The Ins and Outs of End-Notes
Winnie Czulinski
Writer ~ Journalist ~ Ghostwriter ~ Editor -> Publishing-PR Pro -> Bringing Your Stories to Life!
?????? One book I've been reading – with great interest – has a staggering 60 pgs. of end-notes and bibliography sources at the back (the book is just over 320 pgs.).
Another recent book I enjoyed, Dan Rubenstein's 'Born To Walk: The Transformative Power of a Pedestrian Act,' has 28 pgs. of source material at the end.
?????? And in popular biz/social culture: Malcolm Gladwell's 'Outliers: The Story of Success' (old version) has 10 pages of such material. A new inspirational-biz book I read has half a page – and Seth Godin's 'Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable' has NONE. Very different authors, different approaches and lengths.
I shied away from sources/biblio for my own book (published in 2004), a humorous one on Celtic music, because it didn't seem to go with the wisecracking approach, but most non-fiction books seem to deserve or demand it.
?????? Sources and biblio may be necessary, even legally so, and can provide credibility, validity, professionalism, social-media fodder...and in some cases the germ of a new book. Still, it's an individual decision, depending on book, approach and author. E.g., a 'business fable' book – a business-related book in fictional format – would need none or few.
And generally humour doesn't seem to go well with additional info squeezed into or overtaking pages at the bottom. I recall reading, or trying to read/enjoy a humorous book, with cartoon illustrations, that had seemingly endless footnotes, sometimes continuing on subsequent pages. After a time, I found it so annoying and overwhelming I threw the book down, never to be opened again.
?????? I also recently worked with an author on a memoir, which we thought could include a kind of bibliography. It included books and authors which had been influential in helping him work out certain life issues, and/or which he simply found enjoyable and inspiring.
Including this kind of 'biblio' in a more personal book also can help make it more visible, connected with known names, and provide opps for discussion.
?????? In the end, I think it depends very much on the project, the publisher, academic-or-not requirements, reading-public expectations. Footnotes and end-notes can be the best, and necessary, thing for your book. Or they can amount to a lot of clutter. And there's always the option of having an astute editor, who will take as much care with them as with the main-body manuscript.
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Some Helpful Guides:
?????? Pondering the use of end-notes in your own book? Footnotes (i.e., on individual pages) too? This is the kind of decision I can help you with! Working on a non-fiction book? Please comment/connect with me.
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