Thursday, September 22, 2011

Acknowledgement Pages

Claire, I hope you don't mind, but you have to know I couldn't keep this news to myself! Claire Gillian, writer of smart dialogue and touching scenes, is having her first full-length novel, The PURE, published this Spring. What's super special about this is The PURE was my very first beta read.

I remember spending my time "unformalizing" her dialogue and writing "what does this word even mean?" in the margins. (Her vocabulary is on par with a genius, I swear. I think I'm going to start calling her Dictionary Claire - DC for short. :)) But now, she's all grown up and getting published! *cough* Although she's much, much older than me. Tee hee.

It's like I've come full circle and I was so excited when she asked me how I'd like my name to appear on her acknowledgement page. What? She wanted to include me? It'd been two years since I read The PURE, but of course I was all like gushing and blushing and doing happy dances. It meant a lot that she found my comments helpful enough to thank me in her book.

You know, if I don't ever get published, seeing my friends get published is most certainly the next best thing. Recently, I received another friend, Michelle Davidson Argyle's, book, Monarch, and I've proudly displayed it on my bookshelf. I tell everyone who comes over, "My friend wrote that!" :) When The PURE comes out, you betcha I'll be adding that one as well. And it won't just be because my name's in there. Hee hee.

Have you thought about who you plan to include on your acknowledgement page? Would you just include people who gave input on that particular book or those that also helped shape your writing in general? And what if you've been writing your book for years with dozens of betas? Where do you draw the line? I'm sure this is not on the front burner of most writers' minds, but it's something to at least keep simmering in the back. :)

11 comments:

  1. I've been acknowledged as a beta once and it's a grand thing, like being a godmother. Thanks for your support, Julie! Every beta who has ever taken the time to slog through my stuff, especially my earliest stuff (like you!) has my undying gratitude. Thank YOU!

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  2. Oops, I meant twice not once! Argh. It's early. :)

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  3. And here I thought you were going to rip into me about the"much much older" comment. :)

    I agree about feeling like a Godmother in a way. Very cool.

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  4. I experienced one of the best days of my writing life recently. I returned from vacation to find that not one, but two of my close writer friends - people who had spent their time and effort to help me get published - had announced their imminent publication. That moment ranks right up there with the day I got "the call."

    Can't wait to get a copy of The P.U.R.E on my bookshelf!

    In my acknowledgments I thanked my husband/best friend/beta reader/critique partner/cheerleader. Dedicated the book to him. Really, it wouldn't have been written without him. I also thanked my editor, 'cos I really need a good one, LOL. And I thanked my beta reader - Claire Gillian, AKA Dictionary Claire. She really does have a spectacular vocab, doesn't she! Hmm. Now I'm thinking of a new nickname. "Dictionary Woman!" Slays villains with a few well-chosen words. *grin*

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  5. Yup, I've been trying to convince Claire she needs to write a modern version of Sherlock Holmes (perhaps with a female MC) or some other smart myster/thriller type book. I think it would be awesome!

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  6. I think Gary James would find my vocabulary jejeune (heh, there's a new one for you). And as much as I'd like to take exception to the age mention alas I must own up to what I am--very old but very very wise.

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  7. I had to look up both of those references and I'm still scratching my head over here. LOL!

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  8. Oh, that's wonderful you'll be in the acknowledgements! Get used to it, though, because you are so going in mine for both The Breakaway and Bonded. You've been such a huge help to me, Julie, and I can honestly say you are one of the most caring, attentive, and helpful writers and beta readers I have ever had the honor of reading my stuff.

    I always worry that I'm going to forget someone in my acknowledgements page, or offend someone by not listing them, so I try to stick to putting in only the people who really helped with THAT book. Like, I've never thanked my parents yet in my acknowledements, but my mom and dad are definitely going into The Breakaway for many reasons because they were around a lot of the time I first wrote that book.

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  9. You make me blush, Michelle. :) That is great advice, too. I think I'm going to start a list of helpful betas just for Juliet now so I don't foget anyone when the time comes. Oh, and I fixed that scene we discussed. Soooo much better now! Thank you!! Now I'm going to make sure the other scenes with Hal are a bit more shocking as well.

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  10. Not all beta readers are alike. I've had some beta swaps where I spent hours proofreading and fixing things, followed by an in-depth report about what worked and what didn't, and all I got in return about my own MS was "good read, thanks." All the more reason to highlight those people who were instrumental in getting the book published. And you, Julie, would not just have your name listed, but in my case you'd deserve a whole line. It is thanks to you that I'm querying in the first place, with a book I'm finally quite happy with, and you can't get more instrumental than that. It's a hypothetical, of course, but if not for this book, then the next. :-)

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  11. Well, you guys will most definitely be in my acknowledgement pages! You challenge me at every turn. :)

    Carmen, remember, happy thoughts! You've got an awesome MS with great characters. Come on, agents!

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