What is a Foreword in a Book?

When you think about it, a book has a lot of moving parts. There’s the front matter, back matter, text body, and cover design, not to mention the layout and formatting. No wonder new writers get so overwhelmed! But we’re here to make it easy on you. Today we’re going to talk about a section that often gets overlooked: the foreword.

The foreword is a little different from other book elements because the author doesn’t actually write it themself. But, it’s still an important one to be familiar with so you know whether or not your book needs one—and how to go about getting it. Let’s dive in!

Remember that it’s [be]fore + word (before the words), not “forward!” This is an easy mistake to make, and using the wrong word can look pretty unprofessional.

Not all books need forewords (more on that below). But when a book does have one, it can give some authority to a new writer. A foreword tells the reader, “This author knows what they’re talking about.”

A foreword is sometimes confused with other front matter material (that’s the stuff that goes at the beginning of a book). Let’s compare book forewords with some other opening elements.

Foreword vs. introduction

The foreword and introduction are very similar, but with a few key differences—the biggest being that the book’s primary author writes their own introduction, while someone else writes the foreword.

Beyond that, their purposes are slightly different. The foreword is a way for the guest writer to say, “This book is important—here’s why.” The introduction of a book tells the reader what to to expect. It’s the author’s way of saying, “Here’s what the book is about, its key ideas, and what you should know before you begin.”

This might touch on how the author chose to structure the book, how to read the layout, and what the author hopes the reader will take away from the text.

Foreword vs. preface

As we saw above, a foreword is written by an external expert in the author’s field while the introduction is written by the author. Like an introduction, the preface is also written by the author. But the preface is a little bit more personal, and often more casual, than a foreword or an introduction. The preface acts like a face-to-face preamble with the reader.

A preface is the author’s opportunity to share where they got their idea, why the topic is important to them, and fun insight into the writing process. It’s separate from the main body of the text. But unlike a preface and an introduction, the foreword is written about the author and their work.

In a nonfiction book, these front matter elements go foreword, preface, introduction.

Foreword vs. prologue

Then there’s the prologue. There are some key differences between foreword and prologue, and you’ll generally find them in different kinds of books.

The foreword is most commonly found in nonfiction work (though it occasionally arises in fiction too), and its purpose is to provide social proof about the author’s authority on their subject. A prologue is exclusively a fiction element, and comes at the very beginning of a novel. You can think of it as Chapter 0.

You probably won’t find forewords and prologues together in the same book (although there’s an exception to every rule!).

Foreword vs. afterword

As you can probably guess from the etymology, the foreword comes at the beginning of a book and the afterword comes at the end. But even though the words look similar, they don’t have very much in common. The foreword, as we’ve looked at above, is written by someone else. The afterword can be written by the author or by someone else.

If the author writes their own afterword, it often explains what inspired the book and what the author learned from writing it. If someone else is writing the afterword, it may offer another perspective on the topic or add social, cultural, or historical context on the subjects discussed in the book. Its purpose can overlap with the foreword and preface.

Where does the foreword go in a book?

To make it easy for you, here’s a quick and easy breakdown of the part of a book:

• Title page

• Copyright page

• Table of contents page

• Foreword

• Preface

• Introduction or prologue

• Main text, starting with the first chapter (the bulk of the content)

• Conclusion or epilogue

• Afterword

• Glossary

• References

• Index

Depending on the kind of book you’re writing, you might see a few other bits and pieces—but these are the most common ones, especially in nonfiction.

Why do authors use forewords?

Authors use forewords to offer social proof to their readers. This means that an external source—that’s the foreword writer—is telling them how great your book is. They don’t have to just take your word for it.

This is especially important for new writers who may have a lot of knowledge and insight, but don’t yet have the reputation to make readers invest in them. The foreword author is someone who’s already built up that reputation for themselves, and so many readers will trust their recommendation.

An author might also use a foreword as a marketing tool. If a potential reader sees “Foreword by [your favourite author]” underneath your name on the book cover, they’re more likely to pick it up and buy it. Publishers will often do this to generate momentum for an anniversary rerelease or translation.

Who writes the foreword?

The foreword in a book is written by someone other than the author who has something to say about that book. They’re typically written by a subject matter expert who can lend authority and veracity to the book’s author.

This could include:

Other authors who have written extensively on the topic.

Someone who teaches the subject at a prestigious university.

Someone who has spoken about the topic on TV.

An editor or critic known for their expertise.

A celebrity with household name recognition.

Or, someone with whom you have a personal connection, and who can speak honestly about you and your work.

Ideally, your foreword writer will fall into more than one of these categories—but just one is enough.

How long should a foreword be?

A good foreword typically falls between 600 and 1,000 words, or two to three pages. This may not sound like a lot, but it can be tough to fill that space and strike the right balance of praise and authenticity without coming off as boastful. You can think of them as a sort of marketing copy—a piece of text that hooks the reader’s attention.

Does your book need a foreword?

It’s important to note that not every book needs a foreword. Forewords are found most commonly in nonfiction books and academic texts. You’ll generally only see them in fiction if it’s a later edition or a compilation of work. If you’ve published a few novels and are releasing your first collection of short stories, you may want a foreword for it—but it’s not essential.

If you’re writing a nonfiction book, a foreword can be really helpful in highlighting why you’re the right person to write it. Note that an exception is narrative nonfiction, like autobiographies and memoirs. These usually don’t have forewords. But if you’re writing an informational book that explores a specific topic in the news, science, history, literature, or any other source of knowledge, this is when you might want to consider a foreword.

You can also leave it out entirely if you can’t find a suitable contributor—better no foreword than one that alienates your readers!

How to request a foreword for your book

Remember: someone else needs to write the foreword for your book. It’s your job (or your publisher’s) to ask them. This can feel pretty intimidating, because no one likes to say, “I love your work, please can you write a bunch of nice stuff about me? Oh and I need it by next week.” No one ever said the writer’s life was easy.

Don’t panic—we’ll guide you through the steps to getting a glowing foreword for your book.

Leave enough time

First thing’s first: start early.

If you have a publishing deal, you should write your shortlist the moment you sign a contract. If you’re self publishing, give yourself around a year (or more) before publication to pin down that foreword.

The reason being: 1. People need time to get the piece done (they are doing this for free, after all), and 2. You’re only going to contact one person at a time.

Say wha?! When we begin our publishing journey, we’re often told to cast a wide net. Submit your manuscript to a whole bunch of agents at once and, hopefully, one or two of them will get back to you with an offer. But when asking for a foreword, you need to take it slow—because if someone writes a foreword for you exalting your genius work, they’re then going to expect to see their words in your book. If you end up with two or more forewords to choose from and have to leave one out, somebody’s going to be pretty upset.

Start early.

Draft a shortlist

Now, it’s time to start thinking about who you could get to write a foreword for you. Think about who you may have taken classes with, whose work you loved, who you may have crossed paths with at conferences or seminars. It’s best if it’s someone you know personally, but it’s also okay to try reaching out to people who have inspired you.

Whether you’re using a pen and paper or a spreadsheet, there are certain details you should include in your short list. Beside each name, make a note of their contact information (an email address or link to a contact page on their website), how you know them, and a place to record important dates.

Be specific (and flattering!)

If you’ve done the search for an agent, this part will probably be familiar. When writing a letter asking for a foreword, you should highlight why you’ve chosen them specifically. Something like, “I loved your ______ and it was so inspiring / insightful / fascinating, so I immediately thought of you.” Avoid the temptation to send out a generic template; instead, tailor each communication specially for that person.

If you’ve met this figure in real life, be sure to mention it. Don’t assume they’ll know who you are, even if you spent a year in their workshop (so did dozens of others on a rolling basis). Gently reminding them will save them the embarrassment of having to say, “New laptop, who this?”

Everyone wants to be appreciated, so tell them why you think they’d be the perfect person to champion this project. If they say no… wash, rinse, repeat. If they say yes (yay!), move on to the next step.

Set deadlines

So you’ve pinned down a foreword writer. Great! Now it’s time to get down to business (don’t do this part too soon, or you might scare them off. Make sure they’ve already agreed to it first). Give yourself two deadlines: a soft deadline and a hard deadline.

The soft deadline is the one you give the person writing your foreword. Say, “Do you think you could get this back to me by the end of [next month]?”. Aim for at least four weeks ahead—six is best.

The hard deadline is the one you give yourself to hold out for this person. Although they likely agreed with the best intentions, it’s entirely possible that they’ll end up bogged down with other work, or the time will get away from them, or they’ll simply forget.

It’s okay to send them a casual followup a week or so before your soft deadline, saying something like “Hey, I just wanted to check in and see if you needed any details from me for this foreword. Thanks again.” But if you don’t hear back from them before your hard deadline, or they reply saying they won’t be able to manage it in time, move on to the next person on your short list.

Keep a record of all of this with your list: your soft deadline, your hard deadline, when you followed up, and their response.

Express gratitude

Finally, remember to thank the writer once you have your foreword in hand. Send them a copy of your published book, and mention them in your acknowledgments section as well. You can also tag them on social media to share in the publicity buzz. After all, one day you may be the one writing the foreword for an emerging author!

A great foreword can lead to great book sales

You’ve done the hard part: writing the book. As you move into the next stage of the journey, a foreword from a big name in your industry can act like a major endorsement for you and your work. So don’t be afraid to aim high!