Who you gonna thank?

In an online writer’s group I’m a member of, one member requested help in putting together the Acknowledgments for his book. He wasn’t sure of who he should thank for making his book what it was and how to thank them. The issue of leaving people out was discussed when members responded to this post. The question made me think of my own struggles in putting together Acknowledgments for my books.

On one hand, who to thank is a no-brainer. Anyone who helped with research, anyone who helped write/edit the book, anyone who actually supported the author’s efforts to write the book and get it published, the publisher and the author’s family members are top of the list on who to thank. And these are the people I have included when I put together my own Acknowledgments for the haunted houses book. (There is a general Acknowledgments in the back of the book, plus my co-author, Martha Jette, and I each wrote our own personalized Acknowledgments.) It's a good idea to keep a list of people to thank as you work on your book. One would think that, with an Acknowledgments in a book that just came out, that should be the end of thanking people. However, I feel otherwise, especially now as I hold this published book in my own hands. What a long, tenuous and amazing journey it has been to get this book published! It had all started out as a series of articles for the Shadowlands newsletter. Now they were part of a new published book.

I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that this book is finally published. That said, I am still thanking the people involved in making that happen. I thanked them in emails shortly after the book went to the printer, but I feel compelled to thank them again here:

Thank you, DAVE JULIANO, for publishing my articles in the Shadowlands newsletter, and giving me permission to use them in the book. (Note: The articles in the book have since been revised and edited.) Thank you for your support of my research on haunted houses and insights on the paranormal.

Thank you, MARTHA JETTE, for taking on such a mammoth project and working with me tirelessly and consistently through the years in turning this book into the magnum opus it has turned out to be. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, go over everything with me, share your opinions and ideas and work with me when our ideas were not on the same page. Thank you for standing by with the emails and putting in an enormous amount of legwork and promotional efforts for this book. Many times I have marveled over how one writer in Canada can team up with one writer in the U.S. and bring them together in this joint effort of creating a book that the whole world can enjoy. Your access to resources in Canada and mine to resources in the U.S., our communication shifts with the several companies we have been in contact with concerning this book on your shore and mine, and postal/economic differences have all been interesting experiences for me. I hope it has been the same for you.

Thank you, RUTH M. THOMPSON, of Saga Books, for taking on this manuscript and going above and beyond to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. What a trying time to work with such a huge manuscript! Thank you for keeping your sights on the big picture and seeing this manuscript through to publication. Thank you for publishing our book.

And thank you to everyone who has bought copies of this book so far. I hope you enjoy them!