Last month, in our first edition of Book Synthesis, we discussed the first few pages of the front matter of your book: the first blank page, the title page, and how to format both the front and back of these pages. This month we’re moving forward just a few pages and discussing the copyright page and the table of contents. Obviously, the copyright page is a must for your book, and a table of contents if completely optional.
In November 2008, we posted a list of “book boo boos” that we commonly see in self-published books. To this day, we still see a number of mistakes and formatting problems in previews of books and proofs we are considering for review. Authors who are new to this are still not seeking out assistance or doing research when it comes to putting their best book forward. That’s why I decided to start a monthly post which I’m calling “Book Synthesis.” Synthesis is defined as “the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity.” In book terms, those elements are your title page, copyright page, table of contents, dedication page, body of text, etc. which all together make up your single book.
