Why the Acknowledgments at the Back of Your Book Are a Gratitude Practice

Yes, you belong to this party! You’ve worked hard to create a literary ecosystem around yourself. Now it’s time to give back. Here’s how to relish writing your acknowledgments.

I could have just listed names, clutching my little gold statue as the orchestra signaled me off the stage because my thank-you roll call was too long. I could have taken the cut-and-dried approach, as Claire Keegan does in Small Things Like These.

But I couldn’t. I have worked hard to be a good literary citizen and create a thriving ecosystem of authors, agents, publishers and editors around me who believe in giving back. Who believe in mentoring. Who believe in giving a hand up. 

Because it’s not easy to stay in the game as a writer. You are doing something that is largely invisible…until it’s visible. The process is largely unknowable to anyone outside of the author world. It’s easier to do laundry. That’s tangible: Clean clothes. It’s easier to post witty comments on social media: You get an instant like.

So when I sat down, finally, to write the acknowledgments for Boundless, which publishes in Fall 2024, I wanted to do it with heart — and flair. These people were beacons on my path…