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[Ken Magee]

Since I published my book last November, I've had a few friends and relatives who have 'commented' about the dedication I wrote. Mainly they were complaining (gently) that they had been left out, although there was one, who had been included, who felt that a different comment might have been better.

I wonder if it's worth the hassle, does anyone actually read the dedications?

[Maria Savva]

I usually read them

[Doug DePew]

I do unless they're real long. I like them simple.

[Jaime]

Hm. I haven't had anyone comment on mind, though I've had a feeling that some people were upset that they were left out...

I reckon give a rat's butt. My story. My dedication. If you want me to dedicate it to you in the next round, bring me some chocolate or do my laundry so I have time to write. Haha.

[Ken Magee]

@Jaime... yeah, chocolate earns a mention!

A different approach is to make the dedication book specific rather than person oriented. It's a tactic I found while I was looking through some random dedications. It's from Eats Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss -

To the memory of the striking Bolshevik printers of St Petersburg who, in 1905, demanded to be paid the same rate for punctuation marks as for letters, and thereby directly precipitated the first Russian Revolution

Nice one, for a book about punctuation... and clever enough to deflect any complaints from friends and relatives?

[WestofMars]

I don't do a dedication, but a thanks page, instead. In King Trevor, I thank a table. In my own defense, my rabbi told me to!