How To Write A Book Dedication (With Examples)

write book dedication

What Is a Book Dedication?

A book dedication is a way for authors to bestow a high honor on a person (or small group of people) they want to praise or otherwise spotlight. It’s not fundamentally different than dedicating anything else, like a ship or a monument.

The dedication usually goes on the dedication page, which is in the very front of the book, after the Title page.

Who Can an Author Dedicate Their Book To?

Anyone they like. A dedication section is short and usually focused on one person (or specific group of people). It’s usually personal, rather than professional.

Here are the categories of people that are common focuses of a book dedication:

Do You Need to Dedicate Your Book?

No. Most authors dedicate their books, but it’s not required or mandatory.

How to Dedicate Your Book

1. decide who will be the focus.

Think about the people to whom you want to dedicate this work. Who was the most important person? The seminal influence? The people you care the most about?

Many people write their book dedication to a child or dedicate their book to a friend who’s impacted their creative process. There’s no magic formula. This should be short and sweet, and there are no wrong answers. You are expressing a personal sentiment, so only you can decide.

The worst thing you can do is get stuck on it. Either do it or don’t. If you decide to have one, don’t fret over it. Go with your gut. Anyone you leave out can be thanked in the Acknowledgments (which goes at the end of the book).

2. Remember: Everyone Who Reads the Book Will See This

As the dedication is at the beginning of a book (on the dedication page), many of the readers will read it and be influenced by it. Think not just about the person or people named in the book dedication, but also about all of the readers who will pass by this page and be impacted. Make a conscious choice about what you want that impact to be (if any).

And yes, though everyone will see it, no one but the person you mention will remember it. Want proof? Name your favorite book dedication. Chances are you can’t name one.

3. Make It Short—It’s Not the Acknowledgements

In contrast to an Acknowledgments section , the dedication should be short and to the point. You should not mention everyone who contributed to the book’s creation.

That is what the Acknowledgements is for (if you want).  

4. Review Book Dedication Examples (if needed)

The easiest way to get examples of a book dedication is to pick up any book on your shelf and look at the selection. Almost every book has a dedication, so you can find endless examples.

Most of them as very basic and simple, something like this:

For my wife Megan and children, Ava, Jaxon, and Elle.

George R. R. Martin, who wrote the Game Of Thrones series, has a unique dedication in A Song of Ice and Fire:

For Phyllis, who made me put the dragons in.

This concise line holds enormous depth for both the readers and the person mentioned. If you’ve read the books or seen “Game of Thrones”, you’d know that dragons and the fantasy world they represent were a big part of the appeal. To imagine the book without them would be nearly impossible. Phyllis clearly played a big role in the creation of this piece (it’s also an inside joke for fans).

Here’s the dedication that C. S. Lewis wrote to his goddaughter in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe:

My dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be your affectionate Godfather,

C. S. LEWIS

This book was listed as one of TIME Magazine’s Top 100 Novels ever written, and yet he wrote it for his goddaughter. This dedication gives real substance to the book, and the author, before you even dive in.

This next example is a short-and-sweet dedication from a book I co-wrote with Dr. Geoffrey Miller:

To our 17-year-old former selves, and to Bishop, Atalanta, and all the sons and daughters who deserve the great relationships we want for them.

Neil Gaiman’s fans often look forward to his dedications, because they are so colorful, and in some cases, even part of the book. For example, from his book Anansi Boys:

You know how it is. You pick up a book, flip to the dedication, and find that, once again, the author has dedicated a book to someone else and not you.

Not this time.

Because we haven’t yet met/have only a glancing acquaintance/are just crazy about each other/haven’t seen each other in much too long/are in some way related/will never meet, but will, I trust, despite that, always think fondly of each other…

This one’s for you.

With you know what, and you probably know why.

The dedication at for The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is somewhat famous:

TO LEON WERTH

I ask the indulgence of the children who may read this book for dedicating it to a grown-up. I have a serious reason: he is the best friend I have in the world. I have another reason: this grown-up understands everything, even books about children. I have a third reason: he lives in France where he is hungry and cold. He needs cheering up. If all these reasons are not enough, I will dedicate the book to the child from whom this grown-up grew. All grown-ups were once children—although few of them remember it. And so I correct my dedication:

TO LEON WERTH WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE BOY

Charles Bukowski in his book Post Office plays off the banal nature of most dedications by saying this:

This is presented as a work of fiction and dedicated to nobody.

There is a book called The Selection by Kiera Cass that has gotten some notoriety online with this book dedication:

Hi, Dad! *waves*

5. Write Your Book Dedication

The number one thing to keep in mind is that there is NO specific formula for this. The dedication is one of the most personal sections in the book, and it’s up to you to decide how you want to use it.

What’s inside of your book is more important, and getting it out into the world is the MOST important thing.

Read This Next

9 Essential Tips for Audiobook Editing

12 Most Important Pieces of Audiobook Recording Equipment

Done-For-You Audiobooks with Scribe

Live Customer Service | M-F 10am-6pm Eastern: 864-729-3997

write book dedication

FORMATTING + DESIGN

write book dedication

FREELANCE COMMUNITY

10 Book Dedication Examples to Help Your Next Book

Posted on Mar 7, 2023

by Gloria Russell

When I was a kid, I had a fascination with book dedications. I saw them as pockets into an author’s personal world—I rarely had any idea who the person or place was, but knowing they existed and hearing the author talk about them made the author feel tangible and real. And this made the entire book to follow feel more personal, knowing from where the author drew inspiration. 

Book dedications are a wonderful way to honor someone or something integral to you or your writing. They’re meaningful to you as an author, since you’ve been inspired and moved by them, and they’re meaningful to their subject. Writing a great one can be a ton of pressure, especially if you feel particularly strongly about your subject. 

Good news, though—it doesn’t have to be stressful! In fact, it can be incredibly gratifying or even fun, so long as you know what you’re doing when you get started. 

In this article, we’ll talk about what book dedications are, how they work, and cover some tips for how to write a great one. We’ll also give you some real examples of book dedications to get you brainstorming your own! 

This guide to book dedication examples covers:

What is a dedication in a book.

How do you write a book dedication?

[PRINTABLE] Book Launch Checklist

Publish Your Book The RIGHT Way & Ensure It’s Success!

Download your FREE book launch checklist to get your launch right the first time. Hit the button to claim yours.

Sps Lm Embed Form Img1

A book dedication is exactly what it sounds like—it’s a small section , generally given its own page before the beginning of the book, where the author gives special mention, thanks, or acknowledgements to a certain person or group of people. To dedicate the book to this person or to these people is considered an honor—imagine having a statue dedicated to you, for example, or an entire building named for you. 

A dedication might be a brief sentence fragment, like ‘to my mother,’ or it might be a paragraph listing multiple people to whom the author would like to dedicate the book. Dedications are usually no longer than a few sentences. 

Some authors will also use this section to set a specific tone (especially in comedy writing) or to make a joke. There’s no hard and fast rule for what a dedication must include, except that it should be short, and it should come before the beginning of the book. 

You also don’t have to include a book dedication if you don’t want to! It’s very common to do so, but there’s no rule that says you have to. 

Dedication vs acknowledgements 

Crack open just about any book you own, and you’re likely to find a dedication right before the opening page, as well as acknowledgements immediately after the last page. What’s the difference between the two? 

Well, most obviously, there’s length. Dedications are meant to be short, succinct, and a sort of honorary gesture. You might dedicate your book to your partner because you love them, to a teacher who always believed in you, or to your hometown for giving you lots to work with. 

In the acknowledgements, however, you’re specifically thanking the people who helped you write the book . This may also include loved ones who provided emotional support during the writing process, but it’ll also include people like your editor, beta readers , friends who read your work at different stages of the process, professionals with whom you may have consulted, and so on. In this section, you’ll have more room to list these people and what you’re thankful to them for. 

Dedications are usually right after the title page, while acknowledgements are usually at the end of a book, but these aren’t hard rules. Acknowledgements might appear at the beginning of a book, for example, on either side of the table of contents. 

There may not be any hard and fast rules for writing a dedication, but there are definitely some tips and tricks to making your book’s dedication the best it can be. 

And remember: you don’t have to write a book dedication if you don’t want to. If you find yourself struggling to write anything compelling for your book’s dedication, even after reviewing these tips, or if you don’t feel that your book requires a dedication at all, you’re more than free to skip it and instead list out all of the people involved in helping you write the book in the acknowledgements section. 

However, dedications can be incredibly special to the reader, the audience, and the person or people to whom the book is dedicated. It’s an important opportunity for building an emotional connection with your reader, and that’s worth your best shot! 

All that said: here are some ways to make your book dedication pop. 

1. Pick someone or something to dedicate the book to 

This might sound obvious, but have someone or something in mind when you’re writing the book and when you start on the dedications. Some examples include: partners, spouses, children, teachers, siblings, close friends, places which inspired the book, parents or grandparents, and so on. 

Is there someone in your life who has inspired you to write, or has offered you special encouragement on your journey? Is there a particular place or period of time that’s inspired you? Dedications are often made to real, living people close to the author, but they don’t have to be. If you write historical fiction about a specific person or group of people, you might dedicate your book to them, for example. 

Some authors even take a more comedic approach to this and dedicate their books to people who might have bullied them. Spite is a powerful motivator, after all. This is something to be careful with, as you don’t really want to outright mock someone by name in your dedications, but something vague in a teasing tone can be funny. 

Having this person or thing in mind before you start writing can be a powerful motivator, too. When you’re stuck in a drafting slog or trapped in some hellish stage of revising, it’s nice to be able to reflect on the reason why you’re doing this in the first place. This will give you something pleasant to look back on during the process, and it’ll make it all the easier to write your dedication after the fact.  

2. Make it personal 

You can choose to address the dedicated subject directly or write the dedication in the third person , but either way, you want to make it personal. 

Again, this should be the subject which has inspired or motivated you to write this book. This is already a powerfully personal connection to have with something—tap into that while you’re writing the dedication. Like I mentioned earlier, this is a great place to start an emotional connection with your audience, too. 

Making a sincere dedication will give your readership a small sense of what you’re like as an author—besides the acknowledgements, this is one of your few chances to do so, especially if you’re writing fiction. Let the dedication take on your own voice and personality. 

If you’re dedicating the book to someone with whom you have a ton of inside jokes and history, don’t be afraid to keep that dedication personal, even if this means your readership might not get it. It should be, first and foremost, for you and the dedicated subject. If you’re sincere, then the audience will pick up on that, even if they don’t necessarily ‘get’ every single thing you mention. 

3. Keep your target audience in mind 

While your dedication should be written with your dedicated subject as your first priority, you should also keep your audience in mind. If you’re writing a comedy, for example, this might be a chance to either offer a heartfelt dedication to show an emotional range, or to write a funny dedication to set the tone. 

You might also be writing for a specific target audience with whom you strongly identify. If your book revolves around a single mother struggling to make things happen in her love life, you might dedicate your book to other single mothers and offer them some empathy and connection. 

You can also match your dedication to the overall theme and tone of the book. If you’re writing a particularly atmospheric gothic novel , for example, your dedication might ring with mystery and intrigue. A lighthearted romance’s dedication might be witty and clever as well as heartfelt and sincere. This isn’t necessary, but it can be a nice primer for the reader. 

Above all, remember: the dedication is for the dedicated subject, but the dedicated subject is not going to be the only person to see it. Nods to inside jokes or personal moments is fine, but sharing sworn secrets or slandering former bullies is not. If you or the dedicated subject wouldn’t want a stranger to see it, you shouldn’t put it in your dedication. 

4. Draft dedications in different styles 

If you’re stuck between a few different dedications, that’s okay! It can feel like a lot of pressure to get a dedication just right, especially with so many different options with regards to tone and style. Do you make it funny? Do you make it serious? Both? Neither? Ah! 

When you have your subject, or even if you’ve just narrowed it down to a few, draft a few different book dedications. Try funny ones, serious ones, and sappy ones. Try dedications to specific people, multiple people, places, or whatever you’re torn between. Play with different lengths—you may find that you need a paragraph to say what you need to say, but you might surprise yourself by stopping two sentences in. 

Draft a few, put them away for a few weeks, and come back to them. If you’re still stuck, have a trusted friend take a look to see which of them reads best. 

5. Read lots of book dedications 

As is the case with anything you write, the best possible tip is to read widely in that area . So, if you’re working on a book dedication, you’ll want to read lots of other book dedications. 

While you can read dedications specifically in your own genre , you don’t have to, strictly speaking. Dedications can be as varied as the authors who write them, so you’ll get a ton of variance in tone and style even within a genre. 

What’s most important is that you read a bunch of different book dedications, and preferably those that vary in length, style, and tone. Read snarky ones, romantic ones, dedications to people, dedications to places, and dedications to groups. This will help you get a sense of how to put your own dedication into words and it can give you ideas for how to best structure and stylize your dedication. 

If you know your dedicated subject, it might be especially helpful to look for how other authors have dedicated their books to the same subject. For example, look for how other authors dedicate their books to their spouses, children, or parents. Obviously, the exact relationships are wildly different, but it’ll give you some ideas. 

Book dedication examples 

Not sure where to start looking for book dedications? Well, great news—we’ve done the legwork of compiling a bunch for you to get started.

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

Book Dedication From Ben Philppe

Skulduggery Pleasant—Mortal Coil by Derek Landry

Example Of A Funny Book Dedication

Austenland by Shannon Hale 

Another Comedic Dedication Of A Book

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald 

A Short And Simple Dedication Page

The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw 

An Example Of An Empathetic Book Dedication

The Selection by Kiera Cass 

A Short And Fun Book Dedication Example

The End Games by T Michael Martin

An Ironic Book Dedication

Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne 

A Classic Dedication From Children'S Literature

No Thanks by E. E. Cummings 

Stylistic Example Of A Book Dedication Page Using Shaped Text

House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan'S Dedication To His Readers

Gloria Russell

Most popular blog posts, what is self-publishing school.

We help you save time, money, and headaches through the book, writing, marketing, and publishing process by giving you the proven, step-by-step process and accountability to publish successfully. All while allowing you to maintain control of your book–and its royalties. Learn to publish a book to grow your impact, income, or business!

write book dedication

How (and Why) to Write a Book Dedication

write book dedication

Considering whether to dedicate your book or other writing? It can be a more difficult process than you might think. In this post we’ve compiled examples and talked to authors to give you everything you need when writing a dedication. So, let’s dive in.

What is a book dedication?

A book dedication is a statement that tells the reader for whom the author has written a book. 

Why write a dedication?

Book dedications are about expressing gratitude. Authors often include a dedication to acknowledge the person or people who inspired the book or to thank someone who supported them during the writing process. Some authors dedicate a book to the memory of a loved one or to a cause or idea. 

Lorraine Evanoff, author of the Louise Moscow series , says she dedicates her books because “writing and publishing a book is never done alone.” She dedicates all of her novels to her husband. “[He] has been so patient and supportive,” Evanoff says, and uses the acknowledgements to thank family and friends who provide feedback and suggestions. 

How to format a book dedication

The book dedication usually appears in the frontmatter, after the title page and colophon (sometimes called the copyright page ) but before the index and body text. 

If you include an epigraph in your book, the dedication typically appears on the recto (or righthand) page just before this. 

Most dedications appear center aligned on the top half of the page and are often in italics. 

Do you have to include a dedication?

No, you do not have to include a dedication, and many books don’t have one. 

Examples of book dedications

Book dedications take all forms. Some are funny or cheeky, some are vague or even cryptic, some are quite poetic. You can combine styles—one that’s poetic and funny, for example—or you can create a style that’s all your own. 

Poetic dedications

Some book dedications read like short poems.

Alice Walker’s dedication of The Color Purple reads: 

TO THE SPIRIT: 

Without whose assistance 

Neither this book 

Would have been 

The dedication in Jayant Kaikini’s short story collection, No Presents Please , is also quite poetic: 

To all those orphaned and undelivered letters 

lying in post offices, addresses unknown, 

unable to return 

Jacqueline Woodson’s Red at the Bone : 

for the ancestors, a long long time 

of you bending and twisting 

bending and twisting 

Named dedications

Sometimes an author will explicitly name the person or people they’re dedicating their book to. Marcia Brown dedicates her famous children’s book, Stone Soup , very simply:

TO MY MOTHER AND FATHER 

Cheryl Strayed, best-selling author of Wild , dedicates her advice column anthology Tiny Beautiful Things : 

For Stephen Elliot and Isaac Fitzgerald 

And for all the people who wrote to me 

Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me is dedicated: 

For David and Kenyatta 

who believed 

Authors who want to name the person they’re dedicating their book to should make a few important considerations.

Urban fantasy and paranormal romance novelist TL Christianson says this about named dedications: “ Dedications can make that person feel very special. However, they can inevitably hurt someone else,” she says. “There are so many people involved in each book—family, friends, editors, beta and ARC readers, and not to mention readers who have touched our life—which is why I find it impossible to dedicate my own. So, I’d rather not dedicate at all than upset someone instrumental who wasn’t on my mind at that particular moment.” 

But keep in mind that the person you dedicate your book to may not want to be named. This is why Christianson doesn’t always dedicate her novels. “ A dedication can inadvertently expose or imply intimate and painful details about that person, depending on the content.” 

Anonymous dedications

If you’d like to keep the identity of your “dedicatee” private, you can always anonymize the note. Roxanne Gay’s memoir Hunger is dedicated: 

for you, my sunshine, showing me 

what I no longer need and finding the 

way to my warm 

In memoriam dedications

Some writers will dedicate their book to the memory of a loved one. 

Daniel Kahneman, winner of the nobel prize in economics, dedicates his book, Thinking, Fast and Slow , this way: 

In memory of Amos Tversky 

Walter Mosley’s Elements of Fiction :

This book is dedicated to the memory of 

John Singleton. 

One of the most creative individuals 

I have ever known. 

Group dedications or dedications to a cause

Perhaps you were inspired by a group of people with a shared identity or experience or dedicated to a common cause.

Joshua Wong’s Unfree Speech, The Threat to Global Democracy and Why We Must Act, Now , is dedicated: 

For those who have lost their freedom 

fighting for Hong Kong 

Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street : 

A las Mujeres 

To the Women 

Angie Cruz dedicates her novel Dominicana : 

For Dania, my mother 

Para todas las Dominicanas 

For all our unsung heroes 

Funny dedications

Some writers get playful with their book dedications. 

Michael’s Lewis dedicates his book The Big Short : 

Michael Kinsley 

To whom I still owe an article 

Humor essayist Sloane Crosley wrote this original dedication for her second book, How Did You Get This Number : 

To my parents. For everything.*  

*Everything except the two-week period in 1995 directly following the time you went to Ohio for a wedding and I threw a party in the house, which is the most normal thing a teenage American can do, aside from lie about it, which I also did, and Mom eyed me suspiciously for days, morphing into a one-woman Scotland Yard, marching into my bedroom with a fistful of lint from the dryer to demonstrate that I had mysteriously washed all the towels, and then she waited until we were in a nice restaurant to scream, “Someone vomited on my couch, I know it!” and Dad took away my automotive privileges straight through college so that I spent the subsequent four years likening you both to Stasi foot soldiers, confined as I was to a campus-on-the-hill when I could have been learning how to play poker at the casinos down the road and making bad decisions at townie bars. I think we can all agree you overreacted. 

For everything except that, I am profoundly grateful. I have only the greatest affection for you now. Also: I vomited on the couch.

How long should a book dedication be?

Book dedications can be as short or as long as you like. 

Poet Galway Kinnell dedicates his collection Strong Is Your Hold simply, To Bobbie. 

But others, like Crosley’s above, are much longer. Michelle Obama’s dedication in Becoming is 73 words, has two parts, and mentions many people: 

To all the people who have helped me become: 

the folks who raised me—Fraser, Marian, Craig, 

and my vast extended family, 

my circle of strong women, who always lift me up, 

my loyal and dedicated staff, who continue to make me proud 

To the loves of my life: 

Malia and Sasha, my two most precious peas, 

who are my reasons for being, 

and finally, Barak, who always promised me an interesting journey. 

How to write a book dedication

Consider why you wrote your book .

Consider who or what inspired you to write your book in the first place. 

Perhaps it was a meaningful relationship with a childhood friend, the survivors of an event, or the tenacity of a marginalized group of people. 

Is there someone, a family member or friend, who supported or encouraged you during the writing process? Maybe a significant other, a trusted mentor, or your parents who encouraged you to become a writer. 

You might choose to dedicate your book to a person or persons, to an idea or cause, or to something else entirely. It’s up to you. 

Some authors write more than one dedication. José Saramago’s famous novel Blindness has two. The first reads: 

For my daughter Violante

And the second: 

IN MEMORIAM 

Giovanni Pontiero 

Brittany Ziegler, author of Make Me Exist: A Heart-Pounding Sci-Fi Romance, Lost in Time Book One , also included two dedications for her latest book. 

“ For my latest novel, the sequel to the series I’m writing, I had two dedications,” she says. “First and foremost, I dedicated the novel to my two daughters. For obvious reasons, like I love them and they are my world, but also because I wouldn’t be able to write the characters correctly if I didn’t understand how deeply a mother’s love ran. My second dedication in the book went out to a fan, actually, who found my series via Amazon ads and then took the extra step to befriend me on social media. Her input, support, and love of my characters is invaluable, and we have forged an amazing relationship.” 

Check with your dedicatee

As mentioned above, “a dedication can inadvertently expose or imply intimate and painful details about that person, depending on the content.” 

So if you think you might expose something personal about the person you’re dedicating your book to, it’s best to ask them first. 

If they say no, ask if they’re OK with your anonymizing the note. Instead of For Cameron , perhaps they’d be comfortable with For C. 

If they don’t want to be named at all, honor that request. 

Write a few drafts

Writing is rewriting, and the same applies to your book dedication. Write your dedication a few different ways, and write a few drafts of each. 

Step away for at least a day (more, if you can), and then review your drafts. One in particular may stand out to you.

Do you dedicate your books? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!

Get more articles like these!

4 comments on “ how (and why) to write a book dedication ”.

Great piece thank you Clayton! Do you have a Twitter account?

Thanks Lorraine! You can just tag @WrittenWordM on Twitter. Thank you for your contribution to this post!

Yes. I love to put a few cryptic ones. “To the one who hates peanut butter but shines like a razor. You know who you are, and thank you.”

Excellent information, Clayton. I learn best by example, and you’ve provided enough to clarify every point.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Posts

TCK Publishing

if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'tckpublishing_com-box-2','ezslot_3',141,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tckpublishing_com-box-2-0'); How to Write a Book Dedication: Helpful Tips and Real Examples from Authors

by Yen Cabag | 0 comments

write book dedication

When you read a book, the front matter often tells you things about the author that may not be apparent from the main contents. For example, the foreword shows readers another person’s view of the writer, which might even be more accurate than the author’s own self-perception.

Also important is the book dedication page. It’s quite revealing and interesting to see who authors choose to acknowledge when given the limitation of just a few lines on a page.

And if you’re the one who’s just finished writing a book, you know how difficult it is to choose just one—or at most, a few—people to dedicate your book to! 

What Is a Dedication Page in a Book?

The dedication page is where the author can express thanks or acknowledge others, often someone who has inspired or supported them. It is usually located in the front of the book.

Whereas the dedication page usually contains very short content, some books also include a page for acknowledgments in the back portion of the book. This section allows the author to expand their list of thank-yous to more than a few lines. 

How Do You Write a Book Dedication? 

If the thought of choosing someone to dedicate your book to feels intimidating, fear not! These steps will help you get started:

1. Choose a person or group of people.

Remember: your book’s dedication is a personal decision. Perhaps one of the ideas that paralyzes writers when it comes to writing the dedication page is the thought that they may not choose the right person. But bear in mind that there is no correct or wrong decision. 

So who are some of the people you might choose? It can be any of the following: 

For example, when C.S. Lewis wrote the first book in what eventually became The Chronicles of Narnia series , he dedicated The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe to a girl named Lucy Barfield, his godchild: 

My Dear Lucy, I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result, you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say but I shall still be, your affectionate Godfather, C. S. Lewis

According to the official Owen Barfield website , Lucy Barfield has this to say: “What I could not do for myself the dedication did for me. My godfather gave me a greater gift than I had imagined.” 

And taking the case of this dedication example, two questions to help you choose would be: 

In another example, author John Cordell chose to dedicate his legal thriller Contempt to his wife. You can see how the dedication is formatted in the actual book below:

book dedication example image

2. Decide how to address the person. 

Once you have chosen the person or people you’re dedicating the book to, decide how you want to address them in the dedication page. It depends highly on your personal relationship with that person. 

For example, if you’re dedicating it to a family member, you can choose to address them as Mom, Dad, their full name, or choose a pet name. 

3. Write the reason for your dedication. 

Some dedication pages only put the name of the person, while others choose to elaborate.

For example, some dedications include an anecdote or give a funny slant to the dedication page. This approach is becoming increasingly popular, but of course, check to see if it matches the theme and tone of your book. 

Book Dedication Examples

Here are some examples of book dedications from bestselling books. Observe the wide variety of relationships represented in these samples: 

Example #1. Wild at Heart by John Eldredge if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'tckpublishing_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_2',140,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tckpublishing_com-medrectangle-3-0');

For Samuel, Blaine, and Luke.  I love your warrior hearts.  You definitely have what it takes. 

Example #2. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

To my dear and honored Mother, whose life, no less than her pen, has been devoted to the welfare of others, this little book is  affectionately dedicated. 

Example #3. Carry a Big Stick by George Grant

To My Students:  The Covenant Classical School The Gileskirk School The Franklin Classical School A New Generation of Leaders 

Example #4. The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne 

To Her Hand in hand we come     Christopher Robin and I  To lay this book in your lap.         Say you’re surprised?          Say you like it?          Say it’s just what you wanted?              Because it’s yours—             Because we love you. 

Example #5. Mozart & Constanze by Francis Carr

To Brigid Brophy, a great Mozartian

Funny Book Dedication Examples 

Some writers also like to show their wit in their book dedications. Here are some examples of humorous book dedication messages: 

Example #1. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket 

Lemony Snicket dedicated the whole 13-book series to his ex-fiancée, who had broken off their engagement and died soon afterward. Here are some examples:

The Bad Beginning : 

To Beatrice– darling, dearest, dead.

The Reptile Room : 

For Beatrice– My love for you shall live forever. You, however, did not.

The Wide Window : 

For Beatrice— I would much prefer it if you were alive and well. 

The Slippery Slope :

For Beatrice— When we first met, you were pretty, and I was lonely.  Now I am pretty lonely. 

Example #2. The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie 

To all those who lead monotonous lives, in the hope that they may experience at second hand the delights and dangers of adventure.

Example #3. Graduate Texts in Mathematics: An Introduction to Algebraic Topology by Joseph J. Rotman 

To my wife Marganit and my children Ella Rose and Daniel Adam without whom this book would have been completed two years earlier. 

Dedicating Your Book

As you write your book dedication, remember to stay true to yourself and be as sincere as possible. Use it as your chance to encourage someone with your words. 

And, if you feel like you have more people you want to dedicate your book to, you can always write more books! 

If you wrote a book, who would you dedicate it to? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

Yen Cabag

Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Book Deals

Learn More About

Ezoic

Authority Self-Publishing

How To Write A Unique Book Dedication Page + 11 Examples

Dedicating a book to someone is a big deal.

And since you’ve no idea whether your current work in progress will be your last, you want this one to count. 

We all make mistakes, whether it’s a TMI blog post , an impulse tattoo, or something else.

Some of us just postpone the regret until after we’ve published the evidence. 

We’ve got some ideas to prevent your book dedication page from being on that list.

Read on for a detailed how-to and some must-read examples. 

What Is The Dedication Page in a Book? 

What’s the difference between a book dedication and acknowledgments , 1. make a list of people, groups, or things you’re considering for the dedication. , 2. brainstorm some example dedications with people from this list. , 3. make your dedication personal — and as cryptic as you like. , 4. remember your target audience. , 5. read plenty of examples. , 6. once you choose your subject, try a variety of different dedications. , 7. choose one and try it out for a week or so. , book dedication to child examples, children’s book dedication examples, dedication to parents examples, book dedication examples to a friend, assorted funny dedication examples.

At its essence, the dedication is a personal note from the author to someone important to them. If you dedicate your book to someone, you show your reader that this person or this group holds a special place for you. 

That’s true even if your dedication is sarcastic or tongue-in-cheek. Something about that someone (or group of someone) makes them important enough to call out in one of the first pages of your book . 

We hope it’s something you enjoy remembering. 

Dedication pages in books are similar in some ways to the credits an author might include on the Acknowledgements page, but there are key differences between the two. 

Dedications are generally short and focused on one particular tribute. They also don’t have to address someone involved in the book’s creation. 

Acknowledgment pages typically include a varied list of people or groups who helped make the book, along with anyone else the author wants to acknowledge for their help or support. 

How to Write a Book Dedication Page 

Writing the best book dedications involves a process, even if you don’t consciously recognize using one. What seems like a stroke of inspiration is usually the product of behind-the-scenes creative development. 

With that in mind, use the following steps to create a book dedication you won’t regret.

Start a list of people and things you appreciate. Brainstorm a list of at least ten possible subjects for your book’s dedication. Here are some ideas: 

You can keep going. Jot down whatever or whoever comes to mind. Some of them will feel like better candidates than others. But we’re not there yet. 

Pick a few of the candidates from your list and free-write some dedications — a few for each of them. 

Play with different approaches but keep in mind the reasons why this person or group made it to your list. Include that. 

People like to know why you’re grateful for them. It’s nice to hear, “You make my life better.” But it’s far more powerful to hear how you make someone’s life better: 

The secret ingredient in every powerful dedication is vulnerability. 

The tone of your dedication will probably depend on which subject you ultimately choose. But be genuine with your words – even if you’re keeping it light or using an inside joke that no one else will understand. 

No one else needs to. Even readers who don’t know what you’re talking about can pick up on the clues that you’re being vulnerable with someone important to you. 

The person or group you’re dedicating your book to has a backstage pass to your true self. You’re under no obligation to give that to everyone who reads your book. 

Just give them a peek. 

Remember that, even if your dedication is cryptic or “safe,” your target readers will see it. You don’t have to pretend to be someone else for them, but you do need to remember that they’ve taken time out of their day to read your book. 

All we’re asking is that you remember to be kind. Be considerate of the readers you’re hoping to attract — the people you’re addressing with your book. 

The dedication is part of that. And it’s one of the first things your reader will notice. 

Share a bit of yourself. Offer them a glimpse into the personality behind the book. Use the dedication as another way to help your book stand out from the competition. 

Look through the Kindle book previews on Amazon — or any eBook previews available with online booksellers — and check out the dedication pages. Spend some time exposing yourself to different kinds of dedication messages from various authors. 

You’ll probably remember only a few of them, but those are the ones that will stand out for some reason. Ask yourself why. See if you can explain it in your own words. 

The better you can articulate that special ingredient, the easier it is to use it in your own writing. Imagine your readers saying, “I was curious about this book already, but the dedication cinched it for me.” 

Have you ever felt like that?

It’s decision time. Go with your gut and choose the subject of your book’s dedication. 

Then brainstorm a list of possible dedication messages for them. Try a variety of different tones or focal points. 

Try cryptic. Try off the wall. Try serious. Try everything you can think of. 

Just get the ideas out onto a page, so you can make that list and see how it feels to write (or type out) each one. What you’re feeling can strongly indicate whether a particular message is a good idea for your book. 

This is not the time to self-edit, though. Ditch the filter and just see what comes out. 

Once you’ve settled on a dedication message from your unfiltered list, make whatever changes you need to get it just the way you want it. 

Then add it to your book’s manuscript and just sit with it for a week or so. Make sure you read it every time you get back to your book — for writing , editing, formatting, or whatever. 

Read it out loud, too. Listen to your own voice as you read it. How does it sound to you? 

If you feel a need to change it in some way, go ahead. Then sit with that revision for a bit to make sure you still like it days later. 

11 Dedication Page Examples 

Since we’re encouraging you to read lots of examples of dedications by other authors, it’s only fair to include some in this post. The following may or may not inspire your book’s dedication. We hope they at least provide some entertainment. 

#1 — from Skullduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer by Derek Landry

The author’s tongue-in-cheek tribute to his nieces makes this a memorable dedication. It’s longer than most of the others, but it doesn’t waste a word. 

Skullduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer by Derek Landry

#2 — from Graduate Texts In Mathematics – An Introduction To Algebraic Topology by Joseph J. Rotman

The author dedicates his book to the most important people in his life while acknowledging that his responsibilities to them delayed the book’s creation. It’s both a gentle joke at their expense and a reminder that, ultimately, they come first. 

Graduate Texts In Mathematics – An Introduction To Algebraic Topology by Joseph J. Rotman

#3 — from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

This gentle note to Lucy (after which he named one of the most important characters in the story) from the author is a token of his affectionate regard for his goddaughter. 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

#4 — from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 

In this message, the author charmingly asks the indulgence of his young readers as he dedicates his book to a significant adult in his life.

In this way, he shows his affection for the children who will enjoy the story he’s written for them while acknowledging the child in the person to whom he dedicates his work.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 

#5 — from Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

This honest and endearing dedication makes the author instantly relatable to all readers who can picture themselves saying the same thing to their parents. It could be a reference to an ongoing conversation with his mother — or just a gentle “I told you so.” 

Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

#6 — from a book by Judd Apatow

Readers who can relate to having lifelong mental health issues that started with the parent-child relationship are already nodding their heads. And as Brené Brown says, one of the most powerful phrases in the English language is “Me, too.”

from a book by Judd Apatow

More Related Articles

How To Find A Book Using A Plot Or Vague Description

The Best Free Book Title Generators For Choosing Your Bestselling Title

57 Short Story Ideas With An Unexpected Twist

#7 — from No Way Back by Matthew Klein

It’s not everyone who is willing to dedicate a book with explicit sexual content to their mother. Klein does, with a relatable caveat. And he can probably guess at her reaction. 

No Way Back by Matthew Klein

#8 — from Skullduggery Pleasant: Dark Days by Derek Landry

For this book, Landry dedicates his work to his “best friend and muse,” whom he calls out as the only person on Earth who doesn’t find him funny.

Landry devotes the page to an affectionate, if back-handed, tribute to a friend who was the inspiration for one of his key characters. 

from Skullduggery Pleasant: Dark Days by Derek Landry

#9 — from Spindle by E.K. Johnston

Right away, fans of Settlers of Catan will note this dedication to a friend who did the game dirty.

Maybe Rachel had the best intentions, but her offense must henceforth be known to every reader of his book. On the plus side, she and the author can still be friends.

Spindle by E.K. Johnston

#10 — from The (Un)official Teacher’s Manual by Omar Akbar

For this dedication, the author speaks directly to his target audience in a way that tells them he knows (firsthand) their pain. As an author writing the kind of book he wished he had when he was starting out as a teacher, he knows all about the job’s downsides. 

from The (Un)official Teacher’s Manual by Omar Akbar

#11 — from The Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman dedicates this book to his readers to embrace all of them, whatever their connection to him and whether or not they’ll ever meet face-to-face. 

He starts by acknowledging a familiar source of disappointment and then does what he can to rectify it with gentle humor and sincere regard. 

from The Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Now that you’ve looked through the above examples, we hope you found some inspiration for your own book’s dedication page. Take the steps described above and get started on some of the ideas taking up space in your head. 

Whatever you write — and to whom — we hope it makes you smile every time you read it.

Infographics Icon

How to Write a Dedication

#scribendiinc

And the dedication goes to…

When you have finally completed the gruelling yet wonderful process of writing a book, short story , dissertation, etc., you are then faced with the difficult decision of dedicating this source of all your hard work to someone special. Here are some helpful tips to ease your anxiety and assist you in writing a dedication page.

Picking a person 

The most difficult part of writing this piece of front matter is choosing who you would like to dedicate your work to. Some writers may find it to be the most difficult part of the whole process. When choosing who to write your dedication for, think about the process you just went through and who helped you get through it. This could include a variety of people, including a parent, sibling, or other family member, a spouse or partner, a friend, a supervisor, a colleague, or even a pet. This is a very personal choice and there is no wrong decision.

Naming names

After you have decided who you will write your dedication for, you must decide how you are going to identify them. This will be based on your own personal preference and what is appropriate, according to your relationship with that person. The identification could vary from formal to informal.

On the formal end of the spectrum, your dedication could be addressed to Dr. So and So, Mr. X, or even Mother and Father. In between formal and informal, there are options like Mom, Dad, My sister, My friend, a person’s first and last name (no title), etc. On the informal side, you could use the first name or nickname of someone you know.

Reason for the dedication

The next component in writing your dedication is explaining why you chose this person. Many authors provide a reason for their dedication selections. As with the whole dedication process, this is an extremely personal and subjective decision. The dedication could simply be: "For my mom"; others may choose to explain their decision: "For my mom; without her I would not be here." You may want to write a funny anecdote about the person, an experience you shared, or even a private joke shared only by the two of you. As seen in our example dedication page, there are many types of dedications, each with it's own style. Your reason is completely dependent on your personality and your relationship with the person to whom you are dedicating your work.

Addressing the dedication

There are many ways you can address your dedication. You could write, "I dedicate this book to …", "This is dedicated to …", "To: …", "For: …", or simply just start writing your dedication without any formal address. It should be on its own page so everyone will get the hint that it is a dedication page, even if there isn't any formal address. Take into consideration the person you have chosen to dedicate your work to, your personality, and the formality of your relationship and the address will follow suit.

Alternative dedications

It has been extremely popular over the years to write a dedication page using alternative formats. Authors have used poems or funny anecdotes to express their gratitude. In the past, many dedications were often written in the style of a formal letter .

The most important things to remember when writing a dedication are to keep it simple, concise, and ensure that it truly reflects your personality and your relationship with the person the dedication is for. Remember to get your finished dedication edited by one of our book editors . You don't want to overlook calling your spouse the pettiest person in the world when you really meant the prettiest person in the world!

Image source: Mike Giles/Unsplash.com

Get Constructive Feedback to Improve Your Book

Get a free sample , or get an instant quote and place your order below.

Have you Read?

"The Complete Beginner's Guide to Academic Writing"

Related Posts

Examples of Dedications

Examples of Dedications

Front Matter: What it is and Why it is Important

Front Matter: What it is and Why it is Important

How to Write a Prologue

How to Write a Prologue

Kindlepreneur

Book Marketing for Self-Publishing Authors

Home / Book Formatting / How to Write a Dedication Page: A Complete Guide

How to Write a Dedication Page: A Complete Guide

There are two types of readers: those who skip over the “front matter” of a book, and those who read every single word (even the copyright information and publication date).

Okay, maybe that's a little black-and-white. Chances are, you've read one or two dedication pages in your time as a reader. Maybe you've even had a book dedicated to you (we should all be so lucky). No matter the type of reader you are, if you're writing a book, you may want to know how to write a dedication page.

Keep reading to find out how!

Table of contents

What is a Dedication Page?

A dedication page is the author's chance to write a personal note to a person or people who have influenced them in some way. As the name suggests, it's the author's way of dedicating the book to that person or those people.

A book dedication is often short and generally comes at the beginning of the book , before the preface, foreword , and prologue but after the title page, copyright page , and table of contents. This portion of the book is also called the “front matter”.

See our other articles on the many Parts of a Book and How to Format a Book .

If you've read a dedication at the beginning of a book, you've likely also read an acknowledgment page at the end of a book. While these two sections may seem similar, there are some distinct differences.

As mentioned above, a dedication comes at the beginning, before the body of the work. Acknowledgments come at the end, after the body. Another difference is that acknowledgments usually mention people who worked on the book. Common mentions include editors, research assistants, proofreaders, and the like.

Dedications are usually (but not always) reserved for someone not directly involved in the book's creation. Friends, husbands, wives, children, or other family members are often mentioned in the dedication.

Another difference between these sections is length. Sometimes, acknowledgments can be significantly longer than a page. Dedications are typically short and sweet; often only a line or two.

Format Beautiful Professional Books

Easy to use, and and full of amazing features, you can quickly turn your book into a professional book.

There are no hard-and-fast rules for dedicating your book to someone. It's really up to you. Often, there's a personal (rather than professional) connection that you want to recognize.

And there's no rule saying you even have to have a book dedication. It's okay to not have one at all.

If you do have one, you don't have to know the person you're dedicating your book to. Some authors will dedicate a book to their readers or to an author who inspired them, even if that author is no longer around.

You can even dedicate a book to your entire family! And no, you don't have to list each family member by name if you don't want to.

Tips for Writing a Book Dedication

While there are no rules for writing a book dedication, there are some norms that you may consider following.

The first step in writing your book dedication is to choose your subject or subjects. In other words, who are you going to dedicate your book to? Once you know the person or people you'd like to dedicate it to, then you can start crafting the dedication itself. Here are some common options for book dedications:

Think about the writing process of the book you'd like to dedicate. Writing a book is hard work. Did someone help you along when you were stuck? Did you regularly bounce ideas off of someone? Maybe someone gave you the idea for the book with an offhand comment in a conversation. These are the kinds of people whom authors dedicate their books to.

The dedication section of your book is the one place to express gratitude in a way that's uniquely yours. The power of a dedication comes from the number of people that will read it. But that doesn't mean that it has to make sense to everyone who lays eyes on the page.

Sometimes the dedication references an inside joke between the author and the dedicatee. Other times it's straightforward and sweet. And it can also be funny or sardonic. Really, there are as many different ways to write a dedication as there are authors.

Think of the person or people you're dedicating the book to. Then write something specifically for them . But also remember that lots of other people will read it.

A book dedication is not the place for secrets. Although it should be personal, often highlighting an emotional connection between author and dedicatee, it's not like a private note or letter. As you write it, remember that lots of people will read it. Maybe highlighting that embarrassing incident that your dedicatee would like to keep secret isn't the best choice in a dedication.

Most dedications are pretty short. Some are just a sentence long. Others are a couple of short paragraphs. You can make yours as long as you want, but you generally don't want to go over a page.

Since they're relatively short, you can try a few different versions and see which one you like best. Maybe one is a short poem, one is a couple of sentences, and one is just a line. It's up to you what style you use. As an author, it's good to write multiple versions of anything. Usually, our best work doesn't come out on the first try. It takes a little bit of poking and prodding to get things where we want them.

If you're still not sure who to dedicate the book to, write a different dedication for each of the potential candidates on your list. It may help you decide which person or people to go with.

It may seem like common sense to wait until the book is finished before you decide on a dedication. But really, there is no specific time to write your book dedication. If you have an idea of who you'd like to dedicate it to before you've even written a word, you can write it first.

Nothing is set in stone until you've published (and even then, it's pretty easy to update your manuscript if you're a self-published author). Re-read the dedication as you write and edit your book. If something happens while you're writing and you want to change your dedication, go for it! 

Unless, of course, you've already told someone you're dedicating the book to them. Then you should probably stick to your word and keep it as is — although you can change the style and tone if you want.

If you're not sure what to write in your dedication, see what other authors have done in their books. You can head over to your digital or physical bookshelf and start looking in the front matter, checking for dedications. You can also use the Preview feature that most online booksellers have to look for dedications in books you don't own.

But before you do either of those things, keep reading, because we've gathered some excellent real-life dedication examples.

Book Dedication Examples

The following book dedication examples highlight the wide range of possibilities at your fingertips for writing your own dedication. Choose a dedication example that you like from the list below and use it as inspiration for your own!

1. No Thanks , E. E. Cummings

“After his fourteen failures Cummings gave up and turned to his mother. She gave him $300, with which he approached the printer Samuel Jacobs to bring out the volume under his own imprint, the Golden Eagle Press. The title was changed from 70 Poems to No Thanks , in allusion to the publishers' polite refusals. To put the final nail in the coffin Cummings included on the book's dedication page a concrete poem, arranging the fourteen publishers in the form of a funeral urn:

Farrar & Rinehart

Simon & Schuster

Coward-McCann

Limited Editions

Harcourt, Brace

Random House

Equinox Press

Smith & Haas

Viking Press

Covici-Friede”

2. My Shit Life So Far , Frankie Boyle

“To all my enemies,

I will destroy you.”

3. Ruins , Dan Wells

“This book is dedicated to everybody you hate.

Sorry. Life's like that sometimes.”

4. The Selection , Kiera Cass

“Hi, Dad!

*Waves*”

5. The House of Hades , Rick Riordan

“To my wonderful readers:

Sorry about that last cliff-hanger.

Well, no, not really. HAHAHAHA.

But seriously, I love you guys.”

6. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe , C. S. Lewis

“TO LUCY BARFIELD

My Dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I did not realize that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be

your affectionate Godfather,

-C. S. Lewis”

7. Death on the Nile , Agatha Christie

“To Sybil Burnett, who also loves wandering about the world.”

8. The Great Gatsby , F Scott Fitzgerald

“ONCE AGAIN

ZELDA”

9. Anansi Boys , Neil Gaiman

“You know how it is. You pick up a book, flip to the dedication, and find that, once again, the author has dedicated a book to someone else and not to you.

Not this time.

Because we haven't yet met/have only a glancing acquaintance/are just crazy about each other/haven't seen each other in much too long/are in some way related/will never meet, but will, I trust, despite that, always think fondly of each other . . .

This one's for you.

With you know what, and you probably know why.”

10. Visions of Cody , Jack Kerouac

“Dedicated to America, whatever that is.”

As you can see, there's no cookie-cutter formula for writing the perfect dedication. Trust your gut to tell you when the dedication is perfect for you. If you end up not liking it after your book is published, you can always improve on it in your next book!

While dedications are common in novels, you can also put one in your children’s book , nonfiction book, short story collection, thesis paper, dissertation, or research paper. The idea behind each is the same.

Good luck and thanks for reading!You can also learn about the other important sections in a book's front matter here .

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

Related Posts

Book formatting services: the 7 best options to hire, book gutter: definition and how to format your margins, best fonts for print: 16 top options for formatting, sell more books on amazon, amazon kindle rankings e-book.

Learn how to rank your Kindle book #1 on Amazon with our collection of time-tested tips and tricks.

Join the community

Join 111,585 other authors who receive weekly emails from us to help them make more money selling books.

Effective Tips for Writing a Book Dedication

Effective Tips for Writing a Book Dedication

If you are writing a book of your own, you should make sure that you take every part of it seriously. It could be very easy to overlook minor parts of the book though, one being the dedication page in a book.

If you are a newbie writer, it could be easy to overlook this part. Why is it so important? It’s technically just a shorter version of the acknowledgment. 

However, the book dedication is important because it gives you a chance to mention the key people who helped you achieve your book. So if you are going to write a book dedication, you should make sure that you do it right. 

Here are Effective tips on how to write a book dedication.

Before you start writing your book dedication, you should choose the person to dedicate it to. There are many options for you to choose from. 

If you have a spouse you could dedicate the book to him or her. You could also dedicate it to your mom/dad, child, or any family member. 

You could also choose a family friend, a colleague at work, or someone deceased who had been closed to you. In truth, you could dedicate the book to anyone, just as long as this person truly inspired you to write your book.

get published writers republic

When you do start writing your book dedication, you should remember not to make it too long. If you want to thank a lot of people, you can do it in your acknowledgment section. 

So you should limit your dedication to a few sentences at best.

Writing a dedication could be a bit tricky because aside from limiting your dedication to a few sentences, you should give the readers a reason why you’re dedicating the book to this specific person. 

This can be difficult to cram into just a few sentences. So you should make sure that you make each and every word count.

If you’re having a bit of trouble coming up with your book dedication, you should not be too proud to take a look at other book dedications for inspiration. 

By doing so, you’ll be able to find useful dedication writing cues for your work. Here are some great examples of book dedications by famous writers.

My Dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand, a word you say, but I shall still be your affectionate Godfather,

-C.S. Lewis

In the vastness of space and immensity of time, it is my joy to spend a planet and an epoch with Annie.

-Carl Sagan 

To all those who lead monotonous lives, in the hope that they may experience at second hand the delights and dangers of adventure.

-Agatha Christie 

Dedicated to America, whatever that is.

-Jack Kerouack 

By taking inspiration from these great dedications, you’ll be able to create one of your own.

When you are writing your book dedication, you should remember that you are writing for your audience as well. So the book dedication should not only mention the person you want to thank, but it should also be witty and enjoyable to read as well. 

It should also be touching and relatable because you want your audience to like you and root for your writing career to succeed in the long run.

Although the dedication part of your book is relatively smaller compared to other sections, it is still very important. So you should make sure that you do it right. With these tips, you’ll be able to write a book dedication the right way.

Become a Self-Published Author in 3 Simple Steps

Powered by Experts, Published by You. Reach 40,000+ Retailers & Libraries Around the World. Concierge Service. Tailored Packages. BBB Accredited Business. 100% Royalty Program.

Become a Self-Published Author in 3 Simple Steps

Related Articles

things writers should ask themselves before end of year

With year end coming in fast, it is soon time to create New Year’s resolutions. But if you are a writer, you don’t want to enter a new year without looking back on the year...

write book dedication

If you want to make an impact with your writing, it is important that you develop a writing voice that is truly your own. Remember that there are a multitude of other writers...

Get started now

Privacy Policy: Writers Republic will not give, sell, or otherwise transfer addresses to any other party for the purposes of initiating, or enabling others to initiate, electronic mail messages.

Privacy Policy

Privacy commitment to our authors, effective date:.

Writers Republic abides to every author’s personal information being entrusted to us. And with that, we have stipulated a privacy policy that will show the processes of our ways in collating our clients’ personal details as needed in the publication process. As an established publishing company, our prohibitions strictly includes sharing, selling, or any illicit transactions of personal information from our clients.

Personal Details Needed:

Authors can find our privacy policy through all forms of compiled and submitted information to either the company’s employees, through e-mail and phone, or from our website www.writersrepublic.com.

Information Usage

The use of the author’s personal information will take place in completing registrations, necessary materials to be used in publication arrangements with our specialists, and payment transactions that will be accomplished from our services and packages.

Registration Process

Users must fill out and complete any registration form before they can access anywhere in the Site as they wish to. These include the services, promos, blogs, and rest of the facets they can explore once they are registered to the system. The authors are entitled to a free publishing guide to give you a brief idea about self-publishing. Relevant features also include the Authors’ Lounge that teaches you some publishing tips you will be needing during the procedure.

Providing the user’s contact information like his/her name and email address during the registration will be necessary for our specialists in keeping in touch with the client anytime in regards to the manuscript submission, publishing, and finally, expanding his/her book’s publicity by any means. Our registered authors are free from accessing the website with his/her personal data or they may reach our customer service representatives through telephone or e-mail for further information and updates on our services. Aforementioned, all of the author’s personal data submitted to us will be kept confidential.

Information Sharing

Sharing of the client’s personal data to third parties is considered a violation unless it is conducted in a way it is indicated strictly in the privacy policy. Authors must understand that we are required to provide their personal data to other businesses that will to provide the required assistance in succeeding the publishing procedure, the following involves payment processor or a third party vendor benefit. These associated firms has established the consent to use the client’s personal data for necessary purposes of providing a quality service to Writers Republic.

In any case that Writers republic will conduct a union with associated companies, procurement, or sale of all or a share of its properties, authors will be notified through a notice in our website or sent through email of any ownership change or the utilization of the user’s personal data, in addition to the selections provided regarding his/ her personal information.

The company solely shares the collected information to the firms we do business with to acquaint them with the services or assistance needed for the publication. The data required plainly comprises with order completion, payment transactions, and the rest of the necessary processes. We can guarantee our users that the submission of these information will not be concomitant to any confidentialities that will identify a person’s identity. Privacy rules include prohibitions of sharing, or keeping of any private information for unrelated businesses to our company.

Data Protection

Our authors’ confidentiality comes first all the time. We follow the widely accepted preference in safekeeping the user’s personal data during its transmission and by the moment it is stored in our system. Writers Republic ensures both online and offline security of all information provided by our authors through the website. Any electronic transmittal over the internet may not be overall safe, hence the company cannot commit to an absolute protection.

The client’s agreement entails his/her responsibility in sustaining the account access, any personal information, benefits, company’s services, logins, and passwords. The author’s adherence to these sanctions include acquainting Writers Republic through phone, e-mail, or any means of communication, should there be any inadmissible access to the author’s account and all the applicable company data and services. Any direct, involuntary, minor, or distinctive damages caused due to client’s failure to adhere and/or inefficiency in utilizing the company’s site, services, and transactions will not be held liable to Writer’s Republic.

Any messages received or consequences resulted due to the user’s technical unfamiliarity or insufficient knowledge will not be held accountable to Writers Republic. Furthermore, any damages incurred due to negligence to the information entered or impermissible access will leave no liability to the company. These reparations may denote to but not restricted to revenue loss or reduced profit from the entire process.

Electronic Tracking Tools and Site Traffic Usage

Writers Republic website collects SSI (Standard Statistical Information) about the site visits and keeps a record of it as much as other websites do. Please be advised that the IP addresses, browser information, its timestamps, and referred pages are tracked for the sole purpose of maintenance and to construct the site noticeable and valuable as it can be. No accumulated data is joined routinely to other information we collect from our users.

The site server gathers fundamental technical data from our site visitors which include their IP address, domain label, and referral information. Alongside with the said above, the site also tracks the total count of the site activity from our online visitors for the intention of analyzing the flows of our site traffic. For our statistic intents, we may incorporate the information from one visitor with another into group facts, which will probably be shared on a cumulative base.

The technologies in particular: beacons, cookies, tags, and scripts are utilized by writersrepublic.com, our publishing & marketing associates, publicity service providers. These innovations are used in examining trends, website managing, tracking users’ navigation anywhere on the site and to collect public data about our user in entirety. We may obtain news founded on the utilization of these innovations by these firms on an individual as well as on an accumulated basis.

Writers Republic affiliates with third parties to offer positive features on website or to exhibit advertising based upon your web navigation activity also uses Local Storage Objects (LSOs) such as HTML 5 to gather and keep some data. Browsers may provide their own administrating tools in taking out HTML LSOs. To manage LSOs please click the link provided: http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager07.html

Removing or Updating Your Information

Don’t hesitate to reach us directly anytime when you want to delete, update, or correct information you give over the phone or e-mail. For safety purposes, Writers Republic takes functional regulations in authenticating your identity before we grant you the access in changing and updating personal details. Your personal record and other data will be kept so long as you stay active as our site user or as necessary to offer you services. Please note that we’ll be using your information for necessary compliance of lawful commitments, imposing of agreements, and determination of disputes.

Contributors

Writers Republic will be requiring your contributors’ names to be indicated in the book publication when you opt to add them as contributors for your book publishing service. We will store your contributors’ personal details for the sole purpose of fixing their names on one of the pages of your book. Your contributors may reach us at [email protected] to request for removal of personal information from our system.

3rd Party Sites Link

Our company recommends you to carefully go over to the privacy policy of any website you visit or send personal information to. Our website comprises links to other sites whose norms and privacy regulations may contrast to ours. Accordingly, providing of personal data to these websites is administrated by their privacy rules and not ours.

Social Media Features & Widgets

Writers Republic website involves social media features such as: Facebook “Like” button and widget, such as the interactive mini-programs that run on our site or the “Share This” button. Please note that these features may set a cookie to allow the feature to appropriately function. It may also collect your IP address and which page you are visiting on our site. Your interactions with these features are either presented directly on our website or by a third party.

Announcements and Newsletters

Writers Republic will be inquiring your e-mail address if you’re interested to subscribe from our self-publishing updates, newsletters, articles, or periodic product and service announcements. You may choose to unsubscribe by clicking on the “Unsubscribe” button at the end part of the mail sent to you should you no longer want to receive emails from us.

Discounts and Promos

We offer promos and special deals on out publishing and marketing services from any given point of time. Thus, we may request for your contact details that includes your name, shipping address, demographic data, and educational attainment which will be utilized to inform the winners and prizes. Participation in any contest and promo is voluntary. The purpose for our promos, discounts, and contests, will be employed to assess and enhance eminence of or services to our clients.

Policy Changes

Any modifications or changes to be applied in our Privacy Policy will oblige Writers Republic to provide a notice on the website or by email before the change will take effect. Therefore, we recommend you to go over this page for any probable alterations and updates on our privacy norms. You may send us an email at [email protected] for all concerns, queries, and updates of personal details such as your email and mailing address. This also serves as your alternative to reach us if you want to withdraw your service or if you no longer want to receive any updates from our end.

Writers Republic will not be held accountable for any check payment issues, apart from the checks that are delivered to the address indicated below.

Writers Republic Publishing 515 Summit Ave. Unit R1, Union City, NJ 07087, USA

Writing Beginner

How To Write a Book Dedication They Will Love (23 Examples)

What is a book dedication.

Dedications are also sometimes used to honor someone who has passed away.

How To Write a Great Book Dedication (My 11 Best Tips)

After writing and publishing a half dozen books over the last 20 years, here are my best book dedication writing tips.

1) Focus On One Person

2) choose a single emotion to convey, 3) keep it short and sweet.

A book dedication is a brief statement, usually just a few words, that acknowledges the people or things that have influenced your work.

4) Remember that a Book Dedication Is Public

5) address the person, 6) share the reason for the dedication, 7) get inspired by other great book dedications, 8) make a creative twist, 9) write a few versions, 10) connect it to the themes of your book, 11) don’t overthink it, who can an author dedicate a book to (20 options), 23 book dedication examples, if(typeof ez_ad_units='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'writingbeginner_com-small-rectangle-1','ezslot_27',106,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-writingbeginner_com-small-rectangle-1-0'); book dedication examples for a friend.

I’m dedicating this book to my best friend, Sarah. We’ve been through a lot together, and she’s always been there for me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her.
To my best friend. Thank you for your patience, your kindness, and most of all, your friendship. I couldn’t have asked for more. This book is dedicated to you with all my love.
This book is dedicated to my friend, Jane. You’ve been a true friend, and I can’t imagine going through life without you by my side.

Book Dedication Examples to a Child

For my sweet little girl, who always keeps me entertained. I love you to the moon and back!
To my beautiful daughter, who fills my life with happiness. You are my everything.
To my handsome son, who is the light of my life. I am so proud of the young man you are becoming.

Book Dedication to Parents Examples

To my mother, who always believed in me. To my father, who taught me to never give up. To my parents, who showed me that anything is possible. Thank you for your love and support. I dedicate this book to you.
To my adoptive parents, who took me in and loved me unconditionally. Thank you for everything.

Book Dedication Examples for Family

I am writing this book in dedication to my grandfather. He was always such a huge supporter of my writing and encouraged me to never give up on my dreams. I know that he is looking down on me from heaven and smiling, proud of the woman that I have become.
This book is for you, grandma. Thank you for always believing in me.
To my twin brother, who is always there for me when I need him. I know we drive each other crazy sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade you for the world.

Book Dedication for Mentor

To my mentor, Dr. Smith. Your guidance and support have been invaluable to me over the years. Thank you for always being there when I needed you.
To my mentor and friend, Jim Harrison. Thank you for your wisdom, your wit, and your friendship. I am truly grateful.

Book Dedication for Cancer Survivor

To my mother, who fought cancer with strength and courage. You are my inspiration
To all the cancer survivors out there – never give up hope.
To those who have lost a loved one to cancer. This book is dedicated to you in memory of your loved one

Funny Book Dedication Examples

To my second-cousin’s ex-boyfriend’s goldfish, may your bowl always be full of pellets and your life free ofalgae.
For my father, who never once read any of my books but always pretended to. Thanks, Daddio!
I would like to dedicate this book to my cat, Snickers, who always sleeps through my alarm clock going off; to my Grandma, who still thinks an ‘@’ is a duck; and last but not least, to Wikipedia, without which I would never have finished this book at all.

Famous Book Dedication Examples

Example #1:

To Her Hand in hand we come Christopher Robin and I To lay this book in your lap. Say you’re surprised? Say you like it? Say it’s just what you wanted? Because it’s yours— Because we love you. The Complete Tales of Winnie The Poo by A.A. Milne
For Colin Firth You’re a really great guy, but I’m married, so I think we should just be friends. Austenland by Shannon Hale
Hi, Dad! *Waves* The Selection by Kiera Cass

if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'writingbeginner_com-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_17',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-writingbeginner_com-mobile-leaderboard-2-0'); Book Dedication Templates

Book dedication template #1, book dedication template #2, book dedication generators, if(typeof ez_ad_units='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[970,250],'writingbeginner_com-netboard-1','ezslot_20',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-writingbeginner_com-netboard-1-0'); how to write a dedication in a children’s book, if(typeof ez_ad_units='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'writingbeginner_com-sky-3','ezslot_24',115,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-writingbeginner_com-sky-3-0'); do you need to dedicate your book, if(typeof ez_ad_units='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'writingbeginner_com-portrait-2','ezslot_23',143,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-writingbeginner_com-portrait-2-0'); book dedication page vs acknowledgements, final thoughts: how to write a book dedication.

Table of Contents

Please enable JavaScript

 alt=

To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.

0, text: error()">

Let's fight boredom together!

Become a member

0, text: error(), css: errorCssClass">

Password reminder

Please provide your email address and we will send your password shortly.

Please enter your email to complete registration

Activate to continue

Your account is not active. We have sent an email to the address you provided with an activation link. Check your inbox, and click on the link to activate your account.

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here .