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Back matter: Editor's Notes #350
October 13, 2021
Hello,

The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.
—Edwin Schlossberg


In this issue:

1. Back matter
2. Tickled my funny bone
3. Interesting Web site
4. Writing prompt
5. Letters to the editor

1. Back matter
In the last issue, I gave you a list of things to include in the front matter of a book. Here is the list for things that make up the back matter of books. I imagine this list will be more familiar to you, but I’m including this list of items in back matter in the interest of balance and completeness.
  • Appendixes (material that enriches the text, but that does not fit easily in the main body of the text)
  • Endnotes (similar to footnotes but collected in one place instead of being placed on the page of the text to which they refer. Particularly useful if the notes are lengthy.)
  • Glossary (a list of words, foreign or English, that readers may not know and are unlikely to understand from context alone)
  • Bibliography (a list of all material consulted in research)
  • Reference list (a list of quoted material)

    • You can have both a bibliography and a reference list in the same book.

  • List of contributors (use when many authors are included in the text, and they are not credited in the front matter)
  • Index
  • Colophon (details such as designer, typesetter, printer, typeface or font, and distributor)

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2. Tickled my funny bone
Headline: Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
With thanks to Sheila Weaver 

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3. Interesting Web site
The checklist at the end of the page linked here might be useful.
https://www.iuniverse.com/en/resources/publishing/parts-of-your-book

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4. Writing prompt
Literature is full of stories about underdogs and those who are overlooked and then go on to fame and fortune or at least make a difference in the world.

Choose one the characters from this list and write a short piece that shows their unexpected worth.
  • The runt of the litter
  • The slowest runner
  • The poor speller
  • The scabby apple
  • The dreary day
  • The raggedy teddy bear
  • The unemployed homeless person
As always, I’d love to see what you do with this exercise.

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5. Letters to the editor
I am thankful for this reader who caught a typo in the last issue and told me about it.

Hi Audrey,

Nice to hear from you after such a long time.  Who knew there were so many things to be included in a book’s front matter? Very helpful list. 

The third to last item in your list is begging for correction. Although “foreward” looks a lot like “foreword” and sounds identical, they are not the same. In fact, “foreward” is a misspelling of “forward.” That piece at the front of a book—the word that comes before the book begins—is the “foreword.” 

The misspelling of foreword is nearly as widespread as the misuse of “media” as a singular noun (the media is). It is rare to see the media themselves, whether print or digital, properly use it as a plural (the media are). The singular of this word, borrowed from Latin, is “medium.”

Shirley McMillan
New Port Richey, FL

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