Foreword versus Preface
Although this was covered previously in a previous post entitled What is Front Matter? (Part 4) available here, I see lots of cases where these two elements are confused. So I believe discussing them separately might be helpful.
In any published book there are pages that precede the regular text that are placed in a specific order and that are numbered separately, using lowercase Roman numerals. In some cases, some of these pages may be followed by a left-hand page (called a verso) that’s blank; a right-hand page (called a recto) is never blank according to best publishing practices.
Foreword
It’s important to remember that a foreword is introductory text written by someone other than the author. It’s usually intended to give the author a “boost.” These people may include an editor, colleague, friend, or associate. The foreword begins on the first recto (right-hand page) following the Contents and lowercase Roman numerals are used for the page number(s).
The text for the foreword is set identical to the regular text. It’s customary for the name of the author of the foreword, their affiliation (if desired), their location, and the date to be included at the conclusion of the foreword. In some cases the foreword may be mentioned on the title page: “With a Foreword by… .” This practice is generally limited to cases where the foreword was written by a noteworthy or otherwise well-known individual.
Preface
Unlike the foreword, the preface is text written by the author and includes their own comments about the work. These comments may vary; typically the preface may include the author’s reasons for writing the book and comments regarding research that was done, if applicable. The preface may be signed by the author; typically the signature is limited to initials.
The preface always appears as par of the front matter and lowercase Roman numbering is used for the page numbers.
There may be cases where the preface is replaced by a “Prologue” or “Introduction” and included in the front matter. This practice would be used in cases where such introductory text is not considered to be part of the regular text but is directly related to the text. It may be included in the front matter, would always start on a recto (right-hand page), and may use either lowercase Roman numerals or Arabic numbers for the page number(s).
At Virtus we can assist you in making the rights decisions for your front matter and help you determine what’s best for your book project.
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