The Acknowledgement Dilemma

As a new writer you spend all of your time and energy getting the story and words of your novel to be the best that they can be. Then comes the hit and miss task of getting your work in front of agents and publishers. When you finally get that break and sign a contract it can feel like winning the lottery. My own break came after winning a competition – Choc Lit Publishing’s Search for a Star.

Naively I thought I’d done such a lot of work on my first novel that it would be ready to be published, but the reality is that there is often still a long way to go before that novel becomes a product a publisher can sell. There are rounds of edits – structural, line and copy. This can feel quite gruelling, I think I must have read both of my published novels at least thirty times over before they were ready to be released to the world.

Hard work over? Not necessarily, as your publisher will then ask for a dedication and acknowledgements to be included at the front of the book. I’d not even considered these while I was trying to get a publishing deal.

I liken this stage to the Oscar speech. We’ve all watched them – those stars on the stage, grasping the trophy and then being asked to speak to the audience. Often, they start a list of thank you’s and it gets longer and longer, until you imagine that they will thank their cat next. They walk off stage and then dash back red faced, because they’ve forgotten to thank someone vital. This is similar to the process of writing the acknowledgements for your book.

Dedications are relatively easy – mother, father, siblings, grandparents, friends, but even here there is the potential to delight or offend. My first book was dedicated to my mother, husband and sons, the second to my sister. I think I will go for my best friend next.

Acknowledgements are more complex and feel at times like a minefield. You don’t want to thank Uncle Tom Cobley and all, but you don’t want to forget anyone important either. It made me empathise much more with those stars on the red carpet, but thankfully you don’t have to read your list out loud, but it is there in black and white in perpetuity.

I’ve written my acknowledgements for two books now and try to keep to the following structure.

Those who inspired my story.

For The Girl on the Beach it was a friend, Kim Taylor from the Bevere Gallery and Café on the outskirts of Worcester, UK. She ran an art competition at the high school and it inspired the first chapter of my book.

For The Truth Lies Buried it was a writing workshop at the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference run by author, Linda Gillard. The workshop was about improving your descriptive passages, so we had to pick a picture and describe it, then improve that description with Linda’s guidance. I picked a postcard of a wooden castle that became the house Tree Tops in my story.

Those who helped me with research.

No one could have been more astounded than my husband when I offered to accompany him to the Tool Show at Kempton Park Racecourse. My hero in The Truth Lies Buried is a carpenter and chainsaw carver, so I knew there might be someone I could talk to about this at the tool show. The guys on the Makita stand couldn’t have been more helpful, after rather astounded looks when I explained I was a romantic suspense novelist researching chainsaw carving! They marked up a catalogue with the tools and clothing my hero would wear and gave me demonstrations of the moves he would make when carving wood and, of course, first-hand experience of the noise of the saw. I wish I had asked for their names with hindsight, so maybe that is another thing to remember as you are going through the process of researching your novel.

Friends who helped with brainstorming the plot, or beta reading.

My best friend and I regularly have a breakfast meeting. She is a poet and is often looking for an elusive word. I can read passages to her to gauge her reaction. Our meetings are usually fun and full of laughter as we help each other with our work.

Teachers and role models.

I thanked in my first set of acknowledgements the writers whose courses I’d attended and the writing groups I had learned from in the early stages of my writing life. I was also fortunate enough to be a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writer’s Scheme, so that had to have a mention as it was so invaluable.

The people who stood by me during the sometimes painful process of birthing the book.

My husband and best friend always get a mention here and the members of a little group of writers who I meet with on a monthly basis to help me maintain my sanity. We spend far too long working alone as writers, so I find a supportive like-minded group is vital.

I’ve come to the conclusion that it is most definitely a case of doing your best with the dedication and acknowledgements. I have now started to make notes as I go along at the front of the file for each book to hopefully avoid any embarrassing omissions. Most importantly, the dedication and acknowledgements are an opportunity to thank and celebrate the support and help you have received on the way to achieving your goal of publication.

I’ve found that nothing beats the squeal of delight when someone picks up your book and realises they have been mentioned.

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Biography for Morton S. Gray

Morton lives with her husband, two sons and Lily, the tiny white dog, in Worcestershire, U.K. She has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors.

Her debut novel The Girl on the Beach was e-published in January 2017, after she won Choc Lit Publishing Search for a Star competition. The story follows a woman with a troubled past as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding her son’s headteacher, Harry Dixon. This book is available as a paperback from 10 April 2018.

Morton’s second book for Choc Lit The Truth Lies Buried is published as an e-book on 1 May 2018. Another romantic suspense novel, the book tells the story of Jenny Simpson and Carver Rodgers as they uncover secrets from their past.

Morton previously worked in the electricity industry in committee services, staff development and training. She has a Business Studies degree and is a fully qualified clinical hypnotherapist and Reiki Master. She also has diplomas in Tuina acupressure massage and energy field therapy. She enjoys crafts, history and loves tracing family trees. Having a hunger for learning new things is a bonus for the research behind her books.

You can catch up with Morton on her website www.mortonsgray.com, on Twitter – @MortonSGray, her Facebook page – Morton S. Gray Author – https://www.facebook.com/mortonsgray/ and

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/morton_s_gray/

Purchasing links for The Girl on the Beach at http://www.choc-lit.com/dd-product/the-girl-on-the-beach/

Purchasing link for The Truth Lies Buried at http://www.choc-lit.com/dd-product/the-truth-lies-buried/

About THE TRUTH LIES BURIED

Two children in a police waiting room, two distressed mothers, a memory only half remembered …

When Jenny Simpson returns to the seaside town of Borteen, her childhood home, it’s for a less than happy reason. But it’s also a chance for her to start again.

A new job leads to her working for Carver Rodgers, a man who lives alone in a house that looks like it comes from the pages of a fairy tale – until you see the disaster zone inside …

As Jenny gets to know Carver she begins to unravel the sadness that has led to his chaotic existence. Gradually they realise they have something in common that is impossible to ignore – and it all links back to a meeting at a police station many years before.

Could the truth lie just beneath their feet?

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips