1. Make It The Appropriate Size
Your book’s acknowledgements page will play an important role in the critical and financial success of your book. Therefore, it is essential that you do not skimp on the quality of information and quantity of time that you need to put into this section. Do not listen to those that tell you to keep this section “short and sweet”. There is no such rule about “keeping it down to one page”, or else you risk “boring your readers”. This is nonsense. If your non-fiction book is on the short side, maybe a few paragraphs are enough. A much longer non-fiction book will almost certainly need a longer acknowledgments section. You need to plan this section with some serious thought while you are developing, writing, and building your book.
2. Find A Good One To Emulate
With some research in your library and on the internet, you will be able to find some acknowledgements pages that are done correctly and certainly look like they should have a beneficial impact on the book’s success. Acknowledgements pages in too many non-fiction books are poorly planned and not well written. When you see one that is done correctly, you will notice it immediately. It will look, sound, and feel like it is talking to you with respect, and show you, the reader, how much effort the author put into making his book. It will pull you into the book, and give you an inside look at what went into building that book. As you read it, it will make an emotional connection with you, and you will want to know more about that book and about the author. This is a good acknowledgments page to emulate.
3. Do Not Be Superficial
Making superficial statements about your spouse supporting you while you were writing your book, or your hard-working editor, or favorite professor in college, or the famous author you met for thirty seconds, will not help you or your book be a success. Making superficial statements about anyone will instantly make your readers realize that you are superficial, and not treating your book, the book’s subject matter, or the reader, with respect. You must give your readers an honest, sincere, and insightful view into who and what went into making your book come to life. It is your job as an author to write this section in a narrative format and in such a way as to keep it interesting. Show your readers all the wonderful and interesting and productive people that helped you make your book a success – and worth reading.
This article was written by Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. and originally posted on KunzOnPublishing.com.