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Q&A Can I have both a prologue and an introduction in my book?

You absolutely can have both an introduction and a prologue. Both are concepts which are well-familiar to readers; they will not be confused by it. If you do have both, the Introduction comes first...

posted 8y ago by Standback‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-12T20:06:04Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/26147
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:57:36Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/26147
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T05:57:36Z (almost 5 years ago)
You absolutely can have both an introduction and a prologue. Both are concepts which are well-familiar to readers; they will not be confused by it. If you do have both, the Introduction comes first, before any of the fiction begins.

If there's any cause for concern, it's of wearying the reader before they get to the "real" story. You're basically suggesting that readers go through two "reading experiences" before they start your "actual" book. First impressions matter, readers set books down quickly, so anything "extra" you add to the beginning of the book, _needs_ to be engaging and draw the reader in.

So I think that's really your main consideration here:

- Does the Introduction draw readers in? If no, consider making it an afterward instead.
- Does the Prologue draw readers in? If no, consider skipping it, or rewriting it, or weaving the same information in later in the book.

If you're not sure whether your Introduction and Prologue are engaging enough, well, that's the kind of thing Beta Readers are fantastic for :)

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-01-18T16:53:48Z (almost 8 years ago)
Original score: 3