An Appendix for a Novel-Exclude when submitting to agents/publishers?

Alex37

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Hi. I hope to self-publish my fantasy sci-fi novel some day. However, If I should submit my manuscript to an agent or an editor and it has an Appendix at the end, would my work likely go on the rejection pile? Are appendices generally frowned upon by the publishing industry? Are such things discussed only after you are accepted and get a contract? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
 

Girlsgottawrite

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I doubt it would be an issue. If it was another genre, maybe, but appendices are pretty common in fantasy so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Think about it this way, if they get to the appendix at the end of the book, that means they read the whole book. If they liked it enough to read the whole way through, I doubt the appendix would change anything.

But take what I say with a grain of salt because I am in NO way an expert. :)
 
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VeryBigBeard

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Generally speaking, the book should include the whole book unless the agent or publisher specifies otherwise in the submission guidelines.
 

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I would probably leave it off, since it doesn't show the agent your writing ability, but I doubt it will make a difference if you included it. An agent isn't going to fall in love with your book and then reject you because you included an appendix at the end.
 

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Another vote for leaving out the appendix when you submit a fiction mms to agents or publishers (nonfiction would be different).

But if you have a complex book with lots of places & people, have an appendix ready to go. It will be useful later.
 

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They're not frowned upon by agents or editors. Unnecessary writing is, though, so if it's not really needed, leave it out. If it is useful and enhances the book, leave it in.
 

VeryBigBeard

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Yeah, I guess it depends what your appendix is. If it's sort of a companion piece, like a wiki or something, then hold it back and stick it online when your books sells a million copies. (Ex: Pottermore, Brightweavings.)

If it's part of the text--basically it's meta-fictional--then I'd put it in because it contributes to the story. (Ex: Tolkien.) The trick here is to know what you have. Don't throw in a big Tolkiensian appendix just because Tolkien did it. Tolkien's appendix is there because it works really closely with the story and the way he's telling it; there's this whole archival motif running throughout and his appendices and prologues are very much part of that.

I've been doing a pile of agent research lately and one thing I have seen fairly often are appeals to submit the whole book when the whole book is asked for. I think this more commonly comes up with prologues, but an appendix, if it's part of the meta-text, is in that same vein. If a reader's gonna read it, the agent probably wants to see it. The question to ask is whether a reader wants to read it. That's the question agents are going to ask, too.
 

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If a reader's gonna read it, the agent probably wants to see it. The question to ask is whether a reader wants to read it. That's the question agents are going to ask, too.

Indeed. And that takes us back to the questions of "are book buyers going to buy this book?", and "are readers going to buy this book?". If the answer to those questions are "nope" then agents aren't going to want the book and an appendix isn't going to change that.
 

CatherineDunn

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I can't speak for agents, but an editor would probably want to see the appendix - part of the point of editing is to advise you about things like whether your appendix is good, bad, indifferent, superfluous, etc! (I'm assuming you're talking about a developmental edit here.)
 

WeaselFire

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They're not frowned upon by agents or editors. Unnecessary writing is, though, so if it's not really needed, leave it out. If it is useful and enhances the book, leave it in.

Absolutely. Though I'm trying to remember any work of fiction with an appendix...

Jeff