The Three Types of Book Dedications
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Dedications are sometimes skipped over and sometimes obsessed over. For such a small bit of text, they can certainly leave authors scratching their heads.
First, what is a dedication? Creatives of all types have long dedicated their work to a patron, muse, or partner in order to recognize their intangible contribution to the work. It’s a way of presenting the finished product as a gift or offering, a way of saying “this one’s for you.” These short bits of text appear at the beginning of a book, typically after the masthead (first title page) and half-title page, but before the table of contents and any other forewords or prefaces.
Dedications are not to be confused with the book’s acknowledgements, which increasingly can be found at the back of the book. Acknowledgements are longer lists of thank yous, similar to an awards ceremony acceptance speech: “I’d like to thank my mom and dad, my editor, and my highschool English teacher, etc.” Acknowledgements are written in standard prose (full sentences with proper punctuation and grammar), and typically indicate what each contributor brought to the work, such as being an early beta reader, helping provide research, or just bringing you tea to keep you going during a gruelling drafting process.
Dedications, on the other hand, are more poetical, sometimes amorphous, and often subtle in why or to whom a book is being dedicated. They are, in a way, a secret message between the author and that special recipient(s), and in the act of sharing it with all readers, it gains more weight. They are personal and sometimes private, and that may be why authors sometimes struggle to put that depth of import and feeling into a concise few words.
Here, we’re delving into the three main archetypes of dedications so we can demonstrate best practices and guide you to draft your own.
The Commemorative Dedication
This style of dedication is most frequently used to thank a specific individual (or group) for their support during the drafting and production of this book. Keep in mind, this is not an Acknowledgements section, where you record every single person who had a hand in the genesis of the book!
Commemorative dedications tend to be short, sweet, and self-explanatory. They’re often as simple as “To Jane.” They can also include multiple people (within reason; again, these are not Acknowledgements), such as an author’s three children, or both of their parents.
Some examples:
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
I started this for Holly
I finished it for Maddy
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
To my mother
and the memory of her mother
You asked me once
what I would remember.
This, and much more.
Victoria Unbuttoned: A Red-Light History of BC’s Capitol by Linda J. Eversole
For my daughters, Machala and Cheryl,
resilient spirits, empathetic hearts
The Thematic Dedication
This style of dedication tends to be a bit more tongue-in-cheek. It might be humorous, referencing an inside joke between the author and their dedicatee. It might be to a fictional character in the book who inspires the author, and “brings them to life” for the readers. Or, it could be written in another language (either real world or constructed) that fits in with the setting and/or time period of the book.
Thematic dedications tend to be the longest of the three archetypes. They may include an epigraph or quote, a message to the dedicatee, or a pithy statement. Sometimes, they are dedicated to an unnamed or general “you” that speaks directly to the reader.
Some examples:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab [a book about a girl who is repeatedly forgotten]
To Patricia—
For never once forgetting.
Verdi: The Man Revealed by John Suchet
For my darling wife, Nula, whose love for Verdi the man, as much as his music, was a constant inspiration.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
for Jane
with thanks
to Rick and Heidi for the loan of their stable event
to Mogens and Andy and all at Huntsham Court for a number of unstable events
and especially to Sonny Mehta for being stable through all events.
The Tribute Dedication
This style of dedication is typically to recognize the memory of someone who has passed away (often before the book was completed). In this case, the individual may not have had a direct hand in the creation of the book, but instead served as inspiration or as a predecessor in a storied tradition. In this way, rather than as a “thank you” as in the commemorative style, this dedication is more of an “offering up” or your work to their memory.
Tributes can include mentors or teachers, admired authors in the genre, (deceased) relatives, or even organisations who work in your field. In works of nonfiction, authors might dedicate their book to a historical figure who kicked off their research, or whose writings informed the work. Again, these are not as a replacement for proper citations or inclusion in the Acknowledgements section, but are a way of showing respect to the work that has come before you or the legacy that you are joining.
Some examples:
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
For all those who have been with me since the beginning: look at what we’ve made. Thank you.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
To all the health workers.
And the care workers.
Thank you.
In the Shadow of the Banyan Tree by Vaddey Ratner
For my mother
*
In the memory of my father,
Neak Ang Mechas Sisowath Ayuravann
Wild Embers: poems of rebellion, fire, and beauty by Nikita Gill
For you
and all the fires
you will
give birth to.
You’ll notice that punctuation and line breaks in dedications more often resemble poetry than prose. Proper grammar should still be applied (especially for possessives), but rules can certainly be broken for presentation. However, the apocryphal dedication used by proponents of the Oxford comma should be kept in mind:
To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.
Is this dedication to three recipients, or are two parents being named here? Your dedication should be included in your editing efforts to ensure it makes sense and doesn’t mislead readers. For specific formatting, you can indicate your preferences to your designer.
Hopefully that inspires you to think about your dedication in a more nuanced way, and provides some ideas for who you might want to “offer up” your book to. Be heartfelt, but don’t overthink it. When in doubt, keep your dedication simple. Here’s to you. Happy writing.
