I read an article recently that got me thinking about changes to the standards in books and publishing. We’re all familiar with the “credits” that run after audio-video productions (TV shows and movies), but what if books had a “credits page” in a similar fashion? Avid Press, says Publishers Lunch, is making a credits page standard in their book template.
The credits page at Avid Press will name workers across a number of departments including editorial, marketing, production, artwork, and more, as well as thank the “hundreds of professionals in the Simon & Schuster audio, ebook, finance, human resources, legal, operations, sales, supply chain, subsidiary rights, and warehouse departments whose invaluable support and expertise benefit every one of our titles.”
This step by Avid Press is commendable. As readers, we often don’t recognize the contributions of all the professionals in the traditional publishing process. This move aligns with the practice of acknowledging the collaborative effort behind a book’s publication, and allows readers to familiarize themselves with the specific names of editors, graphic artists, and other industry professionals whose work they admire, even if they weren’t initially aware.
While authors may sometimes include acknowledgements in their book content, they typically recognize the editors and beta readers whose names they knew and can remember, alongside mentors, family members, and friends. Acknowledgments are still important in that they allow the author to thank these individuals for their support, feedback, and assistance.
On the copyright page, sometimes, the publisher will include information about the cover art, lead editor, photographer, illustrator, or another high-ranking contributors to the book and its publishing process, but this is not standard across the industry and is typically mostly concerned with, of course, copyright protection rather than credit for excellent work done.
However, a full credits page (or two) would help support and empower all the industry professionals who work “behind the scenes.” Including this in books and publishing the names of technical and support staff provides more transparency and a more thorough accounting of every step of the process for the publisher as well as the professionals.
Positives to this Change in Books and Publishing Standard
Recognition.
One of the primary reasons to include credits in a book is to express gratitude and recognition to the individuals who have contributed to the creation and success of the book. Industry experts currently don’t have a lot of options to showcase or portfolio their work, or it can be cumbersome, or they may be under contract not to reveal their role in the production.
Since we’re looking at credit pages as similar to a credit reel at the end of a TV or film production, let’s consider the parallel that these credit pages may begin a database for publishing professionals similar to the IMDB listings for all film industry cast and crew members. Currently, if an editor is listed on the cover of a book, Goodreads will allow the professional to tag themselves as “Editor” on that title, but there is no standardized system for books and publishing industry pros who brought them to life.
Professional collaboration.
Even the team members who work together on various projects may not be aware of their overlapping expertise or experience. Someone’s talent may only get around a limited circle due to old-fashioned word of mouth. In today’s world of freelance work, short-term contracts, and various mergers and acquisitions in the publishing industry, professionals may have difficulty networking or navigating with other industry professionals over time. Including a credits page in books, and publishing the details of teams of professionals, would assist editors, graphic designers, audiobook professionals, and more to admire each other’s work, promote projects done by teams they know and trust, and collaborate with other skilled and credited individuals to produce the best books possible.
Reader connection.
In much the same way that team members aren’t able to track the success and movements of their collaborators, readers have nearly zero knowledge of who worked on their favorite books. But, much like movie fans can sometimes target their fandom to a particular professional like a stunt coordinator, costume designer, or sound effects team, book fans may want the same opportunity to follow, like, and subscribe to their favorite book editors, cover artwork designers, and marketing teams who really knock the promotion out of the park (ehrm, off the shelf?) …
Especially in a world of increasing self-publishing, readers may appreciate being able to visit an online profile of one of their favorite book publishing professions, which is linked to other projects in the professional’s portfolio, and thereby discover new and exciting books (and publishing connections) to explore.
Potential Drawbacks to this Change in Books and Publishing Standard
Clutter.
Adding pages to the book’s front matter creates “clutter” that readers must skip past to get to the main section of the book. Adding pages to the book’s back matter means they may never be seen by most readers (although, arguably, the way that credits are often not seen by moviewatchers either). Adding any bulk/pages to the book can also increase the weight or cost.
Traditional and individual books and publishing professionals might consider adding only a single page to the book itself, with a short listing of lead positions on the book’s publishing journey and a QR code or URL link where the reader can find a complete credits listing. If the publisher decides to include the full listing in the book, it should be well-formatted and constructed to maintain the book’s aesthetic.
Inclusion & Hierarchy
During the publishing process, errors inevitably occur. A traditional publisher may incorrectly omit or miscredit individuals on their team. There is also the order of crediting different positions to consider, and whatever hierarchy is determined, it’s likely that someone will be unhappy with the result. These hurt feelings can lead to potential legal troubles if someone feels their work was not appropriately or adequately recognized.
In the case of a self-published author of books and publishing a credits page, the self-publishing author may be dissatisfied with the work of one of the professionals and unhappy about promoting them within their finished book. And because the self-publishing author is doing much of the work themselves, including a credits page may be an extra step that seems unnecessary.
Privacy.
In both traditional and self-publishing, the idea of a credits page brings up questions about privacy, disclosures, confidentiality, and consent. In the case of traditional publishing, not all contributors may want public acknowledgment (for whatever reason), and this change is standard could be detrimental to their privacy. Especially if they’ve performed a role such as a sensitivity reader, they may not want to make themselves a target of readers who don’t like how a certain book turned out. In the case of a self-publishing author, especially one who is using a pen name, the credits page may be advisable only on a case-by-case basis.
A Template for Self-Published Books and Publishing Professionals
Personally, I hope other traditional publishers and more self-publishing authors will adopt this practice. Including the credits of publishing contributors for the book in the book offers a promising vision for the future of books and publishing. It’s a move that can elevate the industry and highlight the often-overlooked contributions of many professionals in the book creation, production, sales, and marketing processes.
Because this is a new and ongoing discussion, I’d love to hear what you think! If there was a template for a credit page that you could use for your self-published books and publishing projects, would you use it?
Leave a comment below with your thoughts!!