Your book is on the verge of being published, and there’s one more item on your pre-publication to-do list: the acknowledgments section. This is your chance to express your gratitude to all of the people who have supported you (personally and professionally) while you researched and wrote your manuscript, as well as those who played a part in getting your book out into the world.
Many readers will skip this part, but not those who are hoping to recognize themselves in your words of appreciation or those who may know you on some level. So be as inclusive as you can be without writing a whole new book. You’ll want to keep your acknowledgments focused on those individuals or groups who had a direct impact on you as a writer, a person, a professional, the genesis of the project, and the publication of the book. Save the best for last or acknowledge those who had the most significant impact on you upfront. Either way works.
Acknowledgments are traditionally placed at the beginning of a book in the front matter (usually following the Contents), though a growing trend is to place them in the back after the body of the book. My personal preference is to save the acknowledgments for the end so that the reader can get right into the book.
To get the ball rolling—and the creative juices flowing—you may want to begin with a statement about gratitude in general and how much “blood, sweat, and tears” went into the project. Of course, mention all the positive energy, enthusiasm, and laugher, too! There are always going to be some growing pains during the writing and production process, but if all parties proceeded with the best intentions, the good surely outweighed the not-so-good—and that’s reason to be grateful!
So whom might you want to thank? The list can be as general or as specific as you’d like. If you are being published at a traditional publishing house, be sure to ask if they have any guidelines for you to follow and if your word count is limited.
The following is a fairly inclusive list, so pick and choose among these possibilities as appropriate for your particular book.
· Family members—mom, dad, siblings, spouse, children, in-laws . . .
· Friends
· Teachers and mentors
· Contributors to the book
· Author of the Foreword
· Organizations associated with the work
· Endorsers
· Publisher and publisher’s staff
· Writer, book coach, research assistants, editor, copyeditor, and proofreader
· Cover designer, illustrator, interior designer, and typesetter
· Publicists, marketers, and social-media professionals
· Treasured animal companions
If you decide to get really specific, there is a better chance you will forget to name someone. To cover yourself, you may want to add something like “and to anyone I may have not named specifically, know that your support has been greatly appreciated.” Keep in mind, though, that even a statement such as this is unlikely to soften the blow if someone feels left out. But at least you tried.
Whatever the case may be, when you approach your acknowledgments section with good intentions and sincere gratitude, you will know exactly whom to thank and why.
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