The Power of Saying Thank You by Claudia Mills
Today I'm saying thank you to this wonderful blog for giving me this opportunity to celebrate the importance of saying thank you.
It's such a small and easy thing to express our appreciation to others for all they do for us, and yet so often we (that is to say, I) fail to take that tiny bit of extra time to do so. My church has a new pastor who has stunned the congregation just by constantly sending notes to thank the ushers for their faithful service, the musicians for their beautiful music, the trustees for their care of our buildings. Wow! A handwritten note, sent by actual snail mail, to thank people who have never been thanked in this way before!
So here are some ways we as authors can say thank you to those who have helped bring our books to readers - and as readers, thank our fellow writers.
1. As you work on your books, keep a careful list of everyone who should be listed on the book's Acknowledgments page and get their addresses now if possible. For recent books, I was glad to be able to thank all the people who read earlier drafts, the friend who answered a Facebook plea for a saag paneer recipe that could be made by third graders, a classroom of kids who told me about their favorite comics and graphic novels, a coding teacher who let me sit in on her after-school workshop, and a sixth-grader who tutored me in how to choreograph a dance party. Then, when the book finally comes out, send each person a signed copy.
2. If you are lucky enough to have published a lot of books, dedicate a few of them to these helpers. I've been amazed at how thrilled people are to have a book dedicated to them. One librarian told me (jokingly, I'm sure) that she was going to tell her family to have the dedicated book buried with her!
3. Send grateful notes to anyone who invites you to speak, or who lets you sign at their bookstore, or talk to the kids at their school. (It's nice if they send you a thank you note, too. We can all thank one another!)
4. Also give shout-outs on social media to these folks.
5. Review other people's books on Amazon and other booksellers' sites, and on Goodreads and other review sites. NOTE: you don't have to spend hours crafting the most exquisitely worded review. It's better just to do it now before you forget. Just write a few sentences sharing what you loved about the book and send it off!
6. If you're in a bookstore or library and see friends' books on the shelves, take a picture and post it on social media.
7. Don't forget to thank editors for their revision letters, even as you're gnashing your teeth about how you can possibly do all the things they want you to do. Just send off an immediate email thanking them for their fabulously insightful suggestions, knowing that when you've calmed down and given yourself time to figure out how to address these challenging comments, you'll actually mean it.
8. Thank critique partners, even as you're gnashing your teeth here as well. Critique is a gift! Don't insult the givers by tossing the gift back at them, explaining why you prefer your book exactly the way you wrote it. You don't have to take all the advice given you. But you do have to thank the person giving it.
All of these are things I need to work on more myself, which is why I am writing this.
Mystic Meister Eckhart is quoted as saying that if the only prayer you ever said in your life was "thank you," that would be enough.
If the only piece of professional etiquette we ever followed was to to say "thank you," that might be enough, too.
It's such a small and easy thing to express our appreciation to others for all they do for us, and yet so often we (that is to say, I) fail to take that tiny bit of extra time to do so. My church has a new pastor who has stunned the congregation just by constantly sending notes to thank the ushers for their faithful service, the musicians for their beautiful music, the trustees for their care of our buildings. Wow! A handwritten note, sent by actual snail mail, to thank people who have never been thanked in this way before!
So here are some ways we as authors can say thank you to those who have helped bring our books to readers - and as readers, thank our fellow writers.
1. As you work on your books, keep a careful list of everyone who should be listed on the book's Acknowledgments page and get their addresses now if possible. For recent books, I was glad to be able to thank all the people who read earlier drafts, the friend who answered a Facebook plea for a saag paneer recipe that could be made by third graders, a classroom of kids who told me about their favorite comics and graphic novels, a coding teacher who let me sit in on her after-school workshop, and a sixth-grader who tutored me in how to choreograph a dance party. Then, when the book finally comes out, send each person a signed copy.
2. If you are lucky enough to have published a lot of books, dedicate a few of them to these helpers. I've been amazed at how thrilled people are to have a book dedicated to them. One librarian told me (jokingly, I'm sure) that she was going to tell her family to have the dedicated book buried with her!
3. Send grateful notes to anyone who invites you to speak, or who lets you sign at their bookstore, or talk to the kids at their school. (It's nice if they send you a thank you note, too. We can all thank one another!)
4. Also give shout-outs on social media to these folks.
5. Review other people's books on Amazon and other booksellers' sites, and on Goodreads and other review sites. NOTE: you don't have to spend hours crafting the most exquisitely worded review. It's better just to do it now before you forget. Just write a few sentences sharing what you loved about the book and send it off!
6. If you're in a bookstore or library and see friends' books on the shelves, take a picture and post it on social media.
7. Don't forget to thank editors for their revision letters, even as you're gnashing your teeth about how you can possibly do all the things they want you to do. Just send off an immediate email thanking them for their fabulously insightful suggestions, knowing that when you've calmed down and given yourself time to figure out how to address these challenging comments, you'll actually mean it.
8. Thank critique partners, even as you're gnashing your teeth here as well. Critique is a gift! Don't insult the givers by tossing the gift back at them, explaining why you prefer your book exactly the way you wrote it. You don't have to take all the advice given you. But you do have to thank the person giving it.
All of these are things I need to work on more myself, which is why I am writing this.
Mystic Meister Eckhart is quoted as saying that if the only prayer you ever said in your life was "thank you," that would be enough.
If the only piece of professional etiquette we ever followed was to to say "thank you," that might be enough, too.
An excellent reminder! Thank you! :)
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