A dedication page is one short line, sometimes two, that tells readers who the book is for. It sits on its own page near the front, after the copyright page. Below: a generator that drafts dedications from the patterns published books use, a Word template with the page already set, and examples sorted by who the book is for, so you can see what works before you write your own.
Dedication generator
Choose who the book is for and the tone. Nothing you type leaves this page.
For [name], who taught me to love books before I could read them.
To [name]: everything I know about courage, I learned from you.
For [name], who never once asked when I would get a real job.
Download the template
Free, no sign-up. Open it in Word, Google Docs, Pages or LibreOffice and replace the bracketed parts.
Examples
- To my parents, who never asked when I would get a real job.
- For Ada. You were right.
- For the night-shift nurses of Ward 4, who taught me what courage looks like at 3 a.m.
- To everyone who was told their story did not matter. It does.
- For my sister, who read every draft and lied about none of them.
Where the dedication page goes
In a printed book the dedication usually sits on a right-hand page after the title page and the copyright page, with a blank page behind it. In an ebook it follows the copyright page. Keep it alone on its page: no heading, no page number, no decoration.
Most dedications are set in the body font, centered, about a third of the way down the page. Italic is common but not required.
How to write one
- Name the person or people. First names are enough; full names suit a memorial.
- Say one true thing about why. One specific detail beats three general ones.
- Stop. Most published dedications are under 25 words.
- Read it aloud. If it would embarrass the person, change it or ask them first.
- Save longer thanks for the acknowledgments, which go at the back.
Dedication or acknowledgments?
The dedication is a gift to one person or a few. Acknowledgments thank everyone who helped: editors, early readers, family, funders. If your list is growing past three names, it belongs in the acknowledgments.
Questions
Does every book need a dedication page?
No. It is optional. Many novels, most textbooks and nearly all business books publish without one.
Can I dedicate a book to more than one person?
Yes. Join them in one line ("For Mum and Dad") or give each a line. If you have more than three or four people, use the acknowledgments instead.
Can a dedication be funny?
Yes, if it suits the book. A light dedication in a comic novel works; in a grief memoir it may jar.
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