Where Do Acknowledgments Go in a Book? And Other Author Acknowledgments Tips
You’ve written a book (or dissertation or thesis) and you want to give shout-outs to all the people who helped you along the way. They’ll get a kick out of seeing their name in print, you figure, and you want to let them know how much you appreciate them.
But, . . .
Where do the acknowledgments go in a book?
How long should the acknowledgments section be?
Wait, (when) is it acknowledgements or acknowledgments?
What else do I need to know to make a great acknowledgments page for my book?
You’ve got questions on how to write acknowledgments. I’ve got answers below.
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Where do acknowledgments go in a book?
In its online Q&A, The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) gives the following stipulation:
“Acknowledgments . . . may be placed either in the front matter—as a standalone item or as part of an author’s preface—or in the back. When the acknowledgments go in the back, it works well to place them immediately after the final chapter, where they function as a sort of epilogue.”
The table of contents for The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, hardcover, with the acknowledgments following the preface.
Let’s unpack these three options.
Option 1: in the front matter—in a separate section titled “Acknowledgments,” after the preface (if there is one) and before the introduction. In this case, the pages would be numbered in lowercase roman numerals. This is a common option for academic and university press books.
Option 2: in the front matter, incorporated into the preface. Use this option if you find yourself explaining how you came to write and research this book and if your acknowledgments take up fewer than, say, 400 words.
Option 3: in the back matter, immediately after the end of the book and before any appendix, notes, bibliography, or other back matter.
Books for the general public and self-published books increasingly put the acknowledgments in the back matter, on a new page after the end of the final chapter of the book. One reason for this is the “Look Inside” feature of online retailers. You want readers to see preview pages that are the most likely to get them to buy.
There is no requirement to have an acknowledgments page in a book. Yes, you could put something on your author website instead. Not common for a nonfiction book, but not unheard of, either.
Best author acknowledgments advice
How long should the acknowledgments be?
Acknowledgments page word count: The typical word count for book acknowledgements is 300 to 1,000 words. There is no firm rule or requirement. Ideally, in published form, your acknowledgments section will be 2 to 3 pages. If included within a preface, your acknowledgments may be about a page.
Alter your word choice. Avoid “I wish to thank Professor ⸻. I also wish to thank Professor ⸻.” Rather than sound stiff or robotic, the acknowledgments section can be a little more casual. It’s okay to show your personality—your wit, sense of humor, or creativity—but within reason. Readers won’t understand inside jokes, for example, and may feel clueless or misinterpret you.
Write in the first person. Acknowledgments are a message from you, to the reader, telling the reader about the people who helped you and what they did to help you. It’s a message telling readers that you’re grateful for the help of the people discussed.
Organize your acknowledgments, whether that’s from beginning to end—from the order in which they helped you or in the order in which their help comes into play in the book, by the type of help you’re acknowledging, by subject matter, or some other way. It’s often customary to put family and significant others at the end of the acknowledgments. Some authors will write as if they are speaking to those people directly.
How is Acknowledgments spelled? Acknowledgments vs. Acknowledgements
If you are an American author and/or are writing for an American reader, it’s spelled Acknowledgments. Use the spelling with no e after the g: Acknowledgments. This is the spelling given by The Chicago Manual of Style.
The variant spelling that is customary in British English—Acknowledgements—with an e after the g—is more appropriate for non-American readers.
What else should I know on how to write acknowledgments for my book?
Indexers and proofreaders, if you’ve utilized them, probably won’t appear in your acknowledgments section. That’s because the book will have been designed and formatted by the time it reaches them. Copyeditors and designers might or might not be acknowledged. It’s okay. None of these people expect a shout out.
Acknowledgments are not indexed (CMOS, 16.109 [p. 960]).
Double-check the spelling of people’s names. Google is your friend.
Not everyone reads the acknowledgments, but the people being acknowledged or expecting to be acknowledged will appreciate the gesture. And putting in a good word for people who helped you can often help them in their own endeavors.
Need help editing your book?
Let’s recap your book acknowledgments tips.
Where to put acknowledgments in a book?
In the front, after the preface and before the introduction, incorporated into the preface, or immediately after the end of the book and before any appendix, notes, bibliography, or other back matter (my preferred placement).
What is the ideal word count for a book acknowledgments section?
You can’t go wrong with 300 to 1,000 words. There is no firm requirement or expectation.
How to spell acknowledgments in a book?
Acknowledgments (no e after the g) for American authors and authors writing for American readers.
Acknowledgements (with an e after the g) for books with British and non-American English readers.
Other advice for author acknowledgments
It’s okay to be informal. Don’t sound robotic. Organize your acknowledgments in a logical way. Write in the first person. Don’t misspell people’s names.
You might also be interested in
my article on how to create a great book appendix
getting emailed author tips and how-tos, like this article (for US authors)
Thanks for reading, and congrats on putting the finishing touches on your book!