What Is The Purpose Of The Preface?
The book preface (PREF-iss, not PRE-face) is a short explanation about why you wrote your book. The book introduction, on the other hand, is all about the benefits the reader will get from reading your book. The preface is about you, and the introduction is about the reader. But never forget, both should be written by the book’s author, and that both must show your passion and thereby make an emotional connection with the reader. In contrast to the preface and introduction, the book’s foreword is not written by the book’s author. It is written by a guest author, generally a person that is well know within a certain industry, that can bring third-party credibility to you, the book’s author.
What Is The Structure Of The Preface?
The preface discusses the story of how your book came into being, or how the idea for your book was developed by you, the author. In order to be a successful marketing tool, it must be written to show your passion for the subject matter, and your inspiration for writing the book. Here is your chance to infect the reader with your passion for the topic you have written about. Show the reader that you are a kindred spirit and have a passion in common. Here your aim is to make the readers empathize with you and identify your genuineness in writing the book. Answer questions such as “How was the concept of the book born?”; “How did you think of writing the book?”; “What are you trying to achieve by writing this book?”; “What are your qualifications to write this book?”; “What other books have you written?” The explanation to these questions can be autobiographical. You can tell the background, the context, and the circumstances in which brought you to write this book. The bottom line must be, “Why did you write this book?”. Be very clear and honest about this. And always write in the first-person, and in a friendly manner. Also, use your own voice when writing this way, and speak directly to your audience.
How Do I Close The Preface?
The main body of the preface is followed by a statement of thanks and acknowledgments to people who were helpful to the author during the writing of the book. If the list of acknowledgements is too long, a separate section should be created just for the acknowledgements. Alternatively, some authors use both sections within the same book, and use the acknowledgements page for the most special contributions – and the lesser contributors are kept in the preface. Another alternative that some authors use it to combine the preface and the introduction into one section and label it as the introduction. And finally, the book preface is signed by the book’s author, along with the date and place of writing. Fini.
This article was written by Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. and originally posted on KunzOnPublishing.com