Building a Book

I thought I knew all the parts that went into a book simply because I had read a jillion of them in my lifetime.

I was wrong.

Turning that ream of paper — or, more accurately, that Word document — into an actual book requires a bit of know-how and some technical skills. There's a learning curve, but it's not too steep. Most indies who are starting out will assemble the pieces and then hand them over to a good formatter who will assemble the book for them. You may wish to learn that skill yourself, or, if you are like me, utilize a pro who has more talent and patience than I do. Whatever path you choose should result in a book that meets industry requirements and standards, while also being indistinguishable from a professionally trade-published book.

Don't skip anything without some careful consideration first. Publishing a book as an indie author requires assembling numerous components that transform a manuscript into a polished, professional product. Each part serves a distinct function — guiding the reader, establishing credibility, and enhancing the reading experience. From the preliminary pages to the final acknowledgments, every element matters. Understanding these components helps indie authors publish effectively, whether in print, digital, or audio.

This article outlines and briefly explains each part, in the order it appears in a finished book, with links to more detailed guides on each one elsewhere in this section.

The Various Parts, In Order

Cover Art (Front, Back, and Spine)

A book's cover is one of its most critical marketing tools. The front cover should feature an eye-catching design that reflects the book's genre and tone, along with the title and author name. The spine, visible on shelves and in thumbnail views online, must be clear and legible. The back cover typically includes a book description, author bio, and sometimes reviews or endorsements. A professionally designed cover significantly impacts a book's appeal and sales potential — so much so that I've devoted a full article to it. See The Importance of Cover Art for genre conventions, technical specifications, and what to expect when working with AI-assisted design tools.

Half-Title Page

The half-title page, sometimes called the bastard title, is the first printed page of a book. It typically features only the book's title, often in a smaller font or simpler layout than the full title page. This page serves as a visual buffer, providing a subtle introduction before the main title page appears. While not always included, it adds a professional touch to traditionally formatted books and aligns with industry expectations. It also gives the author a place to sign the book — so leave enough space for that. See Title and Half-Title Page Design for the full formatting guide.

Title Page

The title page presents the book's full title, subtitle (if applicable), and the author's name. In traditionally published books, the publisher's imprint also appears here; for indie authors, this is often replaced with a publishing brand or imprint of your own. The title page establishes the book's identity and serves as an official reference for cataloging and copyright purposes.

Copyright Page

The copyright page contains legal and bibliographic information — typically the copyright notice, edition information, ISBN, and any disclaimers. It's not glamorous, but it's one of the pages that signals professionalism most clearly to anyone who knows what to look for. See The Copyright Page for a complete breakdown of what to include and how to format it.

Dedication Page

An optional page where the author dedicates the book to someone — a partner, a parent, a pet, a reader. Short, centered, and personal. There's no wrong way to do this one, as long as it's genuine.

Table of Contents

More common in nonfiction than fiction, the table of contents outlines the book's structure. In digital formats, it must be hyperlinked for easy navigation — and on most platforms, an interactive TOC is now expected rather than optional. See Constructing a Table of Contents for guidance on what belongs in yours and how to build it correctly.

Foreword, Preface, or Introduction

A foreword is written by someone other than the author — typically an expert, a fellow author, or someone whose endorsement carries weight with your readers. A preface or introduction is written by the author and provides context for what follows. Fiction rarely needs either; nonfiction often benefits from one.

Prologue

For novels that need to set the stage before Chapter One — a flash-forward, a piece of history, an event from another character's perspective — the prologue goes here. Not every novel needs one, and a prologue that exists only because 'books have prologues' is doing more harm than good.

Main Content (Chapters and Scenes)

This is the heart of the book. Formatting must be consistent in font, spacing, paragraph indentation, chapter openings, and scene breaks. See Adding Story and Content for the complete guide to chapter construction, from the first line of Chapter One to the formatting choices that signal a professional product.

Epilogue

If the story has an epilogue, it follows the last chapter and provides closure — often a glimpse of life after the main conflict resolves. Like the prologue, it's optional and should earn its place.

Backmatter

Everything after the story ends — author's note, acknowledgments, about-the-author, and critically, your call to action for readers who just finished your book. This is also one of your most valuable real estate for marketing your other titles, your newsletter, and your direct store. See Backmatter for the complete breakdown of what belongs here and how to use it strategically.

Blurbs and Reviews

Not a single page in the manuscript itself, but a component every book needs: the back-cover description and any review quotes or endorsements that accompany it across every platform where your book is sold. See Blurbs and Reviews for how to write yours, including current guidance on using AI tools as part of the drafting process.

ISBN

Every format of your book — ebook, paperback, hardcover, audiobook — needs its own ISBN if you intend to distribute it through retail and library channels. See ISBN's Explained for what an ISBN actually does, where to get one, and why format (not edition) is the key concept to understand.

A Note on AI and Book Components

Several of the components above — cover art, blurbs, and certain editing passes — now commonly involve AI tools somewhere in the process. That's not inherently a problem, but it does come with a disclosure responsibility on most major platforms, including Amazon KDP. Rather than addressing this once here, I've folded specific guidance into each relevant article: cover art disclosure and copyright considerations are covered in The Importance of Cover Art, AI-assisted blurb drafting is covered in Blurbs and Reviews, and AI editing tools are covered in Editing for Indie Authors. The short version: AI can be a legitimate part of your toolkit, but know what each platform requires you to disclose, and never let a tool replace the judgment that makes your book yours.

Putting It All Together with ScribeCount

Every one of these components feeds into how your book performs once it's published — your cover and blurb drive the click, your backmatter drives the next sale, your ISBN determines how your sales get tracked across platforms. ScribeCount connects to your KDP, IngramSpark, Kobo, Apple Books, and other retailer accounts to show you how all of these pieces are performing together. AuthorVault, ScribeCount's publishing data vault, is where you can store your cover files, blurb variants, and backmatter templates for every title — so that when it's time to format the next book, you're not hunting through old folders for the version of your bio you used last time.

Building a book is an assembly process — and like any assembly process, it goes more smoothly when you know what all the pieces are before you start. Use this article as your map, and the linked guides as your detailed instructions for each part. None of it is difficult once you know what's expected. The hard part — writing the book — is the part only you can do.

- Randall