Sleeve Notes, Outtakes, and Deleted Scenes: Bonus Features in Books

Zoë Sharp

Way back before most music came as a downloaded or streamed digital file, it took physical form in the shape of vinyl records, tape cassettes, and then compact discs. My favourite albums were always those that offered something more than a list of the tracks and which members of the band played which instruments on the recording.

music with added lyrics
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

I loved the sleeve notes. The extra bits. Like the lyrics to every song, or—if the artist was singing their own material—notes on where each song was written, and why.

Likewise, when it comes to movies, I love the extras there, too.

I had to severely downsize my DVD collection when I made my last house move. The movies I kept tended to be the Special Editions—the ones with a second disc containing bonus features such as a director’s commentary, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, and explanations of the stunts or special effects. I’ve even been known to buy a second copy if it came with some/better/more extras.

One of those repeat buys was my all-time favourite movie, Ronin, a John Frankenheimer-directed Euro-thriller starring Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean, and Jonathan Pryce (making a far better villain here than he ever managed in his Brosnan/Bond outing, Tomorrow Never Dies.)

I watched Ronin again recently with an actor friend. We’d both seen it before, so we switched on the subtitles to keep up with the dialogue, and played the Frankenheimer commentary over the top. It was a brilliant example of tight storytelling and character development done with a few deft brushstrokes.

And also a timely reminder of a great thriller set in France, which just so happens to be where the section of the Charlie Fox novel I’m working on at the moment takes place.

So, no pressure, then…

Watching the movie again and listening to the commentary made me think about the mechanics of the story I’m writing. It also made me wonder if readers would be interested in those inner workings.

There seems to have been a trend away from putting in a lot of extra material at the end of ebooks, mainly because of the ‘percentage read’ indicator. People are sometimes put out if the book ends at, say, 80% because there’s so much other stuff included. So, while I am going to offer some additional insight into the story, I think it might be better to do so in the form of links to pages on my website instead.

So, when it comes to Bonus Features for a book, what would you be interested in reading? The story behind the story—what inspired the book? Or how the plot developed from the initial idea to the full outline? Would you like pictures of any real locations used? Or notes about the factual research woven into the fictional story?

All suggestions gratefully received!

This week’s Word of the Week is assonance, meaning the resemblance of sound between syllables of nearby words, particularly from the rhyming of two or more stressed vowels, such as ‘it’s hot and it’s monotonous’ (Sondheim) or from the use of consonants that are identical but with different vowels, such as sculled, scold, skilled. It can be used to invoke feeling or mood in prose or poetry.

Upcoming events:

March 8-10

CRIME & PUBLISHMENT—The Mill Forge, Gretna

Workshops on Getting Your Fight Scenes Right

Caro Ramsay is also teaching at this event—Breaking Bones For Fun

May 9-12

CRIMEFEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME FICTION CONVENTION—Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, Bristol

Various panels, TBA, although I am once again moderating The Indie Alternative on Sunday morning, May 12

Matters Related: What else do you put in a book besides the story?

Zoë Sharp

The eBook revolution was a burst of sudden freedom for the content of books of all types, but especially for novels. Suddenly, there was almost no limit to how much you could include alongside the actual story. A bit like when DVD replaced videotape as the movie medium of choice. Now you had ‘making of’ documentaries, directors’ commentaries, deleted scenes, interviews, stunt reels, and alternative endings, alongside the main event.

Those are the bonus features that fascinate me as a movie viewer. I’ve even been known to buy again a movie I already owned on DVD if the new edition had all those kind of extras on it. Why not the same with novels?

If your story is set in a particular (real) location, would maps of the area add to the feel of it, or provide an unnecessary distraction? Or perhaps it is more of a requirement if your story is set in a fictional locale like GAME OF THRONES.

If you write a series where the books come out at intervals, wouldn’t it be a good idea to remind the reader of the story so far, or would new readers use that to catch up and no longer need to buy/borrow the backlist?

The question is how much information do you include? The jacket copy synopsis? Or simply a couple of lines to tempt the new reader and remind the existing fans? Do you include an excerpt from the next book at the end of this, as further encouragement to keep reading?

When you read a novel, are you interested in what inspired the story, where the author got the idea from, or how they dropped on the perfect ending by some random set of circumstances? How much do you want to see behind the scenes, or will it entirely spoil the magic for you?

Do you want to read an interview with the author about the art of writing, the inspiration behind the series, or how they’ve developed the character?

Or how about extras in the form of a short story? I’ve always thought that what brings readers back to an author is because they like the sound of that author’s voice. What better way to keep talking to your reader than to give them a bonus in the form of another complete example, and one that’s easily digested in a short sitting?

The downside, of course, is the expectation factor. By this, I mean that as you read a digital book you’re told what percentage of the story is still to come. If there are a lot of extras at the end, the actual body copy of the novel could end at 80-90%, leaving the reader feeling somehow let down having thought there was at least another chapter or two to go.

So, I’m left in a quandary, hence all these questions. Once you’ve read a story, how much more story do you want to read?

This week’s Word of the Week is Barmecide, meaning someone who offers something that’s disappointing or an illusion. The word comes from the Arabic Barmakī, who was a prince in the Arabian Nights tales, who offered a beggar a banquet which consisted of decorative but empty dishes.