*This guide should be shared with the person you ask to write the foreword for your book, if applicable.

What is a book foreword?

A book foreword introduces the reader to the author of the book and is written by someone other than the author or editor in order to bring credibility or validation to the author and their book.

In order, a foreword appears first, before the preface and introduction. It’s the first thing that people read when they open up a book. A foreword should draw the reader in, set the tone for what they’re about to read, and get them excited to start reading through the book.

Being asked to write a foreword is a huge honor and one that you should take seriously. However, it can also be incredibly daunting, so this will go over some steps to help you get words on the page.

How do you want the reader to feel about the author?

Keeping in mind that the foreword is one of the first things in a book, you can be the one who introduces the author to potential readers. How you want people to feel about the author or their subject matter is important when it comes to writing your foreword.

For example, if you want people to understand that the author is a true expert in their field, you might want to pick stories and information that will influence the reader. These types of stories can help the reader understand why the author is qualified to write this book.

If you want people to think the author is funny and likable, tell a funny story about your time together that helps the reader feel like they were there laughing with the two of you. 

How do you want the reader to feel about the author?

Highlight your own experience and knowledge

Although it’s important to paint the author in a good light, you also need to demonstrate to people why you’re someone they should listen to in the first place.

The author chose you because they trust you and your reputation. They wouldn’t be asking you if they didn’t think your name on their foreword would contribute something valuable.

This is a good time to include your own experiences and credentials. A few bullet points of what you want to mention is a good starting point.

Overall tone

When it comes to choosing the tone for your foreword, you’ll want to think about the tone the book has overall.

For example, if the book is about a true crime murder mystery, you don’t want a bubbly introduction with funny, cute stories. You’ll want to pick stories and writing that match the general tone of the book.

This isn’t to say you should remove your writing voice and style completely, but you want to keep it somewhat in line with the mood of the book.

Follow these steps to write an effective foreword

A book Foreword should be around 500–750 words long.

Introduction

You’ll want to start your foreword by introducing yourself, the book, and the author. It doesn’t hurt to immediately dive into a story to draw the reader in and explain why they should care about this book.

That story might be about your own experiences, a funny story with the author as mentioned above, or the story of how the author wrote this book (if you know it).

You’ll want to immediately establish trust with the reader by highlighting your experience or qualifications for writing the introduction, even if it’s just based on your relationship with the author.

Establish your relationship to the author

Then you’ll want to dive into your personal relationship with either the author or their story. You might have worked together or met them through a shared experience. Maybe you met in a unique way, which adds credibility or even likability to the author.

Introduce the book and author’s credibility

Once you have the foundation in place, it’s time to introduce what the book is and why the reader should care.

This is where you’d talk about things such as this book explaining new research, telling an interesting story, or anything else that will help the reader understand why it’s worth reading.

You will also want to make it clear why the author is the best person to be writing this particular book.

Keep in mind, you don’t need to go completely overboard with gushing about the author and the story. You can keep it simple and to the point so people can understand your enthusiasm but not feel like you’re going overboard.

Wrap it up

Once you’ve done all of the above, it’s time to wrap up your foreword and get the readers excited to dive into the book.

You’ll want to summarize what journey they are about to go on by reading this book and get them inspired to flip to the next pages.