Member-only story
The Hidden Gems Found in Author’s Acknowledgements
Why everybody should be reading the front and back matter of every book.
I love reading the author’s notes. To hear the author’s voice outside of the story or article — which can be heavily edited by others, or at the very least too preoccupied with delivering the approved content — brings so much depth and meaning to the piece of writing for me.
I’m not sure if many people actually read through the pages and pages of authors thanking people in their lives — but I do. Sometimes authors even share their journeys of how they came to writing this book. Sometimes, it’s just funny.
Perhaps the earliest example I remember of an acknowledgment worth noting was Rick Riordan’s piece in ‘House of Hades’:
To my wonderful readers:
Sorry about that last cliff-hanger.
Well, no, not really. HAHAHAHA.
But seriously, I love you guys.
If you too had an unhealthy obsession with the Percy Jackson series as a kid, then you’ll understand the pain of the cliffhangers Rick would throw our way — supposedly out of love.
Mark Twain had his own sense of humour and way of connecting with his readers via the author’s acknowledgement. You…
