The “Your Questions Answered” Series
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Can you provide tips for what should go in the front or back matter pages that authors produce, such as:
*acknowledgments
*author notes
*source citations in nonfiction
Acknowledgments are optional but always appreciated by those acknowledged. Agents are often left off the acknowledgments list, believe it or not. Simply think about your team: critique partners, editors, your agent—anyone who is on your side and truly happy for you. You can say a sentence or even a phrase about each person or group. Acknowledgments usually appear in the back of the book and can be lengthy. Your editors and agent don’t mind being acknowledged every time.
A book dedication appears in the front matter of the book. Here is a great place to honor someone who has offered you exceptional help and encouragement.
Acknowledgments and dedications are optional.
Author notes, too, are optional. These can include why the author wrote the book or anything unique an author wants the reader to know. For example, an author writing about an Amish community might relate how she grew up Amish, lives near the community she chooses to portray, or other reasons why she appreciates the Amish way of life.
Source citations in nonfiction aren’t any more mysterious now than they were when all of us wrote term papers for school. Whenever an author uses a source, the source needs to be cited, whether quoted directly or paraphrased.
Citations may be footnotes on the pages where quoted or endnotes gathered at the back of the book. All the souces may then be compiled in a bibliography, another possible element of back matter.
Your turn:
Who are you the most excited about remembering in your book?
Did you name characters after people you love?
For the entire series, click here: “Your Questions Answered.”