Where does the dedication go in a book?

In the front matter, after the title page and copyright page and before the table of contents. If the book also has an epigraph, the dedication usually comes first. It normally sits alone on its own page.

How long should a book dedication be?

One or two sentences is enough for most books, and a single line often works best. If you find yourself writing a paragraph, or a list of names, you are probably writing acknowledgments, which have their own section and room for detail.

Can I dedicate a book to more than one person?

Yes. Two or three names, or a group such as "my children" or "the team," work well. Past that, the dedication turns into a list and loses its weight. Thank everyone else by name in the acknowledgments.

Should I tell someone before I dedicate a book to them?

Yes, in most cases. It lets them say if they would rather not be named, and it catches spelling mistakes. Always ask before naming a client.

Does a business book need a dedication?

No. A dedication is optional in any book. It costs one page and shows the reader the person behind the advice, but if nobody comes to mind, leave it out.

Book Dedication Examples and How to Write a Dedication

What a dedication is, and where it goes

A dedication is a short, public note from the author to someone who matters to the book: the person who made it possible, the person it was written for, or someone it honors. It is usually the most personal page in a nonfiction book.

It belongs in the front matter. The Chicago Manual of Style, from the University of Chicago Press, lists front matter in its chapter on books and journals in this order:

Praise pages, half title, series title and frontispiece (when the book has them)
Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Epigraph
Table of contents, and any list of illustrations or tables
Foreword
Preface and acknowledgments
Introduction (when it belongs to the front matter)

So the dedication comes right after the copyright page and before the contents, usually alone on its page with no heading. If you self-publish, give it its own page and leave plenty of white space.

Dedication, acknowledgments or epigraph?

They sit close together but do different jobs.

Part	What it is	Length	Where
Dedication	Your note to the one person or group the book is for	One or two lines	Front, after the copyright page
Acknowledgments	Specific thanks to everyone who helped make the book	A page or several	Front or back (Chicago covers both)
Epigraph	A quotation that sets the tone, with its source	A line to a short passage	Front, after the dedication

A simple test: explaining what someone did is an acknowledgment; saying who the book is for is a dedication; someone else's words are an epigraph. If an epigraph comes from a work still in copyright, check whether you need permission (see Stage 4).

Does a nonfiction business book need one?

No. A dedication is optional, and The Scribe Method notes that while most authors include one, it is up to you. In a business book it costs one page and shows the reader a person behind the advice. But if no one comes to mind, a forced dedication reads as filler; leave it out and put your thanks in the acknowledgments.

How long should it be?

One sentence, sometimes two. A single line often lands hardest. If yours runs to a paragraph, part of it probably belongs in the acknowledgments.

Who to dedicate it to

Anyone you choose. The usual choices for nonfiction authors: family (often the person who carried the household while you wrote), a mentor or teacher whose lessons are in the book, clients whose problems taught you what it teaches, a team that did the work you describe, readers, someone who died ("In memory of" or simply "For"), or, with a light touch, yourself. If you are stuck, go back to who your book is for (Stage 1) and dedicate it to that reader.

Choosing a tone

Warm, plain, funny or solemn all work. Match the book: a dry joke fits a light voice and jars in a book about grief or layoffs. And be specific. "For my wife" is fine; "For my wife, who read every chapter first" says something only you could say. Grand lines ("To all who dare to dream") read as generic.

A fill-in formula

Formula

For [name or group], who [one specific thing they did, or are].

Variations: To [name]. [One short sentence of why.] / In memory of [name], [who they were to you]. / For [the reader], [the moment they are in].

Write three versions, read them aloud, and keep the one that sounds most like you.

35 example dedications by type

Every example below was written by Scribe Media for this page, and the names are invented. We have not quoted published dedications: they belong to their authors. Use these for ideas, then write your own.

Spouse or partner (examples we wrote)

For Dana, who took every school run for two years so this book could exist.
To Elena. You read every chapter first and never told me one was fine when it was not.
For Sam, my first reader, my best editor and the reason I finished.
For Priya, who believed in this business when it was a spreadsheet and a borrowed desk.

Children (examples we wrote)

For Theo and June. When you are old enough to run something, I hope this helps.
To my daughters, who asked every night at dinner whether the book was done yet. It is.
For M., who will read this one day and roll her eyes. I love you anyway.
For my son, who taught me more about patience than any client ever has.

Parents and family (examples we wrote)

For my mother, who kept the books for the family store at the kitchen table and taught me to do the same.
To my parents, who never quite understood what I did for a living and supported it anyway.
For my grandfather, who started with one truck.

A mentor or teacher (examples we wrote)

For Coach Alvarez, who taught me that preparation is a form of respect.
To Linda Marsh, who hired me when my résumé said she should not have.
For the professor who failed my first paper and told me why. I still use the notes.
For R.K., my first manager, who showed me what a good one looks like.

Clients and customers (examples we wrote)

To the business owners who trusted me with the hardest decision of their working lives.
For every client who asked a question I could not answer. This book is my answer.
To the families I have worked with. Your stories taught me everything in these pages.
For the patients who told me the truth, even when it was hard to hear.

A team or colleagues (examples we wrote)

To the crew who built the company I got to sell.
For the night shift.
To everyone who ever worked a Saturday because I asked them to.
For my cofounders, who argued with every idea in this book until it was worth writing down.

Readers (examples we wrote)

For the owner reading this at the kitchen table after everyone else has gone to bed.
To anyone who has been told they are too early, too late or too small. You are not.
For the manager who was just promoted and is quietly terrified.
For you, if you have ever wanted to quit and stayed.
For every first-generation founder who had no one to ask.

In memory (examples we wrote)

In memory of my brother, Daniel, who should have been here to read it.
For Dad. I finally wrote it down.
In memory of Grace Okafor, teacher, who never stopped asking her students what they thought.
To Mom, who did not get to see this finished and would have told everyone anyway.

Yourself, and a lighter touch (examples we wrote)

To the version of me who almost gave up in year three. Glad you stayed.
For my dog, who sat through every draft and agreed with all of them.
For coffee. You know what you did.

Mistakes to avoid

Inside jokes. If a reader needs the backstory, it is a private message printed for strangers. Save it for the inscription in their copy.
Long lists of names. Ten names means no one is honored. Pick one to three; thank the rest in the acknowledgments.
A relationship you are unsure of. Print lasts. A dedication to an ex, or to a partner during a rocky stretch, follows you to every reprint.
Settling scores. "For everyone who said I could not" sounds bold in a draft and bitter on the page.
Selling or flattering. Naming your company, or a boss or investor to help the relationship, reads as an ad or a favor in the one place readers expect sincerity.
Misspelled names. Check every name with the person, letter by letter, before the book goes to print.

Privacy when you name children or clients

Every reader sees the dedication, including clients, employers, strangers and, one day, the people named.

Children: first names or initials are enough. Leave out ages, schools and anything that would identify or embarrass them later.
Clients and patients: name a group ("the families I have worked with") rather than a person, unless that person has agreed in writing. If you work under confidentiality rules or agreements, a named dedication can break them.
Someone who died: if you name them in full, tell their close family first.
Anyone who could be exposed by being named: use initials or a description instead.

Your dedication checklist

One to three people, or one group; one or two sentences with one specific detail.
Readable by a stranger without explanation.
Every name checked with the person, who has seen the words.
On its own page, after the copyright page and before the contents.

How to write a book dedication, with 35 examples by type

What a dedication is, and where it goes

Dedication, acknowledgments or epigraph?

Does a nonfiction business book need one?

How long should it be?

Who to dedicate it to

Choosing a tone

A fill-in formula

35 example dedications by type

Mistakes to avoid

Privacy when you name children or clients

Your dedication checklist

Further reading

Common questions