Book front matter: the pages before chapter one, in order
Before the first chapter, a printed book carries a short run of pages in a conventional order: half-title, title page, copyright page, dedication, contents. KDP imposes none of it, but readers and bookstores expect it, and a translated edition adds a few lines of its own.
Updated on October 21, 2026
What KDP requires and what it leaves to convention
KDP does not set an order for the front matter. Its formatting guide for ebooks says only that the title page, the dedication and the rights page belong to it. What KDP does check is the file: for a paperback, a PDF with single pages, even pages on the left and odd pages on the right, and without too many blank pages. KDP lists "too many blank pages" among common reasons for a file to fail.
So the order below is publishing convention, not a rule. It is the one most trade paperbacks follow, and it is the one a reader will not notice, which is the point of a convention.
The usual order, page by page
The first page of the file is a right-hand page (a recto). The following layout is the one used for most paperback novels:
| Page | Content |
|---|---|
| 1 (right) | Half-title: the title alone |
| 2 (left) | Blank, or "Also by the author" |
| 3 (right) | Title page: title, subtitle, author, publisher or imprint |
| 4 (left) | Copyright page |
| 5 (right) | Dedication or epigraph |
| 6 (left) | Blank |
| 7 (right) | Contents, or acknowledgments, or foreword |
| Then | Chapter one, always on a right-hand page |
It is a template, not a rule. A book without a dedication drops pages 5 and 6. A long table of contents takes several pages. What matters is that the title page and the first chapter both start on a right-hand page.
Half-title and title page
The half-title carries the title alone, with no author and no decoration. It is still the first page of most printed books. If your book is short or you want to save pages, it is the page to drop first.
The title page repeats the title with the subtitle, the author's name as it appears on the cover, and the publisher or your imprint. In a translated edition, the title page is where the name of the translator is sometimes added, below the author: "Translated by …". The copyright page is the other possible place.
The copyright page, line by line
The copyright page sits on the back of the title page. It usually carries:
- the symbol © followed by the year and the name of the rights holder;
- the phrase "All rights reserved", or the license you choose;
- the publisher or the imprint name;
- the ISBN of this edition;
- the edition and printing line, such as "First edition";
- credits for the cover design and, if you wish, for the editor and the proofreader;
- for a translation, the name of the translator, the original title and the language of the original.
In British practice this page is often called the imprint page. Legal notices required by your country vary, so check the rules of the national library or copyright office where you publish. In the KDP help pages we read, we found no particular requirement for this page.
ISBN and imprint: keep the page and the listing consistent
Per KDP's help pages, an ISBN is required for a paperback or a hardcover and not for an ebook. KDP offers a free ISBN for print: it can only be used on KDP, and the publisher shown is then "Independently published". With your own ISBN you can show your own imprint, but KDP compares it with the one registered with the ISBN agency and refuses to publish if they differ.
An ISBN is assigned to a format. The same number cannot serve the paperback and the hardcover, or a substantially modified new edition. The ISBN and the imprint printed on the copyright page must therefore be the ones you declared in the KDP form. If KDP supplies a barcode, it prints one on the back cover; the ISBN on the page is for the reader and the bookseller.
Dedication, epigraph, contents and the first page number
The dedication is a short line, usually centered, on a right-hand page of its own. An epigraph, a quotation that opens the book, often shares the page or follows it. Both are optional. If the epigraph is a recent text, make sure you have the right to quote it.
The table of contents follows. In a paperback it lists chapters with page numbers, and is best generated from the headings to avoid wrong references. In an ebook the rules are stricter: KDP requires a working logical table of contents for any ebook with chapters, and strongly recommends a visible one. Without the proper navigation link, the "Go to > Table of contents" button on Kindle devices stays grayed out. Check the EPUB in Kindle Previewer before uploading: it shows the problems a reader would run into.
Front-matter pages usually carry no page number. Page 1 is the first page of the body of the text, and roman numerals are sometimes used for the front matter. The blank pages should have no running head and no number, or the book looks unfinished.
What changes in a translated edition
A translated edition has the same front matter, with a few differences in content.
- The title. The half-title and title page carry the title in the new language. If the book was published first under another title, the copyright page should give the original title, as in "Originally published as …".
- The translator. KDP says translations of another work must credit the translator and the original author in the contributor field. Put the same credit on the title page or the copyright page. Say who is responsible for the translation, and declare how it was produced in the KDP form where Amazon asks for it; our guide on the KDP AI declaration covers that step.
- The language of the original. "Translated from the English" is enough; for a text in the public domain, add the edition you started from.
- The ISBN. A translation is a different text, so plan on a new ISBN for each print format of each language.
- Everything else, in the new language. "All rights reserved", "First edition", the dedication and the acknowledgments are text that must be translated, or adapted to the usage of the new country.
- Typography. Quotation marks, the format of dates and the rules for capital letters in titles differ between languages. Check them in the final file.
Librolingua is not affiliated with Amazon, and the KDP rules quoted here come from its help pages, which change.
FAQ
What is the correct order of the pages before chapter one?
The usual order is half-title, a blank page, title page, copyright page, dedication, a blank page, contents, then chapter one on a right-hand page. KDP sets no order: it is a publishing convention.
Does the ISBN have to be printed on the copyright page?
In the KDP help pages we read, we found no rule that requires it, but it is the custom. For a paperback an ISBN is required, and KDP provides a free one that can be used only on KDP.
Where do I credit the translator?
KDP says translations must credit the translator and the original author in the contributor field. In the book, the title page or the copyright page are the usual places, with the original title and language.
Should front-matter pages be numbered?
Usually not: page 1 is the first page of the body of the text, and roman numerals are sometimes used before it. Keep the pages of the PDF in order, with the first page on the right.
Does an ebook need a table of contents?
Yes if it has chapters: KDP requires a working logical table of contents and strongly recommends a visible one. Check the EPUB in Kindle Previewer before uploading.