Backmatter: It’s Not Just for Nonfiction
When I’m coaching picture book writers, I often get asked the question, should I add backmatter to my fiction story? My answer is: give it a shot!
Why? Because editors love backmatter. It’s a great selling point for teachers and parents. And if the editor doesn’t want backmatter, they’ll simply cut it.
I have two fiction picture books being published this year, PAPA AND PEARL with Free Spirit Publishing about a girl coping with change after her parents’ divorce; and HOORAY IT’S THREE KINGS DAY! with Familius, which celebrates the Latinx holiday of Epiphany.
In HOORAY, I used FRY BREAD as a mentor text for backmatter. I was nervous to write the book because the holiday is celebrated differently depending on your Latinx background. Like Maillard, I created an author’s note. This was a great place to explain how my Puerto Rican family celebrated the holiday, and how others may have different traditions.
In total, my pitch to Familius contained four pages of “Optional Backmatter.” These included an Author’s Note, About Three Kings Day, a Recipe, and a Spanish Glossary. I wanted the editor to have options in case they didn’t like some of my ideas. Once it was acquired, I figured Familius might pick one page to keep. Nope, they kept all four pages and made very few changes.
For PEARL, I read the publisher’s guidelines and knew they specifically wanted backmatter. I had thought about adding backmatter many times before, but didn’t get serious about writing it until I subbed to Free Spirit. Because my book was SEL focused on divorce, I wrote tips for children going through their parents’ divorce, which I wrote out bullet-point style. Not only did the editor love it, she asked me to add tips for parents and write an intro and wrap up. It ended up being 2.5 pages worth of backmatter in the book.
There are so many different styles of backmatter; tips, authors’ notes, timelines, weird or interesting facts, crafts/activities, recipes, “all about,” etc. So which one is right for your book? There isn’t a right or wrong answer. Go with what intrigues you, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, try out several options to get a feel for what works best.
One thing I’ve learned is that editors like it when you have a vision. While you can add a line that says “possible backmatter could include X” and leave it at that, in my experience, editors want to see your vision laid out on the page. Editors are exhausted, just like us writers. Have confidence in your backmatter and don’t be afraid to get creative. Take something off an editor’s plate and let them know you have a vision that will work. And this goes without saying but do your research and use reputable sources. Cite the sources you’ve used as well. While this doesn’t have to be in your pitch, you should have it handy.
For a story about a little known Latinx holiday, backmatter made sense, but what about straight fiction? There are many instances where backmatter can be used to enhance the main text. If your story has an SEL theme, such as friendship, emotions, or grief, those topics could be explored further with coping strategies, an author’s note, or facts. If your book explores kindness, backmatter including ways to show kindness in the classroom, at home, or in your community could make for an interesting addition.
Books with an animal protagonist could include animal facts. In Tracy C. Gold’s TRICK OR TREAT BUGS TO EAT a little bat flies out Halloween night seeking crunchy bugs to eat, rather than candy. Tracy created backmatter featuring bat facts and labeled bat body parts. I have named this, “pointy arrow backmatter.” I’m sure there’s an official name, but pointy arrow backmatter has a nice ring to it.
If you’re stuck on what type of backmatter to include, list out all the themes/hooks in your book to help spark ideas.
Below are two examples of picture books I’ve sent to my agent and how I worked in backmatter:
PB 1: A fiction PB with humor and an animal protagonist
Pitch: A scraggly possum is worried they are too weird to make friends with the cute woodland creatures.
Themes: friendships, fitting in, being yourself, animals.
Backmatter Ideas:
- Tips for Making Friends
- Weird and Wonderful Possum Facts
- Author’s Note About Differences/Being Yourself
PB 2: Heartwarming fictional PB with income differences
Pitch: After attending her classmates posh party, a girl from a low-income home worries her “homespun” birthday party won’t be fun.
Themes: Low-income, birthdays, classmates, jealousy, embarrassment/self-consciousness
Backmatter Ideas:
- Fun and Free Birthday Party Games
- Income Facts
- A Note about Income Differences
And lastly, read at least 10-20 books with backmatter for ideas and inspiration. Check out these recommendations below.
- Papa and Pearl, by Annette M. Clayton
- Hooray It’s Three Kings Day! by Annette M. Clayton
- My Grandpa, My Tree, and Me by Roxanne Troup
- Paula’s Patches by Gabriella Aldeman
- This Could Be You by Cindy William Schrauben
- It Will Be OK by Lisa Katzenberger
- Miso Magic by Moni Ritchie
- Oh Deer! By Phaea Crede
- Moonlight Memories by Amanda Davis
- Tiny Tern Take Flight by Donna B. McKinney
- This is My Bag: A Story of the Unhoused by Roxanne Chester
- Buffalo Wild! by Deidre Havrelock
- La Mala Suerte Is Following Me by Ana Siqueira
- Wishes of the World by Melissa Stiveson
- The Christmas Elephant by Maria Antonia
- Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard
Annette M. Clayton lives in quiet Maryland town with her husband and twin daughters. She has written over 25 books for young people in the educational and traditional markets. Her debut picture book, PAPA AND PEARL, published in August 2024, followed by HOORAY, IT’S THREE KINGS DAY! In 2025, Annette’s debut chapter book series JOJO hits shelves, followed by THE MAGICAL PROTECTION AGENCY in 2026. Annette offers critique services for new kidlit writers. You can learn more about her at www.AnnetteMClayton.com.
Annette is offering one lucky winner a copy of PAPA AND PEARL (US only)! Have you included backmatter in your fictional PBs? Tell us about it.
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44 Responses
Hi Annette – thanks for great tips about including back matter and a helpful mentor text list. Congratulations on your upcoming books!
Interesting post; thanks Annette! I love including back matter at the end of my fictional picture books whenever appropriate. Happy Holidays!
Thanks for giving us very specific examples of back matter. Much appreciated and useful!
Thank you for all the specific information included in your article. I had one page of backmatter to go with my fiction book, but now I have ideas for additional backmatter. You really got my creative energy going.
This is something I am always interested to learn more about. I appreciate your insight. I love when books have compelling back matter. Thank you!
Great tips on including backmatter. I think it is especially useful for books that are informative fiction. Including backmatter and letting the editors decide whether to use it or not is such a good suggestion. Thanks for sharing.
Annette,
This was so interesting to read, and I love that you included a reading list of books with excellent backmatter. Thank you for sharing!
Congrats, too, on your books!
Thanks for sharing! It’s great to hear of your success with backmatter (and overall). I have a couple of fiction manuscripts with backmatter. I appreciated learning about the types of backmatter you included. Always good to think about offering options.
These are GREAT tips on how to include backmatter in fiction picture books. Thank you!
I love using teachable for creating online courses.
Annette,
This post and the possibilities for back matter and sharing more than just the on story with an editor was helpful and inspired me to add more to the end of my stories and to try smaller publishers when sending out manuscripts for publication. Thank you
Terrific post and great explanation and information, thank you so much! Backmatter is so fun, and it was helpful to read your ideas.
This is a great post, Annette! I love backmatter in PBs. I feel like a gained a bonus reading section and I love reading it to my grandsons to help them further understand concepts and information to better explain the book.
I look forward to reading your books and I wish you contined success with your writing.
Thank you Annette! I became a fan of backmatter after an early 12×12 Webinar on the topic. My first foray was tentative, including swimming safety rules in Brave in the Water (fictional PB, illo. Jenni Feidler-Aguilar). Since then I always include backmatter – my Flor, Roberto, Luis books, starting with Treasure Hunt, always have backmatter about how to do a craft related to the story – and forthcoming Story Power! (coauthor Simon Chung) relates the elements of writing a story. Thanks for spreading the word about backmatter.
Thank you for sharing the effectiveness of using backmatter in nonfiction books. Congratulations!
Yay for pointy arrows! Gotta find a way to incorporate that idea in my back matter drafts …
Great post and it was so helpful for me right now. Thank you for the tips on adding backmatter to fiction picture books and for giving examples. Congratulations on all your success in writing and wishing you tons more.
I so enjoyed reading the fresh ideas you shared about backwater. I love that your strategy of providing options for backmatter can boost an author’s confidence to try-it-out. Using backwater in fiction is a wonderful idea. I believe backmatter can extend a child’s interest in a picture over the years as their reading skills improve and their interest in exploring a wider world develops. And backmatter can entice adults in the read-aloud role to dig deeper on a topic and to engage in conversations with children that might otherwise have not occurred. That editors appreciate the potential of backmatter to impact marketing is indeed a bonus! Thanks so much for taking the time to write and share this great post!
Thank you Annette,
I jotted down some of your key thoughts: editors/agents want to see your vision; have confidence in your backmatter and be creative. Your specific examples are helpful.
Although I have included backmatter and an Author’s Note in two PB ms, your suggestions have inspired me to consider more possibilities.
Thanks Annette for this great post. I’ll can see I’ll be coming back to read this information and the mentor texts.
Hi Annette, thank you for so many great tips for backmatter. Congrats on your books coming out. Happy writing!
Annette, thank you for sharing your pointers about back matter options for fiction picture books. I’m happy to see that my library has your HOORAY! IT’S THREE KINGS DAY.
Annette, your post really opened my eyes to all the ways back matter can contribute to the success of a picture book. You have given us wonderful suggestions and ideas and I especially appreciate your list of mentor texts to further our education. Congratulations on your achievements.
Thank you for your suggestions! As a preschool teacher, I love a book with backmatter. It lends itself well to further book discussions. And I can’t wait to read your book about Three Kings Day!
Thank you Annette for your wonderful post. So many good ideas and so detailed explanations. Good luck in your upcoming books.
Thank you Annette for your wonderful post. So many good ideas and so detailed explanations. Good luck in your upcoming books.
Really appreciate the great tips on backmatter. When I first read Papa and Pearl, I was impressed with the content and structure of its backmatter. Thanks!
Fabulous post! Thanks for the great examples of back matter!
This is a fabulous post, and I love your examples of specific kinds of back matter! Thank you for sharing.
This is an incredibly helpful and informative, Annette. I’ve been wondering how backmatter might be relevant for fiction manuscripts, and you’ve answered so thoughtfully many of the questions that have been swimming around my head. Thank you so much!
This is an incredibly helpful and informative post, Annette. I’ve been wondering how backmatter might be relevant for fiction manuscripts, and you’ve answered so thoughtfully many of the questions that have been swimming around my head. Thank you so much!
Thank you for your webinar!!
I’m wondering how you included that backmatter when you sent in your ms and query letter. Was each page an attachment, for instance? Were illustrations already in the backmatter?
Hi, Annette, I love your post and your Backmatter ideas. I will save these tips and tricks for further refererence. I have the bat book you mention and agree it is excellent. I love how the author sprinkles in the facts in back! So pleased to see your debut books and others to follow. Your career is taking off and you are an inspiration to others.
Happy 2025! Happy Writing!
P.S. I do know how to spell reference. 🙂
Thanks for the great information- been falling in love with backmatter and this just confirms how important it can be!
What a useful article! Thank you. I have several manuscripts where I have actually written out the back matter, but your ideas will make them better! Thank you.
I love backmatter – thank you for the helpful tips!
Thanks for the words about back matter! I LOVE adding back matter (teacher) and it’s one way to get that extra information in front of the adult readers. Congratulations on both of your books! I have Papa and Pearl, and it is wonderful!
This is really helpful perspective on the reasons to go for it with backmatter.
I love the list of resources! Thank you!
Annette, thank you for prompting us to expand our ideas for what could be included in backmatter. You’ve offered some fantastic suggestions for possible topics to address. Thank you!
Excellent post Annette! Thank you. At present, there’s only one PB I will be adding backmatter to. It’s regarding the 1867 cattle drive on the Chisolm trail – I’ll be adding backmatter about the trail bosses, drovers, traveling the treacherous trail back then, etc. Your article gives me more ideas for other stories that I’ve written that are pre-published.
Thanks for all the useful information.