Acknowledgements examples for nonfiction books
Nonfiction acknowledgements have more to do than a novel’s. They credit the people you interviewed, the experts who checked your facts, and the archives and grants behind the research, and then they thank the people at home. Add the lines you like to the page, or build your own with the form.
By the Proselis team · Updated
Thanks for interviewees and sources
This book would not exist without the forty people who shared their stories with me. Some asked that I change their names, and I have.
Thank you to the families of Pine Hollow, who welcomed a stranger with a notebook and answered every question.
To everyone who spoke with me on the record and to those who couldn’t, thank you for trusting me with your stories.
Thank you to the former workers of the Ashland mill, whose memories fill these pages.
Thanks for experts and fact-checkers
Leah Goldberg read the legal chapters and saved me from at least a dozen errors. The ones that remain are mine.
Thank you to my fact-checker, Omar Haddad, who verified every number in this book and questioned several of mine.
I am grateful to the scientists at the coastal research station, who explained their work slowly and more than once.
Thank you to Professor Ruth Okoye for reading the manuscript and asking the questions I had avoided.
Thanks for archives, libraries, and funding
Research for this book was supported by a grant from the Riverbend Foundation, for which I am deeply grateful.
Thank you to the archivists at the State Historical Society, who found boxes no one had opened in decades.
The staff of my town’s public library renewed the same twelve books for me for two years without complaint.
Portions of chapter four first appeared, in different form, in Lantern Quarterly.
Thanks for the people at home
Thank you to my partner, who read every draft and took over every chore while I finished this book.
To my children, who grew up hearing about this project, thank you for your patience. It’s finally done.
And to my parents, who taught me to ask questions and keep asking, thank you.
What should nonfiction acknowledgements include?
Credit the people and places the research depended on: the people you interviewed, the experts who checked your facts, the archives and libraries, and any grants or fellowships. Then thank your editor and agent, and end with the people at home.
Do you need permission to thank interviewees by name?
Ask first. Some sources spoke on the condition that they stay anonymous, and naming them in the acknowledgements would break that promise. When in doubt, thank them as a group.
Acknowledgments or acknowledgements?
Both are correct. “Acknowledgments” is the usual American spelling, and “acknowledgements” is the usual British one. Pick the one that matches the rest of your book’s spelling, and use it in both the page heading and the table of contents.
How long should acknowledgements be?
Half a page to two pages is typical. If yours runs longer, group people by role so readers can follow it, and keep each paragraph to a few sentences.
Questions
Should grant funders go in the acknowledgements?
Yes. Most grants and fellowships expect a credit line, and many specify the exact wording. Check your award letter before you write it.
How do I thank someone who asked not to be named?
Thank them without the name, as in “to the nurse at County General who asked to remain anonymous, thank you.” Readers understand, and your source sees that you kept your word.
Where does the acknowledgements page go?
Most novels put it at the back, after the last chapter. Many nonfiction books put it at the front instead, before the introduction.
Is it okay to thank people who didn’t help with the writing?
Yes. Thank anyone who made it possible for you to write, such as the friend who watched your kids or the boss who let you change your hours.
Give your thanks a page of its own
Proselis adds an Acknowledgments page to your back matter from one menu, so it lands in the right place in your EPUB and print PDF. Writing is free. Publishing a book as an EPUB and a print-ready PDF is a one-time $20.