Writing
What to write in a life story dedication
· 4 min read
A dedication should be short, name specific people, and say why. One or two sentences is standard; anything longer belongs in an introduction instead. The four forms that work are the simple naming, the naming with a reason, the address to a future reader, and the dedication to someone who has died. Avoid listing everyone, which reads as an acknowledgements page in the wrong place.
Dedication is not acknowledgements
These are two different pages doing two different jobs, and merging them is the most common mistake. A dedication offers the book to one or a few people. Acknowledgements thank everyone who helped make it.
If your dedication has six names and a thank you to the person who did the scanning, it is an acknowledgements page. Split it: dedication at the front, thanks at the back.
The four forms that work
Almost every good dedication is one of these.
- Simple naming: "For Eleanor, and for Tom." Nothing more is required, and restraint reads well.
- Naming with a reason: "For my grandchildren, who asked the questions that started this." The reason should be specific to this book, not general affection.
- To a future reader: "For whoever in this family opens this in fifty years." Effective in a life story, where that reader is the actual point.
- To someone who has died: "For my mother, who never wrote hers down." Usually the most affecting, and the one to keep shortest.
What to avoid
A dedication fails in a small number of predictable ways.
- Listing everyone. It flattens the gesture and belongs in acknowledgements.
- Explaining the book. That is what an introduction is for.
- A quotation instead of your own words, unless it genuinely means something specific to the person named.
- Anything ambiguous about a family rift, which will be read closely by exactly the people you were being tactful about.
- A dedication longer than a short paragraph, which begins to compete with chapter one.
Where it goes and how it looks
The dedication sits on its own page, after the title page and before the contents or introduction, usually set alone in the upper third of the page.
Convention is no full stop after a short dedication and no signature, since the author's name is already on the cover. Italics are common but not required.
Common questions
- How long should a book dedication be?
- One or two sentences. Anything longer starts to function as an introduction and dilutes the gesture.
- What is the difference between a dedication and acknowledgements?
- A dedication offers the book to one or a few people and goes at the front. Acknowledgements thank everyone who helped and go at the back.
- Can you dedicate a book to someone who has died?
- Yes, and it is among the most common forms in life story books. Keep it short; brevity carries more weight than explanation here.