Author Thank YOUs … Creating Book Acknowledgments
Who’s in Your Village? … Who Are You Going to Thank?
Everyone … That’s Who!

One of the last things an author does is write a Thank You or Gratitude or Acknowledgment page for their book. Yup … your book is done. Bravo!

Thank Yous can be to many. To the team that assisted you in creating your baby. These are the people who got you here … don’t ignore them. Think in the narrative … let your readers know what your team did to get your book birthed.

This is not a Dedication Page—those are usually short, minimal words and don’t include an entire village. Acknowledgments are different. It can go in the front matter or back matter—my preference is the back of the book

Many authors start with their family and friends, and forget the designers, consultants, printers and anyone who was a massive encourage in getting their book done. Don’t.

Let’s start with the obvious:

Family: Parents, kids, siblings, aunts, uncles. Family. They are a tremendous part—from giving you “time away” to create and finish your book—to do errands for you so you can stay focused—assisting with research—bringing food—even the pets can get into the picture.

Friends: Part of the cheerleading team, Friends are as critical as Family members. Friends assist in doing reality checks—sometimes Family members may be too nice—Mom is less likely to say that what she is reading is garbage. Friends are a bit blunter.

Editors: ID the ones that helped you make your words sing—you may have more than one. Let your readers know what she or he did—editors are often invisible in the process, and or so critical to your book’s success.

Assistants and Researchers: Did you have interns doing work or anyone that tracked down info or items for you? Did you use the library? Was a librarian helpful? Who else?

Interviewees: Sometimes they are IDed in your book; others, the name and place are changed. You may do a “blanket” thank you or you can ID—space and circumstance will dictate which way you go. But, do acknowledge that they were part of your book.

Graphic and Interior Designers: Here’s to those who create what’s between the covers. Their work is critical for visual sellability of your book, not to mention creating a book that can compete with anyone … a book that does not look “self” published.

Cover Designer: Sometimes the Interior and Cover Designer is one in the same; sometimes not. The cover is all about getting the buyer’s attention—“pick me up”—then creating the back cover that really stands as the key marketing piece.

Illustrators/Photographers: If you have photos or any type of art work, make sure you thank them. It’s more common than not—photos and other art arrive in not top quality and low resolution. Your Illustrator and Photographers become your ally in fixing them up!

Mentors: Who are your role models, heroes and mentors who took you under their wing? Kudos to them for teaching you the ropes before you got tied up in them. Big thanks go here.

Readers: It’s common to have friends and professionals read your book—bravo to them…and thank them.

Endorsers: If you were able to get them—fabulous. Now thank them again.

Publishing and Writing Coaches: If you used Book Shepherd, Book Coach, Writing Coach or Publishing Coach, say so and tell what they did and how they worked with you.

Publisher: If you used a publisher, make sure you ID all the players that you interfaced with on the publisher’s team and what they did.

Foreword or Introduction Author: Some books have a Foreword and/or Introduction. My suggestion SKIP the Introduction Sometimes they are written by the Author, many times by someone with a “name.” Thank them—their name just may be why your book is bought or picked up.

Who Else? Do you have a writing group that you relied on? What about a co-author … all this belongs here. It could even be your faithful dog or cat who adores the keyboard to your computer. Even the UPS, FedEx, postman just might have earned a kudo or two.

It takes a village to create a book. Share the good news. Many book buyers read the Acknowledgement page to see who was on your team. I know that I do. Who knows … you just might find the “publishing pro” that you’ve been looking for to assist you in your next book. I have—I’ve connected with editors and others in the publishing field … pros that I’ve worked with just because I discovered them on the Acknowledgment page of a book or author that I admired.

 

Dr. Judith Briles is the award-winning and bestselling author of 49 books and calls Colorado home. When she’s not in the kitchen or in the garden, she’s working with clients as The Book Shepherd, a book and publishing consulting and project management firm that works with authors at all stages of their book to create and publish a book they never regret! She’s the founder of the first Authors’ Hall of Fame exclusively dedicated to ensuring the legacy of authors connected in some way with Colorado. She’s also the Director of San Francisco chapter of the Women’s National Book Association. 

Judith’s books have been translated into 17 countries with over 1,000,000 copies sold! They have been featured in over 2,000 radio and TV shows including repeat appearances on CNN, CNBC, and Oprah. She has worked with over 1,500 authors and created 500 plus bestsellers. Print publications include Newsweek, People, Time, The Wall Street Journal and … The National Enquirer! Her popular podcast, AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing is dedicated to authors and writers and their success and is ranked in the top ten in four categories on GoodPods.

©2026 Judith Briles – The Book Shepherd™ All Rights Reserved.