What Is A Foreword? How To Use One To Your Advantage

If you’re confused about the role of a foreword, you’re not alone. A new writer, especially someone looking to self-publish a book, has a steep learning curve ahead of them. This includes all things front matter, which include forewords.

As an aspiring author, there are so many new skills to learn: building and managing a book launch team, finding a book cover design, making Amazon Marketing Services work for you, and understanding all the new vocabulary words to go along with these tasks. For now, it’s time to learn about a crucial element to include in your book prior to chapter one.

What is a foreword: what you learn

• What is a foreword
• How to write one
• What is the purpose?
• What’s the difference between a foreword and a prologue?

Pro Tip: Sign up for a free book outline below – for fiction or non-fiction – to be delivered to your email inbox as you continue to read through this article. Your book outline will be fully-formatted, including key pages like book foreword page, copyright page, acknowledgement page, and more!

What is a foreword?

A foreword is a piece of writing that serves to introduce the reader to the author and the book and is included in the front matter. They are usually written by someone who is not the author or editor of the book. They can also serve as a sort of endorsement for the book.

If the author does write this section, it might be to explain how the book came to be, or their connection between the work and themselves—like Stephen King often does for his novels.

It always goes at the very front of the book (with one exception, which I’ll get into below), and it’s rarely more than a couple of pages long.

You may see it written with either lowercase Roman numerals or typical Arabic numerals, or without any page numbering whatsoever. That is between you and your book formatter.

How to write one

Your relationship to the author and book influences how your write this part of a book’s front matter. A great way to start is to use writing prompts to get your ideas flowing, or pull inspiration from forewords in books you love.

Then again, maybe you’re not new, and you’ve been around the proverbial block enough times to know your way around. Whether you have gained enough recognition that an author has asked you to write for their book, or you’re looking to ask someone, there are a few aspects to keep in mind.

Whether you write one or ask someone to write one, these points are crucial:

1. Understand what the author is looking for
2. Know the tone and style of the book
3. Start with a list of what you want to cover
4. Make sure to mention your credibility
5. Tie your own experience back into the worth of the book
6. Get feedback from others and the author
7. Make any necessary changes to comply with what the author is looking for
8. Be honest about the book and its impact

Remember, if you feel in a writing rut with how to start one, just reference the writing prompts above!

What is the purpose?

The purpose of this piece of writing is the provide context for your readers. Now that we know what a foreword is, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of whether your book really needs one. This is what you’ve been waiting for!

The first thing to note is that it’s not necessary. Plenty of books don’t have one, and never have them added on. Unless your book needs the elaboration and context provided, readers won’t miss it. What you really need to consider is whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction.

Nonfiction is far more likely to need one rather than a novel, especially if the topic is dense or the author has passed on. Again, Stephen King does tend to produce them for his own fiction novels but this is seen far less in authors who aren’t as established.

For example, the fourth edition of The Elements of Style has a great one by Roger Angell arguing that the guide is just as relevant today as it was the day Strunk and White turned the manuscript into the publisher.

If you are writing a book that’s fictional, do you cover a period of history or some other topic in depth?

If the answer is yes, it may be helpful if the reader has a bit of background knowledge. Charles Todd wrote one explaining just who was the titular character of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories.

It’s also not uncommon for works of great literary renown to have one added onto the original manuscript, or added as a way of explaining the difference between the current edition and past editions.

Alice L. George’s in the 150th-anniversary edition of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was written to illustrate why the book is so beloved all these years later. With this in mind, let’s consider a couple of frequently asked questions considering the details of this aspect of front matter.

Who should write a foreword?

If you’re of the opinion that your work needs one, approach an expert in the topic of the book or one of your peers in your field, especially if this person is well-known.

This lends the book social proof. Unless you have something especially noteworthy to say, it’s probably best not to write your own. You may want to write a preface instead. More on this below.

That being said, if you’ve established yourself as an expert in your field, you may be asked to write a foreword for someone else.

What should be included?

When asking for one, be sure the writer includes context pertaining to you, the author, and the book, as necessary. On the other hand, if you’ve been invited to write one, congratulations! What an honor and what an impressive accomplishment to add to your resumé!

Avoid writing a witty, humorous foreword if the book is more serious, and vice-versa. You don’t want the writing styles to clash, or you risk jarring the reader when they turn the page.

What’s the difference between a foreword and a prologue?

A prologue is written for fiction and takes place within your story’s world, whereas forewords never take place within your story’s world unless you’re writing a fictional forward by one of your characters. You might do this if you’re writing as a fictitious person, a lá Daniel Handler.

If your work happens to include both a prologue and a foreword, again, the foreword comes first. A prologue isn’t signed (you can probably guess why!).

What’s the difference with a preface?

If you’re looking to write something like an introductory statement to your own book, you may want to write a preface. In a preface, you can include what your aim was in taking on the project and thank the people in your life who helped to make the book a reality.

Unlike the focus of this guide, prefaces are always written by the author, and they’re not signed. If your work happens to include both, the foreword comes first.

What’s the difference with an introduction?

The introduction is reserved for a book of nonfiction. It can be used to explain the content, but they can also be used to summarize the work.

The introduction is sometimes comprised of everything that comes before the bulk of the text, meaning the foreword would be nestled within the introduction. Other times, the introduction is a separate section written by the author themselves.

Forewords: take your next step today

Whether or not to include one in your book is a matter of personal preference, but not preference alone. Consider what your particular work calls for. Only you can make that call. Trust yourself that you’ll make the right one!

Now that you know everything forewords, want a book outline template with a foreword inside? Grab your fiction or non-fiction book outline template below!