# Acknowledgements Are Annoying?



## Not Here Anymore (May 16, 2012)

Here's a link to an article in the New Yorker about acknowledgements. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/08/against-acknowledgments.html

He doesn't like acknowledgements and argues they are an outgrowth of blatant self-promotion.

"...the most irritating promotional addendum of all: the acknowledgments page."

Personally, I think they're interesting and like to read them.

Do acknowledgement sections annoy you?


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Sections that go on for pages, yes. a small, one-line note saying thanks to a family/family member specifically, I find sweet.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

i skip 'em.  but that's easy enough to do that i don't object to a single page of them.  but if it's a long acknowledgment, i get annoyed.


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

I can see where people find them annoying...especially since movie credits annoy me.

But, just like I can leave the theater during the credits, I can skip the acknowledgments if I really want to.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

As long as it's only a screen-full or less, it's fine with me.

Mike


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

I don't find the acknowledgements themselves annoying and I can skip them, but if they are too long they can seriously shorten the sample percentage of the actual book or they can throw off the "length" of the book and then I feel cheated.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I think it's appropriate and even desirable for an author to take a couple of paragraphs to acknowledge the folks that helped him get the book done -- family who put up with late nights, friends who read and helpfully critiqued, etc.  It doesn't need to be more than a few paragraphs, though.

As to the credits at the movies. . .we always watch 'em all.  For one thing, sometimes there's goofy stuff at the end -- outtakes and such, that you miss if you don't stay.  For another, I know a bunch of folks with degrees in theatre. . . .my son being one of them. . . .some day it might be one of their names I see as a gaffer or grip or best boy. . . . .those folks work as hard or harder than the actors and actresses to get a movie made and it's only respectful to acknowledge that.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I like watching movie credits...it annoys me that one can't read them on TV anymore...we always stay until the end.  We like looking to see where the movie was made and just seeing what we can learn about the movie through the credits.  My brother always looks to see who did the accounting.

Betsy


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## tahliaN (Nov 6, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I think it's appropriate and even desirable for an author to take a couple of paragraphs to acknowledge the folks that helped him get the book done -- family who put up with late nights, friends who read and helpfully critiqued, etc. It doesn't need to be more than a few paragraphs, though.
> 
> As to the credits at the movies. . .we always watch 'em all. For one thing, sometimes there's goofy stuff at the end -- outtakes and such, that you miss if you don't stay. For another, I know a bunch of folks with degrees in theatre. . . .my son being one of them. . . .some day it might be one of their names I see as a gaffer or grip or best boy. . . . .those folks work as hard or harder than the actors and actresses to get a movie made and it's only respectful to acknowledge that.


Me too. The acknowledgements are important for the people being acknowledged, it doesn't matter if readers skip them. At the movies I like to listen to the music while the credits role, and often the credits are a work of art in themselves.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I like watching movie credits...it annoys me that one can't read them on TV anymore...we always stay until the end. We like looking to see where the movie was made and just seeing what we can learn about the movie through the credits. My brother always looks to see who did the accounting.
> 
> Betsy


Heh...I was flipping through channels the other day and stopped at the closing scene of "Full Metal Jacket". Then they went into the credits sequence with a period song I like, at which point the split the screen in half, stopped the soundtrack, and started showing commercials (and playing their sound) in the other half. Really irritated me at the time -- hate to imagine what they'd do to, say, a Pixar movie that has lots of interesting stuff going on during the credits.

Anyway, as alluded to above, I'd appreciate it if authors/publisher would move anything that is not essential for the reader to read first to the end matter instead of in the front matter when formatting e-books, so that I don't end up with a sample that is 80% table of contents, preface, acknowledgements, and introduction.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

NogDog said:


> Anyway, as alluded to above, I'd appreciate it if authors/publisher would move anything that is not essential for the reader to read first to the end matter instead of in the front matter when formatting e-books, so that I don't end up with a sample that is 80% table of contents, preface, acknowledgements, and introduction.


When I come across samples that are all front matter and no or very little extract of the book itself, I become suspicious that they're deliberately hiding the writing. Perhaps in some cases they are.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't read them but they don't annoy me. Most Kindle books open at the first chapter/prologue anyway so I don't even need to flip passed it.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

history_lover said:


> I don't read them but they don't annoy me. Most Kindle books open at the first chapter/prologue anyway so I don't even need to flip passed it.


See, and I always go back and start at the cover. Because _sometimes_ it opens at Chapter 1 and there is a prologue that should be read to tie everything up later. Or a map that might help me make sense of stuff -- I like maps. 

I flip past anything I don't much care about, but usually do at least skim acknowledgements and note how many chapters. I'll often bookmark a map to refer back to quickly if I get the desire.


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## Not Here Anymore (May 16, 2012)

Ann in Arlington said:


> See, and I always go back and start at the cover. Because _sometimes_ it opens at Chapter 1 and there is a prologue that should be read to tie everything up later. Or a map that might help me make sense of stuff -- I like maps.


I go back to the cover, too, and always feel a little ripped off if the cover isn't included or if it is a "generic" text only cover. I know the cover is left out to save space or changed so that it loads easier...but I still don't like it.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I put them at the BACK of the ebook because some readers wrote and said that acks in the front take up "sample space."  Okay fine.  In the back, they are easier for people who don't like them to not read them anyway (although most books open right to chapter one so they are easily skipped.)  

I do leave them in the front for the print books.  There is no real reason for this other than that is where I like to read them.

I do read them most of the time.  They do not annoy me.  When I don't want to read them, I just skip them.  

I have no idea why anyone would think they were "self-promo" or promo of any kind.  I thank friends, beta readers, family and a couple of times, my editor(s).  But...none of them stand anything to gain.  *I* stand nothing to gain by saying thanks other than I don't look ungrateful.  I do it because I am grateful and wish to acknowledge their help or support (hence the term "acknowledgements").  No one has ever contacted me for "business" reasons and asked to be in the acks.  I have never thanked Scharffen Berger (chocolate company) or Guittards (another chocolate company) even though I use a lot of their products to get me through the writing of a book.  If I thought Honda would give me a car, I'd happily add them to the acks, but they have never called with such a suggestion.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

I love the movie credits at the end. There's usually wonderful music, too, and I always watch to find out the artist. 

In print books, I like reading the acknowledgements and find it interesting to see who is thanked, and why. Sometimes that offers insight into the author's private life, too. For ebooks, more and more I see them placed at the end (because of sampling as others have said). In fact, that's how my editor handled my latest thriller, too. 

The nonfiction also has a TOC that some readers like and others don't. *shrug*


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## Jonathan C. Gillespie (Aug 9, 2012)

I have a dedication, but not an acknowledgement in either my print books or in my ebooks. What I have instead is an "about" page at the very end, with the standard biographical information.

It doesn't bother me to see it in books. I figure that if the credits roll for a good ten minutes at the end of your average blockbuster film, it doesn't hurt me to find a little page space eaten up by the author's thank-yous.


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## MadCityWriter (Dec 8, 2011)

I often skim through the Acknowledgements.  It's interesting to see who had a hand in helping a book come into being.

The same for movie credits. It's one of the few industries that acknowledges everyone, even the truck drivers and caterers. How often do the "little guys" get a mention?


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## Todd Wheeler (Mar 6, 2012)

MariaESchneider said:


> I put them at the BACK of the ebook because some readers wrote and said that acks in the front take up "sample space."


Interesting point. I do get a bit put off when the "Look Inside" content consists of front matter, a table of contents, etc. In most books I buy, I'll skip to the chapter one to begin, even avoiding prologues.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I see a lot more authors commenting on the acks than readers.  Hmm.  Perhaps they are more meaningful to us than the reader of the novel.  Although I always did read those by my favorite authors long before I started writing.  Sometimes they offer a glimpse inside the author's life--whether they are married, whether they are close to their parents or siblings and most often, whether they have a sense of humor or not.


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## cheriereich (Feb 12, 2011)

Hmm, I'm not sure why someone would consider them as self-promo.

As for acknowledgements, I used to skim them before I became a writer. Now I read and enjoy them. I did the same thing for movies before I took some technical theater classes in college, and now I even like to watch the movie credits. You really begin to understand what it takes to write a book or create a movie by reading them.


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## lvhiggins (Aug 1, 2012)

Only the long, gushy, excessive name-dropping ones are annoying to me. I don't see _too_ many of those, though.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

My only complaint is when I think I still have 15% of the book to read, dont want the book to end, and find out I'm into an extremely long list of acknowledgements.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

You can always skip the ackonowledgements, although ones that run a full page or so are pretty absurd.

Movie credits can throw up some interesting trivia ... in _Apocalypse Now_, for instance, Christopher Walken was calling himself Robert Walken, and Lawrence Fishburne was calling himself Larry (both had minor roles).


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## Joseph Mancia (Sep 23, 2012)

I always will at least read the first paragraph and then maybe skim through the rest, but if I find it to be boring or goes on for ever then I'll just skip over it.



~Joseph


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## 56139 (Jan 21, 2012)

I like reading them but I put it at the end in my own books.  I'm not sure why acknowledgments would annoy people - flip the page or press the page ahead button.  Not a life changing event.  I did come across one that stood out in a book I just purchased but it didn't annoy me.  I didn't read all of it, I mean, after the second page flip I was like...OK...but I did skim it.   

Acknowledgments aren't for the reader, they're for the people who participated in the process.  It takes quite a bit of effort to put a book together, saying thanks to the people who helped you do it is not only appropriate, but good manners as well.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

When I was a child I never read them, until I read Piers Anthony's at the end of one of the Xanth novels. Even then, I think he called it Author's Notes though. I found them to be very funny as well as an insight to his life. I learned about Jenny, a real life girl who was very ill and a huge fan of his. So he created a character for her. And his horses. 

Now though, the Xanth novels seem like a contest to see how many puns he can get away with so I don't read them often. And the Author's Notes at the end have become quite long with him ack the readers who sent in suggestions. But I still skim it, just to see what Mr. Anthony has been up to, and how is health is.

As for other authors, I try to read them (and I also sit through movie credits) to show my respect for the help the author received.


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## William S. (Sep 25, 2012)

Great ariticle!


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## Gayle Miller (Sep 22, 2012)

Acknowledgements can be very funny so I do enjoy reading them, but it does irk me when the sample is 90% front matter.


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

Well,even if we want to admit it or not but acknowledgements are annoying. Especialy if it concerns a book or movie. Nobody wants to read or listen a long list with acknowledgements. Despite of this these word are usualy the reward for people probably helped for the creation of a particular relevant work. Like it or not they will always be there so if you don't like them just miss them and that's all.



MariaESchneider said:


> I see a lot more authors commenting on the acks than readers. Hmm. Perhaps they are more meaningful to us than the reader of the novel. Although I always did read those by my favorite authors long before I started writing. Sometimes they offer a glimpse inside the author's life--whether they are married, whether they are close to their parents or siblings and most often, whether they have a sense of humor or not.


Avoiding the prologue is not good in my opinion because they are usualy author's words and it should be interesting to see what's the author vision for his work or other staff. In the name of agreement I would like to add that even I miss this part because sometimes is just not worth it.



crebel said:


> I don't find the acknowledgements themselves annoying and I can skip them, but if they are too long they can seriously shorten the sample percentage of the actual book or they can throw off the "length" of the book and then I feel cheated.


There's no point to feel cheated about long aknowledgement because the story is a story no matter of fact how long or short it is. WE are not suppose to read a book per kilos or number of pages but what is actually written inside. The problem itself you are absolutely right here indeed is that too long aknowledgement can be very very annoying and fail your good impression of the book at the first place.



BTackitt said:


> Sections that go on for pages, yes. a small, one-line note saying thanks to a family/family member specifically, I find sweet.


Yes,it is very kind and sweet if it is as short as it could possibly be!


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## mestrin (Aug 27, 2012)

I find acknowledgements to be useful and interesting. 
They're useful because on some books it's really the only way for the author to tell you how much research they've done. Novels set in places most of us don't have access to (think the CIA or the mob) and works of historical fiction usually need a lot of research to work, and as a reader it's nice to know that the author reached out. Of course, you don't know how good that research is, but acknowledgements tell you that they did it at least.
The acknowledgements are also interesting because they challenge the myth of the author as an isolated artist. Yes, the author does the work and that work is done alone, but nearly all writers rely on a support system, from the people who help them to their research, to friends and editors who read early drafts that aren't ready for publication. Every author is different, but most of us, I suspect, get help somewhere along the way, and as a reader I think it's interesting to know that. Also, it's just good manners on the author's part. That support team helped them make the book what it is, and they should be thanked publicly. 
As for the New Yorker writer -- why not just skip the acknowledgements if you don't like them?


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## NancyHerkness (Aug 1, 2012)

I like acknowledgements as both a reader and a writer.  From a reader's point of view, the acknowledgements give me a little glimpse into the author's real life persona.  It's especially fun if I liked the book because I get to spend just a little more time with someone I've come to enjoy.  If I didn't like the book, I often skip the acknowledgements (which I tend to read after I'm done, even if they're in the front of the book).

As a writer, I feel it's only appropriate to thank the folks who have helped me with my novels.  It's the least I can do when people are so willing to give of their time and expertise.  I try to keep the acknowledgements to one page (and have so far succeeded) because I agree that pages and pages seem excessive.  

My philosophy is: if you don't enjoy acknowledgements, then skip 'em!


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

No way.  I often read them.  Sometimes I feel like they add some insight into how the book was written.


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