You've finished the last chapter and there's one more scene you want: the characters a year later. Or you've started with a dramatic moment from the past and you're not sure whether to call it chapter one. The words prologue, epilogue and afterword get used loosely, and the choice changes where the section sits, how it's numbered and what a reader expects from it.
What is the difference between a prologue and an epilogue?
Both are part of the story. The difference is which side of the main narrative they sit on and what job they do.
| Prologue | Epilogue | Afterword | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it goes | Before chapter one | After the last chapter | In the back matter |
| Part of the story? | Yes | Yes | No |
| Who's speaking | The narrative | The narrative | The author or a guest |
| Typical job | Set up an earlier event or another view | Show what came after the ending | Explain how or why the book was written |
| Common in | Fiction | Fiction | Fiction and non-fiction, often later editions |
For non-fiction, the pieces before the main text have their own names: foreword, preface and introduction. A prologue is a fiction tool.
What is a prologue for?
A prologue gives the reader something the first chapter can't, because it's set at a different time, in a different place or from a different point of view. Classic uses:
- An event from the past that the main story keeps circling back to.
- The villain's or another character's view before the story settles with the main character.
- A frame that explains how the story came to be told: a found diary, an old woman telling it to her grandchildren.
A useful test: if the section could be called chapter one without anything feeling odd, it's chapter one. A prologue earns its name by being separate from the main line of the story.
When should you skip the prologue?
Some readers skip prologues, and some agents advise against them in debut fiction, so it's worth being sure yours is needed. Skip it if it:
- Delivers background the reader doesn't need yet. Backstory lands better when the reader has a reason to care about it.
- Is a dramatic scene from the middle of the book placed at the front as a hook. If the opening needs a hook, the first chapter should carry one.
- Exists to explain the world. Let the story show the world as it goes.
What is an epilogue for?
An epilogue shows what happened after the ending. The main conflict is resolved in the last chapter. The epilogue jumps forward, often by months or years, to show where the characters ended up or to open a door to a sequel.
It works when readers will want to know "and then what?" and the last chapter can't answer without dragging. It fails when it repeats the ending, ties up threads that were better left open, or runs as long as a chapter. A few pages is usual.
How is an afterword different?
An afterword steps outside the story. The author, or sometimes another writer or an editor, talks to the reader about the book: how it was researched, what was real and what was invented, why the author returned to the subject, what changed since the first edition. Because it isn't part of the narrative, it belongs in the back matter with the acknowledgements and the author bio, not right after the last chapter as story.
An "author's note" does a similar job and can sit at the front or the back. Use whichever name your genre uses; historical fiction, for example, often closes with an author's note on the real events. Front matter and back matter lists where every section goes.
Where do they go, and how are they numbered?
In a printed book, the prologue opens the main text, so it usually starts on a right-hand page and takes arabic page 1. The epilogue follows the last chapter as part of the main text. The afterword comes after the epilogue, in the back matter, where numbering simply continues. Book page numbering covers the rules in detail.
In an ebook there are no fixed pages, so what matters is that each section has its own heading and shows up as its own entry in the reader's table of contents.
How do you mark them up in Markdown?
Give each one its own heading at the same level as your chapters, so it starts on a new page and shows up in the contents:
## Prologue
The fire started in the east wing, three years before...
---
## 1. The Letter
...
---
## Epilogue
Two summers later, the house was sold.
---
## Afterword
This book began with a newspaper clipping...Don't number the prologue or epilogue. "Prologue" and "Epilogue" are their titles.
How do you lay them out in bukpress?
In bukpress the whole book is one Markdown file. Each --- line on its own is a hard page break, so the prologue, the epilogue and the afterword each start on a new page. Their headings take your title typeface and the text takes the body settings you set once for the whole book. Export a typeset PDF and a reflowable EPUB from the same file, where each section becomes its own entry in the reader's navigation menu. The sample book shows a real export.
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Common questions
Can a book have both a prologue and an epilogue?
Yes. When a book has both, they often mirror each other: the prologue shows a moment before the story, the epilogue a moment after it. Each still has to earn its place on its own.
Is a prologue the same as chapter one?
No. A prologue is set apart from the main story by time, place or point of view. If nothing sets it apart, call it chapter one.
How long should a prologue or epilogue be?
Usually shorter than a typical chapter: a few pages. If it runs as long as a chapter, it may be a chapter. How long should a chapter be gives the usual ranges.
Do non-fiction books have prologues?
Rarely. Non-fiction usually opens with a foreword, preface or introduction instead, and closes with a conclusion or afterword. Narrative non-fiction, such as memoir, sometimes borrows a prologue.
Who writes the afterword?
Usually the author, sometimes another writer, an editor or an expert, especially in a new edition of an older book. A foreword by someone else goes at the front; an afterword goes at the back.