10 Book Dedication Examples to Help Your Next Book

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When I was a child, I was fascinated by book dedications. I saw them as pockets in 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 whole following book feel more personal, knowing where the author drew inspiration from.

Book dedications are a wonderful way to honor someone or something integral to you or your writing. they are meaningful to you as an author, because they have inspired and moved you, and they are meaningful to your subject. writing a great one can be a ton of pressure, especially if you feel particularly identified with the topic.

You are reading: Examples of dedication pages in books

good news though, it doesn’t have to be stressful! in fact, it can be incredibly rewarding or even fun, as long as you know what you’re doing when you start.

In this article, we’ll talk about what book dedications are, how they work, and cover some tips on how to write a great one. we’ll also give you some real life examples of book dedications to brainstorm!

This guide to book dedication examples covers:

what is a dedication in a book?
dedication vs acknowledgments
¿ how do you write a book dedication?
examples of book dedications

what is a dedication in a book?

The dedication of a book is exactly what it sounds like: it is a small section, usually with its own page before the beginning of the book, where the author gives a special mention, thanks or recognition to a certain person or group of people. dedicating the book to this person or these people is considered an honor—imagine having a statue dedicated to you, for example, or an entire building named after you.

A dedication can be a short sentence fragment, such as “to my mother,” or it can be a paragraph listing several people to whom the author would like to dedicate the book. dedications are usually no more 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 is no hard and fast rule about what a dedication should include, except that it should be brief and appear before the beginning of the book.

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

dedication vs. acknowledgments

Open just about any book you own and you’ll likely find a dedication just before the opening page, as well as acknowledgments immediately after the last page. what is the difference between the two?

well, the most obvious is the length. dedications should be short, succinct and a kind of honorific gesture. You could 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 so much to work with.

In the acknowledgments, however, you are 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 will also include people like your editor, beta readers, friends who read your work at different stages of the process, professionals you may have consulted with, and soon. In this section, you’ll have more space to list these people and what you’re grateful for.

Dedications are usually right after the title page, while acknowledgments are usually at the end of a book, but these are not hard and fast rules. acknowledgments can appear at the beginning of a book, for example, on both sides of the table of contents.

How do you write a book dedication?

There may not be hard and fast rules for writing a dedication, but there are definitely some tips and tricks to make your book 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 something compelling for your book dedication, even after reviewing these tips, or if you don’t feel like your book requires a dedication at all, feel free to skip it and list all of the people instead. involved in helping him write the book in the acknowledgments section.

However, dedications can be incredibly special to the reader, the audience, and the person or persons to whom the book is dedicated. it’s an important opportunity to build 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 stand out.

1. choose someone or something to dedicate the book to

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

Is there someone in your life who has inspired you to write or offered you special encouragement on your journey? Is there a particular place or period of time that has inspired you? dedications are often made to real, living people close to the author, but this is not required. If you write historical fiction about a specific person or group of people, you could dedicate your book to them, for example.

Some authors even take a more comedic approach and dedicate their books to people who might have bullied them. spite is a powerful motivator, after all. this is something to watch out for, as you don’t want to directly mock someone by their name in your dedications, but something vague in a teasing tone can be fun.

Having this person or thing in mind before you start writing can also be a powerful motivator. When you’re stuck on a writing job or stuck in some hellish revision stage, it’s nice to be able to reflect on why you’re doing this in the first place. this will give you something nice to remember during the process, and will make it much easier to write your dedication after the fact.

2. customize it

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

again, this should be the topic that inspired or motivated you to write this book. this is already a powerfully personal connection to have with something; take advantage of that while you write the dedication. As I mentioned earlier, this is also a great place to start an emotional connection with your audience.

Making a sincere dedication will give your readers a little insight into who you are as an author; aside from accolades, this is one of your few opportunities 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 lot of inside jokes and history, don’t be afraid to keep that dedication personal, even if it means your readers 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 topic as your first priority, you should also keep your audience in mind. If you’re writing a comedy, for example, this might be an opportunity to offer a heartfelt dedication to show emotional range or to write a funny dedication to set the tone.

You could also be writing for a specific target audience that you identify with a lot. If your book revolves around a single mom struggling to make things happen in her love life, you could dedicate her book to other single moms and offer them a little empathy and connection.

You can also match your dedication to the overall theme and tone of the book. if she’s writing a particularly atmospheric gothic novel, for example, her dedication may ring with mystery and intrigue. The dedication of a lighthearted romance can be witty and clever, as well as heartfelt and sincere. this is not necessary, but it can be a good introduction for the reader.

above all, remember: the dedication is for the dedicated subject, but the dedicated subject will not be the only person to see it. winking at inside jokes or personal moments is fine, but sharing secrets under oath or slandering ex-thugs is not. if you or the dedicated subject don’t want a stranger to see it, you shouldn’t put it in your dedication.

4. dedication drafts in different styles

If you’re stuck between a few different dedications, no problem! It can seem like a lot of pressure to get a perfect dedication, especially with so many different options regarding tone and style. do you make it funny? are you serious? both? neither? oh!

When you have your topic, or even if you’ve narrowed it down to a few, write up a few different book dedications. try the funny ones, the serious ones and the corny ones. Try dedications to specific people, multiple people, places, or anything 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 may find yourself stopping two sentences.

Make a few, save them for a few weeks, and come back to them. If you’re still stuck, ask a trusted friend to take a look to see which one of them reads better.

5. read many book dedications

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

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

The most important thing is that you read a lot of different book dedications, and preferably those that vary in length, style and tone. read sarcastic, romantic, dedications to people, dedications to places and dedications to groups. This will help you get an idea of how to put your own dedication into words and may give you ideas on how to best structure and style your dedication.

If you know your topic, it might be especially helpful to look up how other authors have devoted their books to the same topic. For example, find out how other authors dedicate their books to their spouses, children, or parents. obviously the exact ratios are very different, but it will give you some ideas.