I hope you are having a wonderful day! I’m drinking coffee, watching my grandkids play, and thinking about how thankful I am for you!
Why?
Because you want to help people! You want to make the world a better place by writing a book and sharing your experiences and knowledge with others so they may grow faster. So thank you!
When you think of who you’re grateful for, you may be wondering if and how to include those people in the acknowledgments section of the book you’re writing.
But who do you include?
First, it’s always appropriate to thank your family, so start with them.
Next, thank the people who have influenced you and who you’ve learned from. These are the people who are connected with you and have supported you.
Third, you always want to thank your publisher if you’re working with one. Those are the people who are really helping you get your message out into the world. A lot of people miss this, and your publisher isn’t typically going to ask to be thanked, but it does mean a lot.
Now, you may be wondering if you can go overboard in your acknowledgments…
Truthfully, you can never be too grateful! But do consider that, typically, if you’ve got a 200-page book, a page or two for acknowledgments is reasonable.
I have seen acknowledgments that have been almost half the book because people think “this is my one shot to thank the people I love and the people who have influenced me.”
And so they’ll thank everybody in the world and their dog, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — it’s your book. You can do it, but you really want to temper that and just thank the people who have influenced you the most.
Also, know that thanking people who have helped you is not a one-shot process. You can also thank people personally, on your website, or in all sorts of different places. Don’t feel like you have to include everyone all the way back to your second-grade teacher.
In any book you choose to write, it’s important to include acknowledgments. Because, if nothing else, it lets the world know that you’re grateful, and I think that’s a great place to start.
Grateful for you!
Karen
P.S. When you’re starting out writing a book, it is always hard to start with a blank page. One of the easiest places to start both philosophically and practically is with gratitude.
So, if you’re stuck in your writing, or haven’t even started, sit down and write your acknowledgments. Being thankful is always a good place to start!
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