Hi Keith!
Yeah, what Mary said! That was exactly what I was going to say!

Jim

Mary wrote: "Hello Keith. The answers are 1) No. 2) No. 3) No, but wouldn't a reader like to know? and 4) No. In fact, the person to whom you dedicate your book will most likely never know about it unless you s..."

Thanks for your input!

Hello Keith. The answers are 1) No. 2) No. 3) No, but wouldn't a reader like to know? and 4) No. In fact, the person to whom you dedicate your book will most likely never know about it unless you send him/her a copy with a nice letter. Then they will feel flattered.
What you might consider is contacting the person now, before you print your book, and tell him that you are dedicating your work to him. Then ask if he would be interested in blurbing your book. If he is famous, a blurb that you could put on the front or back cover would be a real plus. If he's too busy, fine. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'm writing a new book (a science fiction novel) and I would like to dedicate it to someone who I feel has been instrumental in my life, and whose literrary works heavily influenced the new book. Many imes I notice that people dedictae their books to eother a family memberor someone who has passed away. I have a few questions:

1) By dedicating my new book to a living author (non-fiction author) am I implying any claim by this person to profits from the book?

2) Do I need to get their permission to dedicate the book to them?

3) Do I have to state why I am dedicating the book to them?

4) I am not using any of their material directly, and also the book is a fiction novel. Do I have to identify what elements of the book were influenced by this person?

Any other insights would be helpful.

Thanks