Q. I have written a book with twelve other authors. One of the authors is also the editor of the book. He has listed himself first as author/editor. I am thinking the authors should be listed first in alphabetical order and then the editor. Is this correct?
A. There’s a fine old tradition for the authors to fight this out. Your suggestion would work, assuming that the entire book was authored by all twelve. If the book is a collection of chapters by individual authors, however, it’s more conventional to list only the editor on the title page. The other authors appear in the table of contents and are perhaps listed on the book jacket flaps or back cover, depending on how famous they are.