#516 | Great Books Have Great "Afterwords" Too [Free Talk]
This note is based on the content of the Voicy audio broadcast from November 1, 2022, "Forest Publishing Channel | Radio for Planting the Tree of Wisdom".
"Afterwords" are the most important part for determining the "post-reading impression"
Imai:I am Sawa Imai, the personality for the Forest Publishing Channel. Today, we will be having a free talk with Morigami-san and Terasaki-san from the editorial department on the theme of "Thinking about the 'afterword' of a book." Morigami-san, Terasaki-san, thank you for joining me.
Morigami & Terasaki:Thank you for having us.
Imai:We previously recorded an episode on the theme of "forewords," but since this time it is about "afterwords," do you have any episodes to share?
Terasaki:People tend to think of the "afterword" as an extra, but as we discussed in the "foreword" episode, I think quite a few people read from the "afterword." I do that myself, and sometimes if the "afterword" is good, I think it might be an interesting book. Sawa-chan, you're an "afterword" reader too, right?
Imai:If the title catches my eye, I look at the beginning or the table of contents, and then I read the "afterword" at the end to make the final judgment on whether to buy it. Don't you feel like the book is more revealed in the "afterword"?
Terasaki:Exactly. That's what's interesting about it, isn't it? Morigami-san, is there anything you pay attention to when creating an "afterword"?
Morigami:Someone else said the same thing, and a mentor in this industry once told me too, but the "afterword" is in a position that determines the so-called post-reading impression, so it's about making the reader think, "I want to become a fan of this person." To that end, I include a lot of personal information. By personal information, I mean things like "I had many failures in the past." I create it with the intention of having them become a fan at the end. And I convey that to the authors as a way of writing an "afterword."
Terasaki:That's right. My approach is very similar. When a first-time author asks me, "How should I write an 'afterword'?", I tell them it's about "cultivating a post-reading impression." In short, I ask them to write something that makes the reader like the author. Business books often focus on methods derived from the author's own experiences, but then, even if unintended, the author can come across as sounding arrogant in the main text. This isn't necessarily because the author is arrogant, but it's a matter of the receiver's perspective. However, in terms of the quantity and quality of experience, the reader is overwhelmingly weaker and the author is stronger, so I want the author to step down from the stage and speak to them. That's what readers want, so I always ask for content that conveys the author's personal character, just as Morigami-san mentioned earlier. If possible, I want them to include failure stories centered on episodes. I ask them to include a heartfelt message to the reader at the end. I'm currently working on editing a new book for November,"The Technology of Choosing People, Taught by a Super Pro in Management x Human Resources"which is the first book by the author, Takehiko Ono. I was asked that by him the other day, and I answered that way. Then, about 40 minutes later, he sent me an "afterword" he had written, and it was an incredibly good manuscript. I was actually moved by it, which is a recent example.
Morigami:I see. That instruction hit the mark in a good way. If a book has a good "afterword," you end up thinking, "I want to read this person's book again." Especially with business books or non-fiction. With novels, it ends up being a commentary written by a third party. So, I would be happy if authors could see it as an opportunity instead. A service track.
Analyzing various patterns of "afterwords"
Terasaki:I've listed a few excellent "afterwords," so I'd like to have Sawa-chan read them now..."If You're Troubled by Parenting, Try This! by Charismatic Nursery Teacher Tee-sensei" is selling really well right now, and this was published by Diamond Inc. This "afterword" is an "empathy and support-type afterword," and it's really good. It makes you cry. Sawa-chan, please.
Imai:Yes. This is an "empathy and support-type afterword" that makes readers cry.
Thank you for picking up this book. Finally, there is something I really want to tell you all. That is, "There is no such thing as a parent who lacks affection!" Of course, excluding extreme examples that make the news, there is absolutely!!!! no such thing as a parent who lacks affection. Why do I want to say that? Because there are times when your child does something called problem behavior, like biting a friend, right? At times like that, people around you might say, "That's caused by a lack of affection," or you might read a parenting book and worry, thinking, "Maybe I was lacking in affection." But I want to strongly say, "That's not true at all!" Because everyone, you are doing your best, aren't you? You have housework, work, and various other things, and you are raising your children while sacrificing things you want to do yourself. Even if someone calls that situation "a lack of affection," what more are you supposed to do? It ends up being like, "Do I have to quit everything I want to do and be with my child 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?" Even if someone who knows nothing about how you live your daily life or how you raise your children tells you that you "lack affection," you don't need to worry about that at all.
This was the "afterword" from "If You're Struggling with Parenting, Try This! by Charismatic Nursery Teacher Ti-Sensei".
Terasaki: Thank you. I think this is an "afterword" that really hits home for moms and dads who are currently raising children. This is just the beginning, and the text continues after this, but I thought it was an excellent opening for an "afterword".
Morikami: That's really true. It feels like it's completely supportive. Also, listening to you now, I thought about how, for example, I sometimes see—and have even done myself—including 15 methods in the main text and then bringing a 16th one into the "afterword" as a special bonus, or as a final point you want to make. That reminded me of that. It's a little different from the supportive type, though.
Terasaki: I see. Right. That one was the empathetic type, but a common pattern for "afterwords" in health books is the "I am the evidence! type." The next one I'd like to introduce is from an "afterword" in a book published by Wani Books, written by Dr. Shunji Nishiwaki, titled "The Recommendation for Sugar Abstinence". This book is a practical health guide that claims to improve all kinds of ailments by completely cutting out sugar, as indicated by the subtitle "New Eating Habits to Cure Hypertension and Diabetes by 99%." In this genre, evidence is crucial, and this is an "afterword" where that is written with a punch. Sawa-chan, please go ahead.
Imai: Now, I will introduce the "I am the evidence! type" of "afterword."
I will be 53 years old this year. I treat many patients at my clinic in Yutenji, and I head to regional hospitals about twice a week for consultations. Additionally, thanks to everyone's support, I lead a busy life supervising and recording TV dramas, giving lectures, and being interviewed for newspapers and magazines. However, for the past few years, I haven't fallen into a situation where I'm "so exhausted I don't know what to do." I rarely catch a cold, and I feel like I hardly ever even feel unwell. On top of that, my interest in various things, including alternative medicine, is endless, and my motivation for exploration and my concentration remain the same as when I was young. I am able to live every day feeling fulfilled both physically and mentally, and if things continue this way, I even think I might really be able to live to be 200 years old. The reason I am able to live this kind of life now is, indeed, thanks to sugar abstinence. Just by changing how I eat, I can become this energetic. Since it is a fact I have experienced with my own body and mind, I can confidently recommend the dietary approach of sugar abstinence.
"The Recommendation of Sugar Restriction"'s "afterword."
Terasaki:Thank you. I actually read the book, read this "afterword," and really practiced this "sugar restriction" for three days. Complete sugar restriction!
Imai:How was it?
Terasaki:I used to love potato chips, but I became fine without eating them at all. I hardly eat them now. It's been years.
Imai:Just from those three days!?
Terasaki:Yes. It changes quite a bit in just three days. Maybe it changes the brain. I don't know, though (laughs).
Morigami:Sometimes you take this "I am the evidence!" style and put it in the "preface." You intentionally use this element.
Terasaki:That happens, that happens. Hitting them with it right from the "preface."
Morigami:Right. You want to show the author's so-called authority right from the start. In that case, it's not just yourself, but for example, if it's this person, you might put it in the "preface" like, "All the patients who came to the clinic are like this too." There are cases where you use it like that for this kind of material.
Terasaki:Indeed, indeed.
Imai:Is there a difference or effect between using this kind of material in the "preface" versus the "afterword"?
Morigami:For example, as I said earlier, when you use it in the "preface," it's because you want to properly establish the author's authority for reading this book from the beginning. If the "preface" is already established without that element, you might use it in the "afterword." I haven't read the "preface" of this book, so I don't know. What about you, Terasaki-san?
Terasaki:That's true. It's a dilemma. Whether to put the so-called killer content in the "preface" or the "afterword." I feel like which is better depends on the person or the theme.
Imai:Personally, when the "I am the evidence!" style is at the end, I feel like it gives me a push to take action.
Terasaki:That's right. After reading it at the end, you know. You get the feeling of, "If they're saying this much, maybe I should try it."
Morigami:I see. That's also true.
Terasaki:And finally, the one I'd like to introduce is interesting again. I call it the "makes you think again style." This is the opening of the "afterword" of "Affair and Justice" (Shincho Shinsho), a dialogue between brain scientist Nobuko Nakano and international political scientist Ruri Miura. So, please go ahead with this one too."Affair and Justice"
Imai:Yes. Now, here is the "afterword" of the "makes you think again style."
Affairs are not good things. That is certain. However, they will not disappear from the world. If so, you should just do it secretly. You should just leave it alone. Yet, why did two grown adults spend a whole book talking about "Affair and Justice"? It is because affairs are related to love. Affairs are born from our lives that do not go as planned. It seems that when people cannot bear the joys and sorrows, desires and jealousies, expectations and disappointments of a life that does not go as they wish on their own, they turn to affairs. There are affairs to reaffirm one's own existence, and there are probably affairs to escape from the here and now. There might also be dissatisfaction with a spouse who does not pay attention to you. Sometimes, one might find their own image in another person, and there may be affairs that one considers to be love. Of course, as long as an affair is against "ethics," it will not be welcomed by society. However, is there really that much difference between an affair and love? Is love something exceptionally sacred, and is an affair nothing more than a wild flower blooming on the side?
"Adultery and Justice" was where it started.
Terasaki: Thank you. This was written by Ruri Miura, and the way she builds up the discussion on "adultery and love" is incredible. Over the next five pages, she continues to unfold her discourse on the theme of adultery—which was already discussed extensively in the main text—from the perspective of love. So, after you've read the dialogue and thought, "I see," or "That might be true," the afterword makes you think even more. It doesn't let the reader stop thinking until the very last line. I introduced this as an afterword of the "makes you think all over again" type.
Imai: This is also like the bonus track Mr. Morigami mentioned earlier; it's a grand afterword that feels like a novel.
Terasaki: That's right. You could say you can enjoy it just for the afterword alone. It's a very dense afterword.
Morigami: It touches on whether or not a conclusion is reached in this book, but the two authors intentionally don't provide one. They just clash their thoughts together, and it feels like a prompt for the reader, like, "What do you think?" It's a way of making the reader think, or rather, continuing the thought process. That's the nuance I get from this afterword.
Terasaki: I suppose so. It's posing a question to the reader, isn't it?
Morigami: Yeah. And it's like, "Why don't you all think about this theme?" That type of approach is a common pattern for afterwords, especially when the theme is grand.
Terasaki: Indeed. So, those were our three selections for excellent afterwords.
Imai: Yes. With that, we have presented today's theme: "Thinking about book afterwords." Thank you, Mr. Morigami and Mr. Terasaki.
Morigami/Terasaki: Thank you.
(Transcription: Forest Publishing Division, Hiroko Tomita)