Dedication Page Layout
I want to admit here that I do NOT use dedications in my books. One key reason is that I do not want to "slow the reader down" in their process of getting to the content. I want them to be able to flip past the first few pages without reading them (copyright etc) and get right into the story or content. Every extra page they have to read is a chance for them to give up and put the book back. This is true both literally, in a bookstore, as well as virtually, with the back-button on a web purchase.
It's not that I refuse to praise my supporters. I do have an acknowledgements page at the back of the book and I heap praise on everyone who helped me there. For my most loyal supporters, my boyfriend of over twenty years, he gets special mention there. So he is definitely getting praised. But he doesn't need that praise right up front in a way that roadblocks the readers.
I do definitely understand that some authors want to provide a separate dedication page, for whatever reason, and that is fine. For example, here is the dedication page from a vintage copy of Moby Dick.
So, certainly, if you decide that a Dedication Page is for you, that's fine. You're in good company. Many authors have dedication pages. For me, I put that information in the acknowledgements page, and I have it in the back.
If you provide a dedication page it should be on the right-hand side of the book and it should not have a page number associated with it.
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