Book dedication examples for your family
A family dedication works when it says what the family did together for the book, such as keeping dinner warm, keeping the noise down, or keeping you going. Below are examples sorted by tone. Choose one to see it on the page, or write your own.
By the Proselis team · Updated
Short dedications to your family
For my family.
For the Okafors, every one of you.
To my family, my home.
For all of us.
Heartfelt dedications to your family
For my family, who kept dinner warm on the nights I forgot to come down.
To everyone around our kitchen table. This book is made of your stories.
For my family, who believed in this book long before it had a title.
To my family, near and far, who sent encouragement in every time zone.
For the people I come from and the people I come home to.
Funny dedications to your family
For my family, who learned that “I’m almost done” means another six months.
To my relatives, who will all assume they are the aunt in chapter four. You’re not. Probably.
For my family, who stopped asking about the book and started asking about the sequel.
For the family group chat, which never once stayed on topic and kept me going anyway.
Dedications to your chosen family
These suit friends who became family along the way.
For my chosen family, who showed up when it counted.
To the people who became my family, one Sunday dinner at a time.
For everyone who made a home for me while I wrote this.
Who counts as family in a dedication?
Anyone you think of as family counts. Some authors name every relative, and others write “For my family” and let each reader decide whether they are in it. If one person did more, give them their own line, and keep the family line for everyone else.
Should you name everyone or keep it general?
A general line such as “For my family” avoids leaving anyone out. Naming people feels warmer, but the list grows long fast. If it passes four or five names, the acknowledgments page is the better home for it.
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
Can I use our family name in the dedication?
Yes. “For the Okafors” is short and warm, and it includes everyone who carries the name. Add a second line if you also want to name people who don’t share it.
Will relatives be hurt if they aren’t named?
They might, which is why many authors keep family dedications general. If you do name people, the acknowledgments give you room to thank everyone else.
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.