How to Write the Introduction

Of Your Tiny Book

Drawing by me

In last week’s poll, most of you expressed an interest in how to write the introduction of your tiny book, so here we go.

In this post, you’ll find:

• What the introduction is and what to include in it

• A PDF with 3 examples of effective introductions

• Differences between the introduction, prologue, preface, and foreword

Before we dive in, what would you like my next post to focus on?

Please vote. 👇🏿

Thank you!

So…

What’s the introduction?

After the book cover, I see the introduction as the second most important piece of my tiny book.

I consider this chapter a natural continuation of what’s on the outside (the title, cover design, and synopsis) and the place where the reader can discover why my tiny book exists, what purpose it has, and why I decided to write it.

The intro is also where I want the reader to feel reassured and excited.

I want them to go, “Yes! I picked the right book and now I can’t wait to read on!”

Writing the intro puts things into focus for me, helps me clarify where I’m going with the project, and makes me excited about writing the rest of the book.

If you don’t know where to start, start by drafting your intro.

Let me now show you 3 examples of introductions I like.

3 good examples (and where to find more)

Drawing by me

The best examples of good introductions are sitting on your bookshelf, so I’d encourage you to pull out some of the best nonfiction books you’ve read and read their intro with an analytical writer’s eye.

Think:

• How did the author introduce you to the book?

• What exactly did they include in the intro?

• What effect do their words have on you?

Unfortunately, most of the good examples I’ve found on my bookshelf are too long to be included in this post, but I did find 3 succinct ones and put them on this downloadable PDF.

Notice how, either implicitly or explicitly, the 3 texts answer the following questions:

• Why does this book exist?

• Why did the author write it?

• How can the book help the reader?

If you want to see even more examples, go to Amazon, type in the title of a nonfiction book you’d like to read, and click Read sample.

But wait a second…

Are you writing an introduction, a preface, a foreword, or a prologue? 🤯

Drawing by me

Here are the main differences:¹

Prologue

• It’s typically found in fiction books

• It’s an introductory passage usually written from a character’s point of view

• It gives information (background on characters, past events, etc.) that helps the reader understand the rest of the story

Introduction

• It’s closely related to the content of the book and is considered part of the body of the text

• In nonfiction, it summarizes the main argument, defines key terms, and provides background information

• In fiction, it may not be part of the story itself

Foreword

• Written by someone else (usually an expert), not the author

• It gives credibility to the book and the author

• It can function as a marketing tool

Preface

• It’s a short introductory essay written by the author

• It explains why the author is qualified to write on the subject, how they became interested in the topic, and why they decided to write the book

• Most common in nonfiction books

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What I called ‘introduction’ is technically the preface. However, I’ve discovered that these terms are used loosely in books.

For example…

• Someday is Today by Matthew Dicks is a self-help book that starts with a prologue, which is typically found in fiction titles.

• How to Live Like Your Cat by Stéphane Garnier starts with a foreword written by the author himself.

• The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson starts with no introduction, but Chapter 1 (“How to Build a Human”) functions as one.

My suggestion: don’t worry too much about technical terms now and start drafting a chapter whose title is something along the lines of “Why I wrote this book,” or “The story behind this book,” or “Why this book exists.”

As always, I’m all for principles and guidelines, not rigid writing templates, so feel free to experiment and find your own way of introducing your reader to your tiny book.

Though there’s no one right way to write the intro, I hope this post will help you write one. 🙌🏻

If you’re comfortable sharing…

What are you writing about in your tiny book intro?

And if you voted “something else” in the poll above, what topic would you like me to cover in next week’s post?

Thanks a lot and speak soon, 🤗

Fabio

1. Source: Masterclass — https://www.masterclass.com/articles/preface-prologue-introduction-difference