A client asked me this recently, and I could hear the worry in the question. She wasn’t sure whether leaving out an acknowledgments section would come across as ungrateful, or somehow unprofessional. Would readers judge her? Would the people who helped feel slighted?
If you’ve ever wondered the same thing, let me put your mind at rest straight away.
The short answer: no, it’s not rude
You are under no obligation to include an acknowledgments section in your book. Leaving one out isn’t rude, it isn’t unprofessional, and the vast majority of your readers will never notice either way. To be honest, I’m pretty sure most people don’t read acknowledgments, anyway.
Acknowledgments are a lovely tradition, but they are not a rule. They’re entirely optional, and whether you include them is completely your call.
Where the pressure comes from
The worry probably comes from the fact that we see acknowledgments in so many books, especially traditionally published ones. When something appears everywhere, it starts to feel compulsory, and leaving it out can feel like breaking an unwritten rule.
Except it isn’t a rule. It’s a convention, and conventions are there to serve you, not to box you in. Plenty of excellent, successful, professional books have no acknowledgments at all.
My own honest approach
Here’s how I handle it in my own work.
I’ve written and published a lot of books over the years, and only one of them has an acknowledgments section: If Trees Could Talk. That book was deeply personal to me, and a number of people (and trees) genuinely shaped it, so thanking them felt right.
For all my other books, I simply didn’t include one, and it has never caused a problem or a single complaint. As I write this, I feel almost bad about admitting this. Gratitude is a big part of my daily morning journaling practice, so I feel like I should be more publicly grateful.
However, this isn’t me telling you to do as I say. It’s me telling you what I actually do (and don’t do).
When acknowledgments are worth including
There are times when an acknowledgments section really adds something. You might want to include one if:
- A lot of people genuinely helped bring the book to life, such as editors, beta readers, contributors, or people who shared their stories with you.
- The book is personal to you, like a memoir or a passion project, and thanking people is part of the meaning of it.
- You simply want to. That’s reason enough. If it would feel good to put it in, put it in.
If any of those are true for you, go ahead.
When it’s perfectly fine to skip it
Equally, there are plenty of situations where skipping it makes sense:
- Your book is a short read, where every extra page of front or back matter dilutes a tight, focused piece.
- It’s a nonfiction or business book designed to lead readers toward your work, and you’d rather use those final pages to point them to a next step.
- Only a couple of people were involved, and you’d rather thank them personally than in print.
- Including one would just be filler.
- It feels like a section that would be added out of obligation rather than real gratitude.
An acknowledgments section that exists only because you felt you “should” tends to read that way. There’s no shame in leaving it out.
Other ways to thank the people who helped
If you want to express gratitude but a full acknowledgments section doesn’t feel right, you have a few options:
- A dedication. A single line at the front, dedicating the book to someone, is simple and heartfelt.
- A mention in your introduction. You can weave a thank-you into the opening of the book, where it flows naturally.
- A private thank-you. The people who helped you with your project will often appreciate a heartfelt message, a phone call, or a signed copy of the book far more than seeing their name in print.
Gratitude doesn’t have to live on an acknowledgments page. It can take whatever form feels true to you.
It’s your book, so it’s your choice
Here’s the thing to remember: acknowledgments are mostly for the people named in them, not for your reader. Most readers skip right past that page. So the decision isn’t really about etiquette toward your audience at all. It’s about whether you want to thank people in print.
If you do, keep it genuine and reasonably brief. Some acknowledgments sections seem to go on for ages. Most readers will skip that.
If you don’t, feel free to leave it out and don’t give it another thought. Either way, you’re not being rude. You’re just making a choice about your own book, which is exactly your right as its author.
If you’re ever unsure about what to include in the front and back matter of your book, or any of the other small decisions that come up as you finish it, book a Pick My Brain call, and I’ll happily talk it through with you. These details feel bigger than they are when you’re staring at them alone, and most of them have a simple answer.
