Book dedication examples
A book dedication is a line or two at the front of a book that names the person it’s for, and the best ones carry one specific detail. Below are examples for any kind of book, sorted by tone, with pages for particular people linked at the bottom. Choose one to see it on the page, or write your own.
By the Proselis team · Updated
Short book dedications
For Robin, always.
For the ones who stayed.
To everyone who said I could.
For my first reader.
For you. You know why.
Heartfelt book dedications
For Robin, who never stopped asking how the book was going, even when the answer was “badly.”
To the people who read the early drafts and were kind about them anyway.
For everyone who made room at the kitchen table for a writer and a laptop.
For the ones who believed in this book before it was a book.
To the friends who asked about the book and then actually listened to the answer.
Funny book dedications
For my laptop, which survived three coffee spills and this entire manuscript.
To the café that let me sit in the corner for two years on one cup a day.
For everyone who asked when it would be finished. It’s finished.
For my editor, who cut my favorite chapter and was right.
This book is dedicated to the snooze button, which I finally stopped pressing.
Dedications for a first book
A debut is a good place to thank the people who were there before anyone else was.
For everyone reading my first book. Thank you for starting here.
To the version of me who wanted to write a book. We did it.
For Robin, who bought the first copy before there was a first copy.
Dedications to the people a story is about
For every kid who read under the covers with a flashlight.
For the people this story belongs to.
To the night-shift nurses, who kept going while the rest of us slept.
What is a book dedication?
A dedication is a short note at the front of a book that names the person, or people, the book is for. It usually sits on its own page after the copyright page. Unlike the acknowledgments, which thank everyone who helped, a dedication picks one person or group and keeps it brief.
How do you write a book dedication?
Choose who it’s for, and then add one detail only they would recognize, such as a habit, a sacrifice, or a running joke. Read it aloud, and cut every word that doesn’t earn its place. If it runs past two lines, the rest probably belongs in the acknowledgments.
Where does the dedication go?
In a printed book, the dedication gets its own right-hand page after the copyright page, usually centered about a third of the way down. Some books share that page with the epigraph. In an ebook, it comes right after the copyright page.
How long should a dedication be?
Most are one or two lines. Anything longer usually belongs in the acknowledgments at the back, where you can thank everyone by name.
Questions
Should a dedication say “for” or “to”?
Either is correct. “For” is the most common choice in modern books and feels personal. “To” sounds a little more formal, and “Dedicated to” is rare outside memorial and academic books.
Can I dedicate a book to myself?
Yes, and some authors do, often with a wink. It works best when the line says something true about what writing the book took.
Can I change the dedication in a later edition?
Yes. Self-published authors can change it whenever they upload a new file. Keep a copy of the first wording, because readers may have quoted it.
Can I dedicate a book to more than one person?
Yes. Name them together, as in “For Maya and Leo,” or give each person a line. If the list grows past three or four names, move your thanks to the acknowledgments.
Do I have to include a dedication?
No. Many books have none. Leave it out if nobody comes to mind, because a forced dedication shows.
Should the dedication be in italics?
It’s common but not required. Most dedications are centered and set in italic or small type so they stand apart from the text.
Give your dedication its own page
Proselis has a dedication page ready in its Front Matter menu, so your dedication lands in the right place in your EPUB and print PDF. Writing is free. Publishing a book as an EPUB and a print-ready PDF is a one-time $20.