In October 2026, the website BookDesignMadeSimple.com (founded by Fiona Raven and Glenna Collett) will be closing, and their co-written book will no longer be available for purchase.
While this is incredibly sad news, Fiona and Glenna have generously allowed me to archive their blog posts on Hadley House to avoid having them disappear with their website. You can find all of their archived posts here.
Fiona and Glenna have made a huge impact on my life, teaching me so much about book design and giving me the hope, motivation, and confidence to succeed in this field. I am eternally grateful. It is an honor to learn from them. I think you will feel the same <3
The excerpt below is from Book Design Made Simple, Second Edition, chapter 6, Planning your pages. Copyright © 2017 Fiona Raven and Glenna Collett.
Could the book back matter be the most valuable part of your book? Your information carries more weight and credibility with the inclusion of an appendix, references, an index, and more. If you have any material at all after the main part of your book, check this guide from Book Design Made Simple to find out the proper order. You’ll learn the nitty gritty about book back matter in chapter 29, Designing your back matter.
Book back matter includes some or all of these pages
acknowledgments (if not included at the front of the book)
appendix(es) usually listed as Appendix a, b, c, etc., or i, ii, iii, etc.
endnotes numbered, sometimes divided into chapters
abbreviations
glossary
bibliography or references
index(es)
Including back matter in your book is optional. Most nonfiction books include some back matter, perhaps a glossary, bibliography, or index. The order of pages shown above is customary but not mandatory. It’s recommended that the index go last.
Back matter pages are numbered continuously with the main text. If your main text ends on page 138, your back matter will start on page 139.
As a self-publisher, you may want to include a few extra pages at the back of your book, such as a page advertising other products and services you offer, and/or an “About the Author” page with a photo and bio.