Topic: Think Before You Thank - Let's talk acknowledgments

[KateMessner]

I blogged about acknowledgments today...and why we may want to check in before saying that public thank you.  Thought I'd share an excerpt here because this was eye opening to me when I talked about it with a friend recently....

(From the blog post - the whole thing is here: http://www.katemessner.com/think-before-you-thank-writers-acknowledgments/)


An acknowledgment in the back of a book is different from a quiet thank you note that arrives in a mailbox. It’s a very public thank you, and in some situations, it might not be comfortable for the person being thanked.

A museum employee or zookeeper who granted unusual access to records or an exhibit, for example, may have bent some rules in doing so.  A public thank you could make for an awkward conversation with that person’s boss.

A teacher or librarian who enjoys an author’s work might be delighted to see his or her name in the back of a book.  But what if that reader wants to be on a state or national awards committee and the author’s book shows up in the pile of titles to be discussed?  Suddenly, having that public thank you in the book is awkward at best and at worst, could create pressure for the person to resign from a great opportunity.

I’ll be honest – I wouldn’t have thought of any of this until a friend brought it to my attention recently.  Because what could be wrong with saying thanks?  Nothing…as long as the person has a heads up.

Here’s what I’m going to do from now on…  There are certain people I know are happy to be thanked – my critique partners, my agent and editor, my family.  But for others– individuals who have helped along the way by assisting with research or spreading the word about my books – I’ve decided it’s probably best to fire off a quick note first. Something like this…

Dear awesome person,

I wanted to drop you a note to say thanks again for (awesome things that you did).  If it’s okay with you, I’d like to say a more public thank you by including your name in the acknowledgments for (title of book that is awesome because of you).  Please let me know if that’s all right, and even if it’s not, know that I’m so very grateful for your help.

Best,

~Kate


So I’m curious now.  How do other writers handle acknowledgments?

[mrh]

Wow -- I hadn't thought about this, either, but it makes a great deal of sense. Thanks for sharing! 

[amberturner]

Very interesting point. This is solid advice for future work.

Thankfully, for Sway, I did run the thanks by the non-family people beforehand...More because of excitement than my own smarts though.

[Owl]

Thanks for sharing this information.

[jennygoebel]

I'm glad you brought this up because it isn't something that would have even crossed my mind.

 

[Vijaya]

Yes, it is so very important to make sure it's okay to thank publicly. In our teaching, we often write editorial letters, and it's important that the students not take snippets of this correspondence and use it without our permission.

Thanks for bringing this up.
Vijaya

[poet]

I popped over to your blog and read the whole piece.  Very thoughtful and something that wouldn't have even crossed my mind. I guess the best policy is always to ask first. 

[HDWestlund]

I've always been asked before being included in acknowledgements, and I appreciate it. I totally get a thrill out of being thanked in my critique partners' books, but I also have worked jobs where I have needed to guard my personal information. So it's very good to be able to say 'yes' or 'no' and delineate how you want your name to appear. I once blurbed a book and chose to use my first name and bookstore rather than my whole name. I didn't want certain customers to be able to connect my first name and my (not common) last name and find me in places other than work.

Holly

[mlbrown]

Wow, not something I'd thought about before, either. Thanks for sharing!

[MegM]

I too think this is important. Perhaps it's because I'm quite a private person generally but I would always ask a 'thankee' if they were happy to be publicly acknowledged in this way. It just seems so permanent. I haven't really done full-blown acknowledgements to this point but I do always ask before I dedicate a book to someone. I feel somehow that if I don't do that, in some broader sense it's become more about me rather than the person being acknowledged.

[eecoburn]

Great post on something I never would have thought about! 

[MysteryRobin]

I do always ask before I dedicate a book to someone. I feel somehow that if I don't do that, in some broader sense it's become more about me rather than the person being acknowledged.

This makes a lot of sense to me...

[Vijaya]

This is why it's nice to dedicate the book to dead people. They can't argue ... Seriously, though, I owe a lot to some of my beloved dead.
Vijaya

[J.Ro]

Agreed with the others, this is something I might not have thought through. Makes so much sense!

[Pons]

I guess I would have asked because not everyone likes to see her name in print, but I had never considered the situations you brought up. Good advice.

[Just Jodi]

Wow...I seriously never thought about this until you brought it up (great sensitive post, by the way!) I guess I've always worried that I don't thank people enough...that I just want to make sure they know how much they've been a part of my journey, or my life...

Never thought about the "flip" side...

*gah* I just wrote a HUGE thank you as part of a blog...hope this wasn't what prompted this...(yes, I am paranoid if nothing else); and pray I didn't upset anyone with it...

Thanks for sharing this! Hugs, Jodi 

[217mom]

Fantastic post. I left a comment there. But I may have forgotten to THANK YOU  for it.
 

[Lori]

Definitely not something I'd considered. Most people are of the mind 'who wouldn't want to be thanked?' and the biggest concern is accidentally forgetting someone! But this is a fantastic post. Thanks so much for pointing out these concerns.

[Dianna Winget]

Very good point, Kate. So far I've just thanked my agent, publishing staff, ect, but you're right, it's something to keep in  mind.

[Melissa Marr]

I don't ask the folks in my publishing team, but I ask authors, friends, and any experts I consult.  I've also asked people not to thank me in theirs.

One compromise that I've used in mine & in ones where I've been thanked is to either use first name only or initials. That way the person is thanked, but the world at large doesn't know who that person is. There are many people who could be "Jennifer," so the thankee & thanker are both satisfied but no privacy is eliminated  

[JennaWren]

Also, other Jennifers in the world get to daydream that they are the Jennifer being thanked! (Not that *I* would do that or anything...)

Actually, I think that's a neat solution, Melissa. Clever.

[MegM]

One compromise that I've used in mine & in ones where I've been thanked is to either use first name only or initials. That way the person is thanked, but the world at large doesn't know who that person is. There are many people who could be "Jennifer," so the thankee & thanker are both satisfied but no privacy is eliminated  

Yes, I've seen the initials technique here and there. It makes perfect sense but always makes me smile, putting me in mind of Woody Allen's 'Selections', in which he writes something like: "Should I marry W.? ... Not if she won't tell me the other letters in her name."

[Jayca]

Great points, Kate. Thanks for touching on something I've never thought about, but should (and will hopefully need to at some point )

[Rachel]

Good points. When I wrote my acknowledgements, I was worried someone would feel bad if I didn't include them -- I didn't think about it going the other way. Thanks, Kate!

[kabarson]

Perfect timing. I'm working on my acknowledgments now. Thanks for sharing.

[AnneN]

Too late for me, but I hope the people I thank will understand I'm just plain grateful.