Book dedication examples for your son
A dedication to your son is a message he may reread at every age, so the best ones hold up whether he is six or sixty. 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 son
For Theo.
To my son, my best work.
For Theo, always.
For my son, who makes me brave.
Heartfelt dedications to your son
For Theo. Whatever you write, I’ll be your first reader.
To my son, who taught me that every hero starts out small.
For Theo, who asked every day whether the book was done. It is, and it’s yours.
To my son. I hope you find a little of yourself in these pages.
Funny dedications to your son
For Theo, who wants it known that the dog in chapter three was his idea.
To my son, who still thinks my real job is “typing.”
For Theo, who was promised a dedication in exchange for ten minutes of quiet. Deal.
To my son, who said this book needed more explosions. He was right.
Dedications to a grown son
These suit a son who is an adult.
For Theo, who grew up while I wrote and grew up well.
To my son, now taller than me and still my favorite person to talk books with.
For Theo. You were the reason I started, and you are the reason I finished.
To my son, who read the draft and gave me notes I didn’t want but needed.
How do you write a dedication your son will still like later?
Write it for the adult he will become, not only the child he is now. A line about who he is, such as curious, kind, or stubborn in the best way, ages better than a line about a phase. Jokes work too, as long as he would still laugh at them at thirty.
What can you say if the book is about your son?
If he inspired the story, the dedication is a good place to say so in a few words, such as “For Theo, the first dragon tamer I ever knew.” Keep personal details light, because the dedication is public and he may want some privacy as he grows up.
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 I use my son’s full name?
A first name or a nickname is usually enough, and it keeps his privacy. A full name makes sense for a formal dedication or when he is an adult who is happy to be named.
Can I dedicate a book to my son before he is born?
Yes. A line such as “For the son we’re waiting to meet” works well, and it becomes a small piece of family history once he arrives.
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.