The Writer’s Guide to ForeWords in Nonfiction Books

The Writer’s Guide to ForeWords in Nonfiction Books

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀.

Who knows what a foreword is? Raise your hand. ✋🏼

Becky, in the back, what do you think a foreword is? 👱🏼‍♀️

“It’s when the writer gives the reader a sneak peek at what’s in the book.” 🚫

No, that’s not a foreword.

John, by the window. 🧒🏽

“It’s the opening sentence of the book.” 🚫

Well, no, not that either.

Jennifer, right here in front. What’s a Foreword? 👩🏻‍🦱

“A foreword is the quote you use to start each chapter. To get people interested.” 🚫

No. None of those things are a Foreword. 

A foreword – NOT FORWARD! – is part of the front matter of a book. 📖

It’s a section written by someone else about the book. ✒

Foreword Defined

A foreword comes before the Preface or the Introduction in a nonfiction book. You might imagine that’s why it’s called a Foreword. It’s an honest assumption.

However, research is scarce on where and when writers started using forewords. Wikipedia cites:

The word foreword was first used around the mid-17th century, originally as a term in philology.^{[dubious – discuss]} It was possibly a calque of GermanVorwort, itself a calque of Latin praefatio.

Wikipedia

You will see if you click the [dubious] link, that others believe the first use was in 1842. A calque is just a “word or phrase borrowed from another language.”

So what we have here is a word that has been around a long time and one that writers today need to pay heed to. Because nonfiction authors can gain more credibility for their work if they choose the right foreword writer. Someone of note.

Yes, readers do pay attention to the foreword. The foreword writer, being someone acquainted with both the topic and the author, offers insights into the book, adds respect to the content, and offers an endorsement of you, the author.

Who Should Write Your Foreword?

Too many authors are afraid to ask an authority figure for this endorsement.

But if you want your book to be successful, stop being shy or worried your work won’t stand up to muster in the eyes of the person you want to write your foreword.

If you’ve been in business long enough, if you’ve been building a community and networking consistently, you know people who are qualified to write your foreword.

Asking someone of note to write your foreword is just a sales call. You’re selling yourself and your book. Yes, you may get rejected by your first or second choice. But move on.

I recommend authors have at least three choices to approach. Possibly more. You approach them one by one, of course. Never all together.

Here are some things to do to prepare:

• Know your audience. Make sure your foreword writer is part of that audience.
• Make a list of experts you admire. They don’t have to be famous. They do have to know the subject matter. Assess their work and any forewords they may have written for others.
• Think about approaching other writers. Who’s written a book similar to yours and has similar viewpoints?
• Ask your community. They may suggest people they know, or one of them may be the perfect fit.
• Review books similar to yours and read their forewords. Is there a fit there for you?
• NOTE: When I say ‘similar,’ I mean books in the genre or on the topic, and yes, some may be in direct competition with you, but that’s okay. Those authors could be fantastic foreword writers for you.
• Make sure you have more than the book to sell your foreword writer. What mutual benefits can you cite?
  

What You Want Your Foreword To Achieve

Forewords are important. You can have a nonfiction book without one, but it will lack that extra endorsement of you and your work that many people look for.

This is important for all authors, but especially for first-time authors. Your foreword, if you choose the writer carefully and they know how to write a good foreword, can elevate both the book’s success and your own.

Think of it as marketing and promotion. Your foreword writer both enhances the value of the book and shows support for you. This is something you can use in your marketing materials, “Foreword by…”.

While this serves to promote you and the book, it also promotes the foreword writer. That’s a selling point, especially if you have a big network. (Which you are building as you write, yes? We’ve talked about this before. Use our Taylor Swift Model of Book Marketing.)

You want your foreword writer to talk about why the book is important. She should mention her relationship with you. If there is no relationship, if you’ve managed to tag a celebrity of sorts (and yes, it is possible – many are approachable, as Penny Sansevieri from Author Marketing Experts discusses here), the writer may merely talk about the topic and mention you as having written a good book about it. Trust your writer to know what to say.

Once in a while, you may get a yes response to your request, with a caveat. The writer may want you to write the foreword for them. I don’t recommend this. However, if the person you’ve chosen is the exact person you want, and they don’t have the time but are willing to put their name on the content, you might agree to write it yourself.

If this happened to me, I would at least want the foreword writer to read some of the book. A few chapters. And offer some comments. The better to help you in writing the content.

In your request, remember to be respectful of their time. Give them enough time to read the book. This could be three weeks, four weeks, or more. It depends on your foreword writer’s schedule. This is why you start asking before the book is complete.

Express gratitude. If they respond and cannot do the task, be polite, thank them, and ask if you might connect on your next book. Keep the lines of communication open.

A well-written, authentic ask, showing consideration for their expertise and time, will go far toward achieving the goal of getting a great foreword writer for your book.

What A Foreword Is Not

Let’s end with this: a foreword is not a preface. The author writes a preface to give the reader insight into who they are and why the book is important to them. A little sneak peek designed to add to the overall purpose of the book by sharing a story or stories about what the book means to you.

Not all books need a preface.

A foreword is not an introduction. An introduction is the time to outline and share the main points of the book. This is also where many people put the content that might be better suited to the preface. Talking about themselves and how the book came to be. That’s fine. It gives the book a certain flavor – like the appetizer before the main meal.

All nonfiction books need an introduction.

Yes, people often skip the introduction, but that doesn’t mean you can leave it out. It serves a purpose and I’m betting many people who skip the introduction go back and read it later on. (Yes, that would be me, sometimes.)

I do believe nonfiction books need a foreword and an introduction. However, if you are not able to secure the right person to write the foreword, you may proceed with just an introduction.

All of this comes down to planning. Planning. Planning. Planning. Your book coach or developmental editor should be keeping you on track to finding a good foreword writer. During the writing of the book.

It’s your baby. Give it the support it needs.

Any questions? Leave them in the comments. Who would you like to write your foreword?

Master Book Builders – with Tom and Yvonne – is here to help you write, market, and Indie publish your book. Take charge of the project and get it done.