This topic came up in the Forum recently, and I’m curious how The Readers At Large are thinking on the subject.
What do we think about thanking the Academy? Do you like acknowledgment sections? Feel they’re self-indulgent? Touching? Do you notice? Not notice?
If you’re reading in a feed reader or via e-mail, click through for the fancy dancy poll:
JES says
Like 'em, especially when (as others have said) there's a narrative attached to some/all of the names. But some acknowledgments pages/notes do go on, resembling the end credits on a Hollywood CGI-heavy blockbuster, name after name after name after name… It's hard to imagine that someone whose name appears (say) 24th in a list of 50 feels actually, y'know, acknowledged.
Ink Spills says
I like them as long as they are personal enough. They give me a sense of the author, and I think that's a good thing, whether it shows up in the front of the book or the back. But if it's too generic, I feel like I've been cheated.
Ted says
Reading the Acknowledgments for a comparable book usually tells you who represents the author, which helps you determine who to query.
When I go to bookstores or the library, I read Acks for lots of books that I'll never read. It's a quick way to learn something about successful authors.
Lauren says
I never used to read them until I started writing. I always found them boring, until I started realizing the important information about editors and agents that are typically found in an acknowledgment section. I actually found the dedication page of a book much more interesting than the acknowledgment.
Now that I am writing and see how difficult it is to write a full book, I can appreciate why a writer would want to thank those involved in helping with the manuscript.
Charlie says
I like them, you often get a glimpse of the author you wouldn't have otherwise and it's quite personal when they divulge reasons and funny stories even if you don't understand them completely. Similarly I like the thank you section on CDs. It's weird when there isn't one.
Jessica Subject says
I always read dedications and acknowledgments even before I started writing myself.
Greg says
I'd imagine they're great for the people being acknowledged. And, as an author, I'd be guilt-ridden if I didn't given them the proper credit. Beyond that, as a reader, I never look at them.
Greg says
I'd imagine they're great for the people being acknowledged. And, as an author, I'd be guilt-ridden if I didn't given them the proper credit. Beyond that, as a reader, I never look at them.
April says
I don't always read them, I'll admit. I read them more now than I did before I'd decided to officially become a writer/author-wanna-be. I don't like them when they're dry – just a list of editors and publishers and agents that helped in the publication of the novel. I like ones that invoke humor or emotion. You get a better sense of who the writer is and how they came up with that novel's idea. I like them more now because, well, once I'm published I hope people read about the people in MY life who helped make it possible!
Shelli says
I've heard that acknowledgments are a good place to look for an agent. Find a book you like, that is similar in style and taste to your writing, and query that agent. It sounds like a good idea to me!
Amanda says
I think they are nice and I always read them. Writing requires a lot of support from friends/family and I think it's nice for that to be acknowledged. 🙂
Anonymous says
I think a lot of them are self-indulgent. And way too many are so cutesy as to boarder on vomit-inducing.
Thanking your mom and dad, spouse, and agent is fine, but when it goes on and on, to twenty or more people thanking copy-editors and book designers and the neighbor down the street who once brought you a latte, it sounds desperate.
Anonymous says
Ooo, I once had an agent who TOLD me to thank him in the acknowledgmetns section, and to list him as "agent," such was his ego.
He's no longer my agent.
I also find the acknowledgments are much like the writing itself. If the book's prose is clean and to the point, the thank you's will be as well. If the book is overwrought and overwritten, the thank yous are often endless.
ella144 says
I like the acknowledgments because that's one of the only places to find the agent and editor of a book.
I don't like acknowledgments that stretch on for pages and pages just like I don't like Oscar acceptances speeches that stretch on for a quarter of an hour.
LaylaF says
I like acknowledgments. They give a personal touch to the complex process of writing and publishing a book. I always read them and wonder about the story behind each person's name. Also…let's face it, it's just good karma!
Tom M Franklin says
i like them and i read them. i prefer them at the front of the book, but have no problem with them if they're at the end.
as a writer, i can't imagine not having one in my books (whenever they're published). it truly takes a village to get a book published and i think that village deserves to be thanked.
…
Cacy says
I don't always read the acknowledgment page (except when I'm hoping to see who the agent is. Heh). But I feel it's good for writers to have a place to publicly thank all the people who have helped the book come into being. It's really for those people, who are quite deserving of a shout out.
Cyndy Aleo says
Two reasons I think they are a must: one, I can figure out who that author's agent was for that book, even if they are now repped by someone different, and two, I nagged the heck out of my ex to get his book done and fully deserved that recognition or the book never would have gotten out the door. 😉
Cameron says
I just finished Christopher Buckley's Boomsday and was happy to see the Acknowledgements AT THE END of the book rather than beginning.
Maybe that's a good trend, like the relocation of movie credits to the end of the movie.
It's about the content first. If we like it, THEN we'll consider "all the little people that made it happen." If not, we'll walk out in the middle and get a refund on our popcorn.
Jenny says
I think acknowledgements are great. After all, the writer didn't print, bind, rep, market and distribute that book all by itself. It was a group effort and to ignore the group is just bad, rude, ugly business.
I do think they should be at the end. Like movies, some credits are going at the beginning (cover, copyright pages, etc.)but you do need to recognize people for their work.
Gerri says
I like to read acknowledgements to see what authors are connected with other authors in the biz. If I recognize names, it's useful to me to know who knows whom. And I'm starting to see people I know show up in acknowledgements, so that's cool, too.
Sarah says
Dave Egger's acknowledgements in "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" were, in fact, genius. But in general, I think acknowledgements are really interesting and I try to make a point to read them.
Kellye Parish says
I don't always read them, but I like when they're included (and would like to include such a section in my own novel when it gets published).
What really gets my heart all pitter-patter is a Dedication. Nothing quite so romantic as dedicating your entire artificial world to one special reader.
Anonymous says
I love them! They are the first thing I read generally.
Sara says
I love them and always read them.
Bonus points for ones that are funny/clever.
I enjoy them because they inform me in a very different way about the author and their process. For instance, if I just read their work, they seem polished, professional, damn-near perfect even! But I read their acknowledgments and suddenly they're a little more human because they list all the people who helped them get this work to its published/perfect state. It's like a glimpse behind the curtain of an amazing show – I like to know the work didn't just hatch from an egg in its current state, it took a whole supporting cast.
Professionally, I'm interested to know who their agent/editor etc. are.
And on a personal level, I think it's important and appropriate and just sort of "right" on a cosmic level to thank all the people who helped you get where you are. I thank the bus driver, my yoga teacher, and the guy at the deli who makes my sandwich. "Thanks" goes a long way.
I think there should be more "thanks" in our everyday lives. So I *definitely* think that when something momentous happens, something bigger than our everyday lives, like, say, your book is published, you should definitely take time to say all your thank yous…and we, as readers, should take time to read them.
Perry says
I like them as long as they are not too long. Some people go back and thank Adam and Eve, or the first mutation that produced the human species depending on what they believe.
I think a couple of paragraphs is great.
MJR says
I always read them, the same way I always sit through Oscar acceptance speeches. They're often boring and self-indulgent, but sometimes I can learn a bit about the author (and I can find out who their editor and agent were).
Kristin Laughtin says
Like them. If I were published, I'd want to thank people, so I can't begrudge others the same opportunity. Plus, they can give a little insight into the author's life and personality, and sometimes will reveal the name of the author's agent, which can be useful if you're looking for agents who represent a certain type of work.
Tricia Conway says
I almost always read the acknowledgments. I suppose I like to know who all is involved "behind the scenes."
Perhaps I wasn't paying attention before, but it seems as if I'm just now noticing the ack. page at the back of the book instead of upfront. Maybe just within the past year or two…
I think it's nice, it's polite, and it's an interesting (quick) read.
Leah Raeder says
I like acknowledgments, and I go out of my way to read them in any book, whether I liked or disliked it. It's charming when the book is good, amusing when bad. When I finish a bad book, I have to admit I enjoy reading the acknowledgments and smirking at how eagerly the author names their accomplices.
But I've found that authors generally don't write acknowledgments in an interesting way. An unqualified list of names–worse, just *first* names–is completely boring. And while I'm sure those thanked are appreciative, I'd feel disappointed if I was mentioned in such a rote, dispassionate manner.
Another thing that intrigues and annoys me is when someone is singled out and thanked, but the thanks is too cryptic to mean anything except to those in the know. Something like, "Thanks to Jane Smith, who slew the jabberwock and draped me in its hide. You're the best." Okay. But what did she really do?
Graystone says
I think the acknowledgments page is an important part of a book. After all, the book wouldn't be here if someone didn't help you. And really, if you don't like reading the acknowledgments, then you don't have to read the acknowledgments page. No one's forcing you. But it's nice to have them there for the people who do like reading them, I think.
Theresa Milstein says
When I get my book published, I'm going to need an acknowledgment section. How can I leave anyone out? I have to thank my husband, anyone who critiqued it, my agent, and editor. And if it's the one I'm about to send out for submission, I have to thank Dr. Seuss too.
Derek Gentry says
I always read the acknowledgments, and I'm always a little shocked when I find a book that doesn't have them. Really? You've got nobody to thank?
I highly recommend checking out the hilarious acknowledgments Pete Dexter wrote for his novel Spooner. He somehow manages to thank people in sincere way while simultaneously questioning the need to do so.
Kelly Wittmann says
I like them because I *always* want to know who the author's aget is.
Giles Hash says
I don't really have a feeling either way. Personally, if I'm allowed to have an acknowledgment section when my book is published, I'll take advantage of it. I really like thanking the people who helped me out 🙂
swampfox says
They have their place in a well-dressed book, like underwear. But not everyone wears underwear.
Dara says
I read them. If they're at the beginning I wait until I'm done with the book to read them. I find it's really helpful too, especially if the book is written in the genre I'm writing in; sometimes the author will mention the agent and even helpful books or places of research. But I'm weird like that 😛
Icy Roses says
I like them. I always read everything. I figure if the author went through the trouble of thanking people in print, the least I can do is take notice of it.
Jil says
I like them because they let me know I can believe what the author wrote and perhaps learn something ie:a chemist about poisons etc.
It's also nice to see my own name there sometimes!
Jeff says
I always read them and hope that they add to the mood of the book. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. If I'm reading a book for the 5th time and the author is dead, I'm also considering his or her story as another dimension to story itself and so I love it when they dedicate the book to people that might be specific to the story. I never can tell but in itself it creates story. I also like – to my wife, which is sweet.
Sam Hranac says
I've been listed in a few, despite not being published myself. BUT I'M NOT BITTER! I still like them… at the end of the book as has been mentioned.
Jeff says
Oops! But yes to acknowledgments! More story!
Terry Stonecrop says
I enjoy reading them and I'm fine with them at the beginning.
MaryAnn says
As long as the list of people the writer wants to thank is not to long.
I'd want mine at the front, otherwise what's the point?
Beth S. says
It depends on how clever and well-written they are. If they're just a list of names with commas between them, then I could care less, but if the writer actually gives us a glimpse into his or her life, then it's exciting to read. The most recent example I can think of of a well-written acknowledgements section is "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan.
Anonymous says
I always check the acknowledgements sections of books. It's the fastest and easiest way to decide which agents to submit to, and which to not.
Elaine AM Smith says
They always strike me as a polite thing to do, generous in success.I don't often read them though.
ryan field says
I have an inquiring mind. I want to know all the details.
Jan Priddy says
I always read them, but usually not first. they give me insight to the authors and their work, a sense of where the stories come from when people are thanked for their help, and I like them wherever they are. I will look to see whether they only thank men, or only thank people in the business, who their agent is, whether they thank people who helped them with research. I look for something funny, like Anne McCaffrey bragging she could knit a sweater in a day and that her hair was white. When I completed my MFA I included acknowledgments in my thesis—thanking first a writing partner who'd supported my work, The Flight of the Mind and others, and the director, my advisors, and peers in the program.
T. Anne says
I think that's like asking the choir if they like God. As writers I think we tend to gravitate towards the acknowledgments section. I for one like to see if they make mention of their agents and how they chose to thank their supporters and family. I agree with the other commenters I appreciate it more in the back of the book. If I were not a writer, I'm not sure I'd be as interested the acknowledgments, the author bio would suffice enough in that case.
*in fact when I bought 'The Secret Year' the first thing I did was turn to the acknowledgments section!*