A prologue is an opening section of a story, set apart from Chapter 1, that shows readers an event, a viewpoint or a piece of context from outside the main storyline. It is part of the story itself. A preface or foreword is different: it is written about the book, by the author (preface) or by someone else (foreword), and sits in the front matter.

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This guide explains what a prologue is for, how it differs from a preface, foreword, introduction, epilogue and afterword, and gives you a five-question test to decide whether your novel needs one. It also shows where each section goes in a self-published print book and ebook, and why your opening pages matter so much to sales.

• Prologue: story content that comes before Chapter 1, mostly in fiction and sometimes in narrative non-fiction.
• Preface: the author explains why or how they wrote the book.
• Foreword: someone other than the author introduces the book.
• Introduction: the start of the book’s content or argument, mainly in non-fiction.
• Epilogue: story content after the final chapter, often set later in time.

At a glance

• A prologue is story content set apart from Chapter 1 by time, place or viewpoint, while a preface or foreword is written about the book.
• A preface is by the author, a foreword is by someone else, and both sit in the front matter.
• Keep a prologue only if it passes all five test questions, including whether it raises a question that pulls readers into Chapter 1.
• Keep it short, often a page or two, and match the book’s genre and tone.
• The biggest mistake is using a prologue for a backstory or world-building dump.
• Amazon’s preview shows 10% of a Kindle ebook, so keep front matter lean and let the story start early.

What is a prologue in a book?

A prologue is a short piece of the story placed before the first chapter, usually because it is separated from the main action in some way: it happens years earlier, it is told by a different character, or it shows a moment from later in the story. Readers should be able to tell from the first lines why it stands apart.

Here is a short original example. The main story follows a young woman who inherits a run-down lighthouse; the prologue is set forty years earlier:

Prologue. 1986. The lamp had not been lit in three nights, and the keeper’s wife was the only one who knew why. She wrapped the logbook in oilcloth, pushed it into the gap behind the stairs, and told nobody where it was. She meant to come back for it in the spring.

Chapter 1 can then open in the present day, and the reader carries a question into it: what is in the logbook? That is the job a good prologue does. It gives the reader something Chapter 1 can’t easily give them, and it makes them want to keep reading.

A prologue is not a place for a summary of the world’s history, a list of characters, or the author’s notes on why they wrote the book. Those belong elsewhere, or nowhere.

Prologue vs preface vs foreword vs introduction vs epilogue

These terms are easy to mix up because they all sit at the start or end of a book. The difference is mostly about who writes them and whether they are part of the story.

Section	Who writes it	Fiction or non-fiction	Part of the story?	Where it sits	Typical purpose
Prologue	The author, in the story’s voice	Mostly fiction	Yes	Directly before Chapter 1	A past event, another viewpoint or a flash-forward
Preface	The author, as themselves	Mostly non-fiction; occasionally fiction	No	Front matter, after any foreword	Why and how the book was written
Foreword	Someone other than the author	Mostly non-fiction; also anniversary or classic editions	No	Front matter, before the preface	An endorsement or context from a respected voice
Introduction	The author (or an editor)	Mostly non-fiction	It begins the content	End of front matter, or as the first part of the main text	Sets out what the book covers and how to use it
Epilogue	The author, in the story’s voice	Mostly fiction	Yes	Directly after the last chapter	Shows what happened next, often after a time jump
Afterword	The author or someone else	Both	No	Back matter	Reflection on the book, its writing or its reception

A quick way to remember it: a prologue and epilogue are inside the story; a preface, foreword and afterword are outside it, talking about it.

What a prologue is for

A past event that shapes the story

The most common use. Something happened before the main story that the reader needs to have witnessed, not just been told about, because it drives the plot or creates a question. The lighthouse example above is this type.

A different viewpoint

A prologue can show a moment through the eyes of someone who won’t be a main viewpoint character, such as a witness, an antagonist or a character from another era. This is common in crime and thriller novels, where a short prologue from the antagonist’s side can create tension the protagonist doesn’t yet feel.

A frame or flash-forward

Some prologues show a moment from late in the story, then Chapter 1 jumps back to explain how the characters got there. Others set up a frame, such as an older narrator about to tell their story. Both promise the reader a destination.

When a prologue hurts your book

Editors and agents have written for years about why they are wary of prologues. Writer’s Digest, for example, has argued that most prologues fail because they lean on backstory dumps, previews of exciting scenes from later in the book, or heavy world-building, often to make up for a weak first chapter. The common problems are:

• Information dumps. Pages of history or world-building with no character the reader can follow.
• False starts. An exciting prologue followed by a slow, unrelated Chapter 1, so the reader feels they have to start the book twice.
• A mismatched tone. A grim prologue on a light romantic comedy, or a cosy prologue on a dark thriller, sends the wrong genre signal.
• Too many names too soon. A crowded cast in the first few pages makes the reader work before they care.
• Skippers. Some readers habitually skip prologues. If the prologue holds something essential, they will be lost; if it holds nothing essential, it shouldn’t be there.

Does your novel need a prologue? A five-question test

Answer each question honestly. The decision line after each one tells you what to do.

1. Is it separated from the main story by time, place or viewpoint? If no, it is really Chapter 1: rename it or fold it into Chapter 1.
2. Does it show something the reader can’t learn as well any other way? If the same information could come out naturally later, cut it and weave it in.
3. Would removing it change how the reader experiences the story? If a test reader doesn’t miss it, cut it.
4. Does it raise a question that pulls the reader into Chapter 1? If it only explains, without creating curiosity, shorten it or cut it.
5. Is it short, and does it match the book’s genre and tone? If it runs long or feels like a different book, trim it hard or move the material into Chapter 1.

Keep the prologue only if it passes all five. A useful way to check question 3 is to give two beta readers the manuscript, one with the prologue and one without, and compare what they understood and how keen they were to keep reading.

Prologues by genre

These are tendencies, not rules. Read recent bestsellers in your own subgenre to see what readers there are used to.

• Fantasy and science fiction: prologues are relatively common, often showing an ancient event, a prophecy or a distant threat. The risk is the history-lesson prologue.
• Thriller and crime: short prologues from a victim’s, witness’s or antagonist’s viewpoint are a familiar device for creating tension.
• Romance: many romances open straight into the heroine’s or hero’s viewpoint. When a prologue is used, it is often a past moment between the couple or a flash-forward.
• Literary fiction: prologues tend to be used as a frame or for an effect of structure and voice.
• Children’s books: picture books rarely use them. Some middle-grade adventure and fantasy novels do, usually very short.

The guide to genre expectations covers how to research what your readers are used to.

How to write a prologue that earns its place

• Keep it short. There is no fixed rule, but a page or two is often enough. If it is as long as a full chapter, ask whether it should simply be one.
• Start with a person in a moment. Give the reader a character, a place and something happening, not a summary.
• End on a question. The last line should make Chapter 1 feel necessary.
• Link it to Chapter 1. An object, a name, a place or a phrase that reappears early in Chapter 1 tells the reader the two connect.
• Label it clearly. Add a date, place or viewpoint name if that helps the reader orient themselves straight away.
• Try the alternative. Write the opening as Chapter 1 instead and compare. Sometimes the prologue’s best line becomes Chapter 1’s first line.

If you write a series, prologues and epilogues can also link books together; the guide to series prologues and epilogues that lead into the next book explains how.

Where it goes: front and back matter in a self-published book

Typical front-matter order

Book designers commonly follow the order set out in The Chicago Manual of Style. As summarised in the Pressbooks guide to the parts of a book, which follows Chicago’s conventions, the front matter runs:

1. Half title
2. Series title, frontispiece or blank page
3. Title page
4. Copyright page
5. Dedication
6. Epigraph
7. Table of contents
8. List of illustrations
9. List of tables
10. Foreword
11. Preface
12. Acknowledgements (if not part of the preface)
13. Introduction (if not part of the main text)
14. Abbreviations and chronology (if not in the back matter)

A novel will usually use only a few of these. A prologue isn’t front matter: it opens the main text, so it comes after all the front matter and directly before Chapter 1. Not sure what belongs on your copyright page? See what belongs on a copyright page.

Ebook vs print: what readers see first

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing help pages say the Look Inside / Read Sample preview shows 10% of a Kindle ebook and 20% of a paperback or hardcover, and that these percentages can’t be adjusted. In a short novel, a long run of front matter, a preface and a slow prologue can eat a noticeable share of that sample before the story starts.

KDP’s own ebook formatting guide lists the title, dedication and copyright pages as front matter, and an “About the Author” page and bibliography as back matter. Many self-publishers keep ebook front matter lean and move acknowledgements and other extras to the back. KDP’s current guidance changes from time to time, so check the live formatting guide when you prepare your file. The guide on how to format the front matter in your ebook walks through the process, and formatting tools that build front and back matter for you compares the main options.

Back matter

For a novel, a common back-matter order is:

1. Epilogue (this is still part of the story, so it comes straight after the last chapter)
2. Afterword or author’s note, if any
3. Acknowledgements, if moved from the front
4. A note or link for readers about the next book
5. Also by the author
6. About the author

An “about the author” note works best kept short: two to four sentences covering where you live, what you write and one human detail. For example: “Sam Rivers writes cosy mysteries set on the Cornish coast. When not writing, Sam can be found walking the cliff paths with a flask of tea and a notebook.” (Sam Rivers is an invented author.)

Common mistakes

• Using a prologue for backstory. If it reads like an encyclopedia entry, cut it.
• Labelling Chapter 1 as a prologue. If it is the same time, place and viewpoint as the next chapter, it is Chapter 1.
• A prologue in a different tone or genre. It sets expectations the rest of the book won’t meet.
• Putting a long preface or foreword before a novel. It pushes the story further into the sample.
• Spelling it “forward”. The section is a foreword: the words that come before.
• An epilogue that starts a new plot. An epilogue should pay off the story you told, not introduce a fresh problem (unless it is a deliberate hook for the next book, and even then, keep it brief).
• Putting the epilogue after the acknowledgements. The epilogue is part of the story and comes straight after the last chapter.

When you test your opening as part of a self-edit, read the prologue and Chapter 1 together, out loud, as a first-time reader would.

For the rest of the drafting process, see how to write a novel.

Sources this guide draws on: The Chicago Manual of Style conventions for the parts of a book, as summarised in the Pressbooks guide; Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing help pages on Read Sample (Look Inside) and the ebook manuscript formatting guide; Writer’s Digest on why editors and agents are wary of prologues. All examples are original to this guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a prologue and Chapter 1?

A prologue stands apart from the main storyline, usually by time, place or viewpoint, while Chapter 1 starts the main story. If your “prologue” happens at the same time and from the same viewpoint as the chapters that follow, it is really Chapter 1 and should be labelled that way.

What is a preface in a book?

A preface is a short piece by the author, writing as themselves, explaining why or how the book came to be. It sits in the front matter, after any foreword. Prefaces are common in non-fiction and less common in novels.

Is a foreword the same as a preface?

No. A foreword is written by someone other than the author, often a respected name in the field, and comes before the preface. A preface is written by the author. Both talk about the book rather than being part of it.

How long should a prologue be?

There is no fixed rule, but shorter is usually better. A page or two is often enough to do the job. If your prologue is as long as a full chapter, consider whether it should be Chapter 1 or be split and woven into the story.

Do agents and readers dislike prologues?

It is a commonly reported view, and Writer’s Digest among others has explained why: many prologues they see are backstory dumps or stand-ins for a weak first chapter. A short prologue that does a job Chapter 1 can’t do is a different matter. Some readers do skip prologues, so never hide something essential only there.

Does an epilogue go before or after the acknowledgements?

Before. The epilogue is part of the story, so it comes directly after the last chapter. Acknowledgements, an author’s note and an “about the author” page follow it in the back matter.

Keep a prologue only if Chapter 1 can’t do its job, keep it short, and put the rest of your front and back matter in the order readers expect. Your opening pages are also your sample, so making your sample pages work at launch is worth a look before you publish.