sample documents.
5. Glossary. Definitions of terms, common in nonfiction and in fantasy or science fiction with invented vocabulary.
6. Notes. Endnotes gathered by chapter, if you use them.
7. Bibliography or references. Your sources, expected in serious nonfiction.
8. Index. An alphabetical guide to topics and page numbers, expected in reference nonfiction.
9. About the author. A short bio, ideally with a photo and a link to your website or newsletter.
10. Also by this author. A clean list of your other titles.
11. Preview or excerpt. The first chapter of your next book, or the next in the series.

Most novels use only the last few: acknowledgments, about the author, also-by, and a preview. Most nonfiction adds the reference apparatus in the middle. Both are correct. The order simply keeps the scholarly material together and the reader-facing pages last, where a satisfied reader will actually see them.

Acknowledgments: front or back?

Either placement is professional. In nonfiction, acknowledgments often sit in the front matter, near the preface, because they read as part of the book's framing. In fiction, they almost always move to the back so nothing delays the opening scene. Pick one home and be consistent. If your book has both a foreword by someone else and your own thank-yous, keeping the personal acknowledgments in the back is the cleaner choice.

About the author: the page that builds a career

The about-the-author page does more than list credentials. It is where a reader who just fell for your writing goes looking for a way to stay connected. Keep the bio short and warm, written in third person, and end it with one concrete next step: your website, your newsletter signup, or your social handle. A photo helps readers feel they know you. This single page, done well, is how one-time readers become subscribers who buy every book you release.

The also-by page: your best backlist marketing

If you write more than one book, the also-by page is the highest-leverage page you will ever lay out. A reader on this page has proven they enjoy your work and are holding your book at the exact moment they might want another. That is a marketing opportunity most businesses would pay dearly for, and it is free.

Make it easy to act on. List your other titles cleanly, grouped by series if you have one, with series reading order made obvious. In the ebook, link each title straight to its store page so a curious reader is one tap from buying. In print, a tidy list with series names does the same job at a slower pace. Keep the design calm and consistent with the rest of the book so it reads as a natural closing page, not an advertisement. Our professionally designed book interior templates include styled pages for exactly these closing sections, so your also-by and about-the-author pages match the typography of the story they follow.

Preview chapters: the soft close

Ending with the first chapter of your next book, or the next book in the series, turns "The End" into "what's next." Label it clearly so readers know they have finished the main story, give the excerpt its own opening page, and close with a line pointing to where the full book is available. In a series especially, this is the single most effective conversion tool you have, because momentum is on your side.

What readers expect

Readers absorb this order without naming it. They expect the story to end, then a brief thank-you, then a way to find you and your other work. When those pieces appear in the wrong order, or when an index lands after the about-the-author page, the book feels slightly out of tune even to people who could not explain why. Following the convention is not about rigidity. It is about meeting an expectation your reader already has, so the closing pages feel like a natural landing rather than a scramble.

If assembling all of this by hand feels like a lot, our sister service can build it for you. Cantos, the book-design AI from our team, will format your whole book, back matter included, from your manuscript, with a free preview of your own pages and no credit card. Many authors, though, will find that a good template and the order above are all they need.

Frequently asked questions

What order does back matter go in?

Epilogue or afterword first, then acknowledgments (if placed in the back), appendices, glossary, notes, bibliography, and index, followed by the reader-facing pages: about the author, also by this author, and a preview of your next book. Use only the pieces your book needs, and keep them in this sequence.

Should acknowledgments go in the front or the back of a book?

Both are correct. Nonfiction often places them in the front matter near the preface, while fiction usually moves them to the back so the story can start sooner. Choose one placement and stay consistent throughout the book.

Why is the also-by page important?

Because the reader on that page just finished your book and is at the exact moment they might want another. A clean also-by list, with series order made clear and, in ebooks, direct links to each title, turns a satisfied reader into a repeat buyer. It is the most valuable backlist marketing in the whole book, and it costs nothing.