The back of your book is prime real estate, and most indie authors waste it. Readers who reach the last page are your most engaged audience — they just finished your entire book. What you put in your backmatter determines whether they buy the next one or drift away.
The Ideal Backmatter Structure
Here's the order that maximizes both sales and list growth:
1. A Call to Action for Your Reader Magnet
This goes first — before the also-by section, before the author bio, before anything else. The reader just finished a book they (presumably) loved. Strike while the iron is hot.
Keep it simple and compelling:
"Want a free bonus story featuring [character name]? Download it free at [link]."
Include a short, memorable URL and, if it's an ebook, make it a clickable link.
2. Your Also-By Section
List your other books, organized by series. For each title, include:
- The book title
- A one-line hook (not the full blurb — just enough to intrigue)
- A buy link or universal link
If you have a large catalog, prioritize. Feature the next book in the series first, then related series, then standalones.
3. Your Author Bio
Keep it brief and warm. Readers don't need your life story — they want to feel a connection. Mention your genre, what inspires you, and something memorable about you. Include links to your website and social media.
4. A Review Request
Many readers don't think to leave reviews unless asked. A polite, genuine request can significantly increase your review count:
"If you enjoyed this book, I'd be incredibly grateful if you could leave a short review. Reviews help other readers discover the book and mean the world to indie authors like me."
Keeping Your Backmatter Updated
Here's where most authors fall behind: your backmatter needs to be updated every time you publish a new book. That also-by section becomes outdated the moment you release your next title.
This is tedious if you're manually editing backmatter across twenty books. A backmatter generator that pulls from your current catalog and formats it automatically saves hours of work and ensures your backmatter is never stale.
The ROI of Good Backmatter
Think about the math. If you sell 100 copies of Book 1 in a series and your backmatter converts 30% of those readers to Book 2, that's 30 additional sales you'd have lost with weak or missing backmatter. Across a five-book series, that compounds dramatically.
Your backmatter is free marketing that runs 24/7 inside every copy of your book. Invest the time to make it great.