What is “Back Matter?” I don’t know, but Wikipedia does so let’s allow it to inform us:
The back matter, if used, normally consists of one or more of the following components.
Epilogue — An epilogue is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work.
Extro/Outro — An extro or outro is the conclusion to a piece of work and is considered the opposite of the intro. These terms are more commonly used in music.
Afterword — An afterword (literature) is frequently a piece of writing describing a time well after the time frame of the main story.
Conclusion — A conclusion.
Postscript — A postscript.
Appendix/Addendum — An appendix or addendum is a supplemental addition to a given main work. It may correct errors, explain inconsistencies or otherwise detail or update the information found in the main work.
Glossary — The glossary consists of a set of definitions of words of importance to the work. They are normally alphabetized. The entries may consist of places and characters, which is common for longer works of fiction.
Bibliography — The bibliography cites others used in the body. Most common in non-fiction books or research papers.
Index — An index is used to find terms used in the text. Most common in non-fiction books.
Colophon — The colophon is a brief description usually located at the end of a book, describing production notes relevant to the edition and may include a printer’s mark or logotype.
Now that we know what “Back Matter” is, what do we do with that knowledge? SCBWI’s March/April 2010 Bulletin has an article called “How to Make Back Matter Matter,” by Natasha Wing. Wing states that librarians and library users like back matter. She also mentions that 80% of children’s books are sold to school-library market. I think that says that children’s authors should look closely at “Back Matter.”
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