Author Introductions/Afterwords

[Denny]

What do you look for in an author introduction/afterword for a limited edition?

 

Are you most interested in the creative process? The author’s view on the faction/lore/character? Insights into why certain choices were made with the plot/narrative? 
 

Purely a hypothetical question… not because I’m working on something…

[LemartesTheLost]

I'll say this, I prefer afterwords to introductions. Introductions, whatever their content, can cloud or prejudice the reader's opinion before they even touch Chapter 1. As for the content of said intro/afterword, I personally prefer insight to the author's view/opinion on the motivations of the main character(s) and their respective factions/subfactions. I like to hear about the creative process, too. Tell me about which parts were harder/easier to write as well, did it get tough at the end or was the roadblock hit around halfway through?

 

I'm less so interested in hearing why plot choices were made because part of the Warhammer Magic is that you get to take the source material and then interpret it into your own headcanon. Having the plot choices spelled out can take away from that magic, I find. I'm sure plenty of others will disagree with me, though.

 

Best of luck, @Denny! Always good to see you around these parts!

[darkhorse0607]

Not too much to echo that Lemartes didn't touch on, but I will say that I'm going to slightly disagree with the second point (surprise, surprise)

 

While I don't need everything spelled out in the afterwards, I do think it's appropriate on occasion, particularly if there was something shifted/changed in the editing process that differs from the story that the author wanted to tell. An example of this was Lion: Son of the Forest by Brooks, where he said that he originally set out to do something different, but there were mandated requirements by BL/things were changed which resulted in some wonkiness (magically appearing primarch sized pistols for example).

[wecanhaveallthree]

I think a lot of people are very interested in hearing about the creative process. The book speaks for itself, and the decisions behind narrative choices are - as Lemartes says - a lot more Fun when it's up to readers to guess at. But show us how the sausage was made, previous ideas or iterations, the challenges and triumphs. These are the author's words and their opportunity to speak directly to the reader, and I think they belong best when the book ends. It's like sitting down to have a chat after a good meal: it leaves a warm glow of satiety and connection. As strange as it may seem, authors are characters themselves in the narratives of the audience.

 

But most of all the afterword should be used as an 'are the editors gone?' section, where one may spill the tea on who has a crush on whom.

[Denny]

Thanks for the replies. It’s all very useful and appreciated. 

I prefer afterwards too (and they are easier to write; I find it hard enough figuring out how much to give away in the blurb).

 

Deleted scenes is an interesting idea. I’ve not really thought about discussing what was cut,  but it’s makes a lot of sense. 

[grailkeeper]

Short Answer: I dont know, I dont buy a book for those. In my own non-fiction books I always have had a preface, where I get to explain certain things about the books- why certain topics are ommitted or why they are dealt with in a certain way.  (And thank loads of people- some for genuine assistance, some in the hope it'll make them buy a copy). Not sure how that translates to fiction.

 

 

 

Longer answer- maybe something that might give me more of an insight into the book. Telling us why you wanted to portray certain characters in a certain light, or maybe giving an insight into something that we might have overlooked.

 

"I had all the characters do X to show that they're brainwashed from birth and dont think like 21st century people". That kind of thing. 

 

Maybe "I wanted to do this, but couldnt because of whatever reason". 

 

Maybe anything that happened in the book thats a reflection of your own life. The inspiration for things perhaps. 

[grailkeeper]

I've never heard of anyone being disappointed with an afterword in a book they've read. I'd say this is more of a treat for you where you get to do what you want. Maybe even turn it into this. 

 

 

[Malkydel]

I always try and ground it in what I first wanted to convey with a book and also what I felt/cleaved to when I was writing it.

 

 

[cheywood]

Every novel is a story both in terms of what it contains and how it came to be. An afterword is an opportunity to inform readers of the latter. Tell us of all the trials and triumphs, the victories and vexations. 

[N1SB]

This is a solemn question, and I shall answer seriously.  I may well be wrong, but that is my intention.  But 1st...

 

 

+++ Funny Thing Happened Just Now +++

 

 

3 hours ago, grailkeeper said:

I've never heard of anyone being disappointed with an afterword in a book they've read.

 

That's right, that makes as much sense as someone going to a Marvel film and leaving mad because of the after-credits scene.

 

(Which also absolutely happens.  Humans, man.  I dunno.)

 

But there I was, reading this book, Yuval Noah Harari's Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI and what he describes is so grimdark he might as well be writing for the Black Library.  Way worse than the Men of Iron!  It's a heavy book, then he wrote not an afterword, but an "epilogue":

 

Quote

...I have no background in the technical aspects of computer science...

 

Oh, NOW you tell me, AFTER I read your book.  Thanks, Brother Yuval.  If your book was a film, this is the WORST after-credits scene.

 

 

+++ Back to the Question At Hand +++

 

 

8 hours ago, Denny said:

Are you most interested in the creative process? The author’s view on the faction/lore/character? Insights into why certain choices were made with the plot/narrative?

 

I think you're right about all those.  I totally agree with you, and if this is for Warhammer, perhaps frame it in terms of The Hobby.

 

Warhammer players are not only interested, but involved in the creative process.  They're not just consumers, but creators in their own right.  They're painters, every bit as much of an artist as the writers of the lore, each of their miniatures a character (whose narrative might be to die by Turn 2 of a game, but still).

 

Warhammer fans might not be players...I recently met this young man at the Warhammer Store who came into The Hobby via what he described as "LoreTubers".  I'm not sure if he's ever even read a Black Library book...BUT he was aspiring to do what we already take for granted.  That's why he was in the shop, he was going to buy a novel, learn to paint.  To him, it's still magical; we're like these mad sorcerers that bend reality to our will.

 

(One of my Chaos conversions is in the store, he was blown away because it was different than how it looks on the product shot/box, he didn't realise this was something people did.  He totally twigged it, and created this logical framework like "oh, because it's been corrupted by the Warp," but the idea itself was new to him.)

 

So I think readers are interested in this conversation with writers like Brother AllThree said...like fellow craftsmen "Talking Shop".

 

(That's my D&D DM's phrase for us.  I'm in this D&D group and everyone except the DM were or have become 40k players.  When the DM needs time to check a spell or something, he just tells us to "Talk Shop" for a bit, because that's what it looks like from the outside.  That's probably why I think the way I do about The Hobby.)

 

 

+++ So a Humble Example +++

 

 

4 hours ago, Denny said:

Deleted scenes is an interesting idea. I’ve not really thought about discussing what was cut,  but it’s makes a lot of sense. 

 

Great idea, exactly, perfect.  Have you ever talked to Mark Bedford by chance?

 

Mark Bedford on the Forgeworld team is exactly like this.  He was the guy responsible for making Orks and Tyranids the way they look from around 3rd ed to now, before then they were kinda skinny, but he revamped them to look more like gorillas.  He'll happily talk about it, like imitating an ape to show you, it's awesome.

 

As much as he's happy to talk about what he made, he's way, WAY happier talking about what Warhammer players will make of it.  He's a lovely man like that, and I saw him mad in this video when players bought his miniatures but not paint them.  I've never seen a producer so pissed at his customers for buying his stuff (but not painting.)

 

It's like his work is not done until we're done with it.  He wants to see the completed work and he's waiting on us.  Sometimes his patience runs out!

 

SO!  Perhaps when talking about deleted scenes, maybe speak of it in terms of something a player could do for his army...and you want to see it yourself.

[Denny]

Some more good advice, thanks guys.

 

I worry a little about revealing what went wrong, because I fear readers will go “Wait a minute, he’s right. This bit totally sucks!” But that said I appreciate why it might be interesting (I enjoyed the afterword for Salem’s Lot for this very reason; the editorial mandate on rats eating people was criminal).

 

I tend to cut a lot in the drafting process, and have had to give up some treasured scenes in the final draft (Killing Your Darlings is an important lesson all writers must learn). 

 

Alright. Back to my hypothetical project.

 

10 hours ago, grailkeeper said:

I've never heard of anyone being disappointed with an afterword in a book they've read.

Hold my beer….

[wecanhaveallthree]

Quote

I fear readers will go “Wait a minute, he’s right. This bit totally sucks!” 

 

De gustibus non est disputandum.

 

Quote

I tend to cut a lot in the drafting process, and have had to give up some treasured scenes in the final draft (Killing Your Darlings is an important lesson all writers must learn). 

 

This is exactly the kind of craft people are looking for. Not just to see what might have been (and how that might inform their understanding of the story, or the story they can imagine it might have been, for better or worse) but to see how much winds up on the floor, how the finished product is not oft the result of gentle topiary but brutal clearcutting. It isn't exaggerated back-slapping to say 'this is all the work I had to leave out'. I think it's interesting (and fun) for the reader, an opportunity for the author to do a bit of brief, cathartic show-and-tell of stuff that didn't make the page, and an important lesson to all budding amateurs and those who think writing is just the endless fortunate fall of phrase.

[Sothalor]

In addition to the insights of the creative process, I do enjoy when authors share about things they learned or that surprised them during the process of writing a novel. Things like how characters sometimes seem to take on minds of their own, or arcs that interweave in some way the author hadn't originally planned on.

 

I also appreciate a look into the... I suppose we could call it the "emotional life" of crafting a book? When we get a glimpse into what writing this book meant to the author. It's like a little window into understanding the writer as a person. The specific examples that come to mind here are John French's afterwards in his Siege of Terra entries. You really got a sense of how much the Heresy had been a part of his life, how much he'd admired and missed Alan Bligh as a person, and how meaningful it had all been to him.

 

This is, of course, not to say that any author should feel obligated to do so. No creator is obliged to share with their audience anything they don't want to. But sometimes it's nice to get a peek behind the curtain, and to get a reminder that stories don't come from vacuums - they come from life experiences.

[skylerboodie]

I like Afterwords that give hints of what's to come (eg: hints at where you could see a potential sequel's direction), as sadly with Black Library storylines/series may suddenly be discarded at any point midway through and their marketing is the worst in the history of all mankind. And xenoskind, probably.

[DarkChaplain]

Personally, what I'm not a fan of is afterwords that go too deep into personal life details, unless they directly pertain to the creative process (like Abnett's health issues while writing Prospero Burns, for instance). I've read too many japanese light novels where the author's afterword is basically the author talking about buying cake, before rushing in some 'thank you's - pretty much filler. Those are an extreme example, of course, but it serves well enough as an "avoid"-example. That's not to say that talking about yourself is a no-no, writing is a very personal journey, but it's that journey I'm interested in, not a CV or daily life anecdotes that didn't have a hand in shaping the final work.

 

What I've enjoyed in the past were, for instance, Josh Reynolds' tidbits about ideas that didn't make it past the editors, or even the pitch - things that were really creative and show passion on the writer's part, even if they might be a bit too out there or silly.

 

I also like reading the author referencing other works that played into the writing process either directly or indirectly (like how Work A might have given some pointers for a faction's culture, as we see it used in the book we just read, or how something happening in another book made the author avoid certain choices); this should be focused more on content rather than author, though - we all know Dan Abnett (to keep using him as an example) has done a lot of groundwork for the Space Wolves in Prospero Burns, to inform their culture - but what specifically affected the story as-written, or gave a different spin from the original concept or draft along the way? What aspect or reference was important, for one reason or another, to get into the novel?

 

For me, with shared sandboxes like 40k, but also AoS, Star Wars or the likes, it's important that authors respect the works that came before, and put in their relevant research on what they're about to embark upon. I don't know if it's still the case, but back in the day, BL/GW would supply a bunch of material on factions and characters to authors... but often, they'd still put in more legwork of their own anyway.

 

I recall Mike Lee's foreword(s) (I believe it was) to the Nagash Trilogy for Time of Legends, where he'd go into detail about how he both used the supplied material about the Tomb Kings of Khemri, Nehekhara, Vampires and also stuff like Nagash vs Sigmar.... but then also had to flesh out an entire culture no longer actually alive in the setting, so he went and researched Egypt to inspire the books. And those novels were real chonkers, thick with atmosphere both culturally as well as in terms of environments. They felt lived in, giving a sense of authenticity and scale that, sadly, often lacks in BL fiction (with Abnett getting this aspect mostly right, as did Warhammer Crime before it got axed....). Robbie MacNiven also did a lot of work with the Sharks, or Wraight with his original novel about the HH White Scars. I like that nitty-gritty!

 

I want to know more about a book I hopefully enjoyed, and be made to pay attention to some of the things I might not have picked up on otherwise, maybe because I don't have the knowledge to recognize cultural influences that made it in there, or because I just didn't read a different work or source (yet). Make me think about the work on the whole and maybe shift my point of view a little to appreciate aspects that I might not have considered before.

An afterword is the perfect place to invite the reader to keep ruminating on the book a little longer, rather than just putting it back on the shelf and move on to the next thing just yet!