Oh boy! I've just completed laying out chapter 8 of a 14-chapter book design, using the InDesign indb book "feature", which I loved a minute ago. Then I decided to research how to set up the Endnotes (which are currently at the end of each chapter for "ease of proofreading") and because I had no idea how to actually do them - but, ALAS. This is really unfortunate. Please, Adobe, this is a thing that should NOT BE a thing. Solve the dynamic end-of-book endnotes, PLEASE, so we don't have to go dig up coding solutions and half-baked workarounds for an incredibly common book feature.

About Issue #1, I'm publishing a 200 page book with 19 chapters, but I just used one document. I did not use the Book Function. Avoiding the Book Function seems to be the only way now to publish a book that has the endnotes at the end of the whole book, unless someone else can suggest something. Having one document places all the endnotes in the back, numerically but without any reference to Chapters. I suppose I could manually insert chapter titles within the endnotes by using the space bar to create some space and putting in text for "Chapter 2 Endnotes" etc. Then, to create a TOC I plan to use section markers for sections and try the TOC function, but I haven't done that yet. Or I will manually type out a TOC. At the new chapters, I so far have just used a Odd Page Break and then manually typed in the chapter number and title, etc. Having endnotes in the text of the book at the end of each chapter really interrupts the flow of the text. Most books have endnotes at the back of the book, not at the back of each chapter. I guess they don't use Adobe's Book Function for books. If anyone has a work around, that would be great, but until Adobe has a Book Function that works like most books for citations, I can't use it. Here's one other workaround which is to not use number citations but rather place the citations at the end, identified by chapter and page, which many new books are doing now. Maybe that's because they conclude it looks cleaner without citation numbers, but maybe this is because of this Adobe situation with endnotes. I prefer using the citation number. It looks more official and lets readers know that there are specific citations and/or additional information about specific facts or items.

Regarding Issue #2, the same things apply, as I know of no way to separate sidebar endnotes from running into the document endnotes all from 1-100, for example; as it stands now in August of 2022.

How can I copy and paste a box on endnotes that are at the end of all my chapters to the back of the book without loosing the superscript numerals? They turn into question marks when I copy them to the Endnotes chapter/file in my Book document.

Hi, truly grateful for the Kahrel scripts that've got me out of a bind with this on a couple of high pressure tasks, but come on Adobe - surely this is pretty fundamental?!

I also work on long, non-fiction books in the .indb format. I am very disappointed that the endnotes feature in Indesign does not support back-of-the-book endnotes. Please fix! I see colleagues have been asking for this for several years. Move it up the queue!

Please implement this feature as soon as possible. It is critical for long, non-fiction texts.

Has Adobe or InDesign responded on this topic? It's a must that endnotes be consolidated at the end of the book, not after each chapter when using the book feature.

such an endnotes should also include the section titles of the individual documents. this is important too.

Endnotes are possible, and an index, but only in one InDesign (.indd) document at a time. As of Nov, 2020, InDesign has a basic endnote function, but it seems to only work in one distinct .indd document at a time, not in the book file (.indb) function. I haven't tried to merge two .indd docs with endnotes or with indexes. Will that work without script? Thus, Adobe offers, paradoxically, a book file (.indb) that doesn't work for a huge number of books, like non-fiction books that need indexes and endnotes at the end. And as another commentator noted, the Adobe User Manual doesn't point this out, which by being honest would save the users a lot of time, but they make us look it up and read these comments. The book file (.indd) only consolidates page numbers and the TOC from the various chapter docs, not the index or the endnotes! I'm going to put my 200-page to 500-page books each into one .indd document, and not use a .indb book file. The other comments are spot on: How is the supposed industry standard publishing product any good for non-fiction books without endnotes on an index at the end? Again, both of which aren't possible in InDesign's so-called "book" file .indb. Adobe, please think of the non-fiction book market (both EPUB and print), would you? While Adobe keeps adding to its thousand ways to adjust the how the letter A looks on the book cover (which we all love, to be sure), Adobe ignores these these very basic functions for book publishers (indexing, combining documents, endnotes) which would bring customers running from the many, many people who are working on books and long documents. Also, be warned users, the book file (.indb) can eliminate your hyperlinks in some cases, so you have to manually reenter them, see https://www.bookdesignmadesimple.com/indesign-book-feature/

We need endnotes at the end of a book.

Yes. This feature is a must for book publishers like myself. Please add it.

Full agreement. Still a pain in the butt issue.

The endnotes must be in the end of book, not in the end of each book document! It's urgent!

Still no solution to this huge problem??? HAs anyone figured out how to get around the flaw in InDesign, or how do you all deal with this problem?
Desperate for a solution!!

Like Jannette, I'm flabbergasted that InDesign can't do back-of-book endnotes. And like another reader commented, it's like building a car without a transmission! If you can't fix the issue, at least fix your user manual to make it clear that back-of-book (vs. back-of-document) endnotes are impossible. But it's really unacceptable that supposedly sophisticated software can't do a basic publishing task.

I can't believe that this has not been resolved yet. What publishing software wouldn't have this ability?

I know this post is rather old now, but I agree with much of what you have said. However from what I can make out, one of your issues can be fixed in the current 2018 version. In the Type menu there is a Document Endnotes Options section. In the following dialogue box there is a dropdown button that allows you to change numbering from continuous to per story.

PLEASE add these features to the footnote and endnote functionality of InDesign:
- Continuous numbering of footnotes and endnotes throughout the various indd files within a book document
- Ability to put the endnotes of the different indd files within a book document in a separate .indd file at the end of the book; numbering continuous OR per chapter.

Please, please, PLEASE implement this desperately needed feature. Thanks!

A great feature. It would be very helpful indeed. Thanks in advance.