Publishing catalogs often categorize their titles as either “frontlist” or “backlist.” These labels serve a clear purpose in the publishing industry. Understanding the difference between the two labels can give you a better understanding of how a title’s dynamic shifts with the publisher’s approach to marketing and long-term planning.
Backlist Titles
HarperCollins UK defines backlist as “. . . older titles that have been in circulation for a longer period.” Because backlist titles are older titles, they require less marketing than newer titles; they also provide consistent sales. In turn, publishers often earn a large portion of their revenue yearly from their backlist.
Examples from UNG Press’s backlist include The Secret Battle by A.P. Herbert; The War in the Air by H.G. Wells and Edited by Aaron Worth; The Nature of Things: Essays of a Tapestry Weaver by Tommye McClure Scanlin; Understanding Music: Past and Present by N. Alan Clark, among many others. These titles are no longer new, but they remain in steady demand.
Well-known examples of successful backlist books include classics such as Holes by Louis Sachar. Penguin Random House Children’s Books has highlighted backlist titles favored by librarians and teachers, illustrating the long-term value of backlist titles.
Frontlist Titles
By contrast, the frontlist consists of newly released or forthcoming titles. Examples of current UNG Press frontlist titles include: Dystopian Discord: Cold War Politics and Cambodian Communism by B.D. Mowell and NCO School: How the Vietnam-era NCO Candidate Course Shaped the Modern Army by Daniel K. Elder, both released fall 2025, and Splintered Shadows: Recapturing a French Résistante by Marilyn F. Moriarty, forthcoming 2026, and many more.
Frontlist is temporary. As part of the publishing lifecycle, frontlist titles transition into the backlist category with age. This is beneficial for both the publisher’s marketing and the readers/buyers; it gives prospective clients a good idea of what titles have worked well for that publisher, while also building a strong catalog of established works. UNG Press has many monographs and open textbooks in our backlist, reflecting the scholarly and open mission of the Press.
How Frontlist and Backlist Work Together
Together frontlist and backlist titles serve different-but-complementary roles. The frontlist drives visibility and reviews, whereas backlist ensures stability and long-term revenue for the publisher. These two categories help build the sustainability of a publisher as they establish new titles and compile older ones.
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