The "Guide to Related Topics" is simply a list of encyclopedia or A-Z reference work entries arranged under broad topics. Users have told us that they appreciate this feature for quickly assessing the kinds of topics included in the work. This list will appear in the front matter of the work, along with an alphabetical list of the entries. Because the work will also include an index, these topics should be general, rather than specific.
You will need to know exactly which entries will be included in the book and the exact wording of all the entry heads; thus you will want to finish this when your manuscript is complete. As noted, however, we highly recommend doing preliminary topical groupings of your headwords early in your project to spot gaps and inconsistencies in coverage.
The guide consists of a listing of basic topical categories that bring together entries under a related theme or thread. These are clusters of entries that someone interested in a particular broad topic might wish to consult to achieve full coverage of the topic. There should be at least 8-12 categories, but there can be as many as 20-25, depending on the book topic and the final entry list. As shown in the abbreviated example below, categories may be topical ("Children and Birth"), geographical ("Africa and Asia"), or based on a type of entry ("Individuals" or "Literary Works, Themes, and Authors").
Each entry in the book must appear under at least one category and some entries will appear under numerous categories. Each category should have at least 3 entry heads under it. Any proposed categories that have less should be incorporated into another. Category heads should be listed alphabetically with the included entry heads listed alphabetically under the categories, as shown in the example below. The entry heads should use the exact wording employed in text, although life date designations need not be included with heads to biographical entries. If you have any questions regarding how to compile your guide, please contact your acquisitions or development editor.
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