The short biographies explain a persons basic life facts and their importance, but the long biographies would go. Be sure to let me know if i missed any this should be on this list. How to write an author bio when youve never been published. So, weve provided the hints, tips and instructions. How to write an amazing author bio book marketing for. Jan 16, 2017 this post showcases the best personalbranded book author websites on the market today. A wellexecuted author bio will intrigue potential readers and entice them to buy your book. By following the above suggestions, i can guarantee you will come up with an author bio that will knock the editors socks off and increase your chances of becoming a published author. Back cover copy includes the book summary and author bio. Reading the author bio is one of the several ways you can find the support you need to justify buying the book. As for the bio, you dont have to say anything that can identify you if you dont want to. But, many people asked for an easy to follow template, and this is what we use with our authors.
A biography can be short in the case of few sentences biography, and it can also be long enough to fill an entire book. The back cover bio is a chance to impress a potential reader, while the inside bio is often the last impression made on a. Writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a wellcrafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so interesting. A biography is simply an account of someones life written by another person. Dorothy thompson is a freelance writer, childrens ebook author, and editor of the writers life. Frys book, making history, deals with a reimagined history where hitler was never born. Here is a great blog post from rachelle gardner about how to. Whether its just your first time to write a book or you already have several titles under your name, it pays to pay attention to seemingly minute details which will give your book a distinct advantage over other titles in your genre including your author profile. And if youre a writer with few publication credits or none at all, crafting a compelling bio can be even more challenging. When cindy sample was a little girl, her dream was to be a super cool detective like nancy drew, racing around town in a sky blue roadster. Punctuation or grammar goofs in this highly visible spot broadcast the message that your book was not professionally written.
Reading is an intimate endeavor in which the reader and the author are engaged in. It is made in a form of self written and self drawn accordion book. Oct 22, 2015 writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a wellcrafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so interesting. This post showcases the best personalbranded book author websites on the market today. An effective author bio is short and highlights basic professional information about the author. By benjamin graham and david dodd, features the foreword author over the. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Aug, 2015 if all of this sounds daunting, consider hiring an editor or marketing writer to help you craft your books backcover copy in the most compelling way possible. Writing an author bio that will knock the editors socks off. I feel like i have been in chloes head for so long now. Mar 23, 2017 an author s page, or author s bio, is typically located at the end of a book and is meant to tell readers a little about the author of the book. Sep 14, 2016 many writers find that writing a short story, poem, or novel is easier than writing their own author bio.
Do you need a bio for your company website, book, portfolio, linkedin page, or resume. Nov 16, 2017 youve got your book ready to go, but its time to consider the auxiliary writing you must do in order to support the publication of your masterpiece. Im not saying its the very best way to write an author bio, in fact, many of the best examples below do not fit this template. Visit amazon author central, click on your book, and add it in the about the author section or if you published a paperback version of your book on createspace, you can enter the bio in the author biography section for your book. Your author bio is an important book press kit element because it is pretty much the only tool you have to make the case that you are the best person to write this book and to write it well. You have to convince agents and editors youre the perfect author for the book. There her father, the screenwriter lorenzo semple, jr. Whether your bio is for a college application, a professional website, or a social media account, take your time and be thoughtful. For nonfiction, establishing yourself as an expert and differentiating your book from the others written about the same topic will help sell your book. Quite often, i will find agents who request i send both my query and an author bio and several other things. I am a dreamer and bestselling author and this is the official twitter feed for my book ive written. Many writers find that writing a short story, poem, or novel is easier than writing their own author bio. However, as this is my first novel and i dont have much writing credentials, writingspecific education, or publication credits, i dont want to write a pathetic bio that points to the fact that i am inexperienced. Jul 07, 2011 your author bio is an important book press kit element because it is pretty much the only tool you have to make the case that you are the best person to write this book and to write it well.
Blog perfecting your craft posted on september 14, 2018. Here are some reallife author bios that combine most or all of the tips above. How to write an author bio that will help you sell more books. A good sample bio might read, bob peters teaches third grade in columbus, ohio. How to write an author profile on amazon authority alchemy. How to write an author bio how to self publish a book. This information usually falls into one of three parts. See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Sep 14, 2018 find the perfect editor for your book. Want to get the author perfect bio and book description. The purpose of your author bio isnt simply to describe you accurately and summarize your life or work. Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch specialist joel pitney suggests.
He enjoys writing historical fiction, poetry and participates in civil war reenactments. Its an invigorating feeling, receiving ones first acceptance letter from an editor. Your short author bio is a vital part of your book marketing, so its worth getting it right. Some people create an about me page while others just create a column for a short overview of their biographies. Heres why you need a fantastic author photo and how you can. It can be helpful to begin with a bio you already use at your website or at linkedin. While all five of these tips will help you make a better bio, tips 2 and 3 are the best advice for how to write an author bio that sells books. How to write an author bio that sells books ben zackheim. Once you wow your potential readers with an excellent front cover, the next part of your book thatll hook them is your back cover copy, which is publishing speak for the information that appears on the back cover.
But at the end of that email, youll usually realize they want you to. Within only one page, author vince frost leverages a strong use of graphic design to capture interest. Heres why you need a fantastic author photo and how you. How to write a biography for a poet pen and the pad. If so, it should include your most important accomplishments, traits, and qualifications. Aug 09, 2018 the purpose of your author bio isnt simply to describe you accurately and summarize your life or work. The six rules you should use to write a professional bio. Discover the best author biographies in best sellers. This article will cover both what you need to include in your author bio and some examples of tight professional bios. How to write your first author bio writing forward. Weve all heard the cliche that writers have big egos so it makes sense that theres a section in every book where youre required to talk about the author meaning yourself. Discussion in marketing started by porcupine, mar 1.
You should regularly maintain your bio on places like your bookbub author profile so fans and potential readers seeking you out can learn more about you and why they should pick up your latest book. About the author examples that youll actually want to read. Look at kings photo again and imagine thats the author of an alternative history book about nazis. Download a copy and write your bio in under 5 minutes. His picture communicates none of the books story but a great deal about the tone in which it is written. How to write a terrific author bio rachelle gardner. The third example shows how part of the back cover copy the author bio, in this case can show up on the inside flap of a hard cover book. I dont know but its your job as a freelancer to find out. Some authors choose one or the other, though i recommend taking advantage of both. One of the things that i think people overlook is that there is a connection between the author and the reader, and the reader doesnt. For firsttime indie authors, writing a compelling author bio can be difficult. Keep in mind that you want a memorable bio for any situation.
If this is my first book that youve read, please consider moving on to another one of my books. Suzanne young, on the surface, is an extremely accomplished financial analyst at morgan stanley smith barney, with 20 years experience in the financial markets, who consistently ensures the longterm viability of multimillion dollar portfolios. Not only is it useful to know what you need to include in an author bio, it is also useful to see examples of how your vital information should look. Publishers frequently put the foreword author s name on the cover, sometimes more prominently than the name of the book s author. Publishers frequently put the foreword authors name on the cover, sometimes more prominently than the name of the books author. When i first wrote this article how to write an author bio when youve never been published, the yahoo shine website was accepting guest posts. After realizing her inherent klutziness could be an impediment to becoming a private eye, her new goal was to become a worldrenown mystery writer like agatha christie. As some of you may know, this story first started as a online serial.
Bio when cindy sample was a little girl, her dream was to be a super cool detective like nancy drew, racing around town in a sky blue roadster. Pop the champagne cork, and put a party hat on your cat. What began as a grad school hobby is now a top food blog, with millions of readers coming to her site for easy weeknight recipes and. Chungah rhee is the founder, recipe developer, and photographer of damn delicious. Are they still publishing new and inexperienced writers.
Pitch article ideas to big and little blogs, websites, online magazines. How to write an authors page for a book pen and the pad. Many writers struggle to figure out how to write an author bio for themselves. A personal bio is a great way to express to people who you are and what you do. When writing a book, there are two potential places to include your author bio. But dont just copy and paste your bio into the proposal and consider the job done. However, as this is my first novel and i dont have much writing credentials, writingspecific education, or publication credits, i dont want to write a pathetic bio that points to the fact that i. Examples personal professional 580866 book summary and author bio on the back of the book 566753. Writing an author bio examples of professional bios.
Examples personal professional 580866 book summary and. Theyd walk off with a copy of the book based on the bio. Its something that will let readers get a sense of who you are, and is an important part for pitching media and book proposals, sums up marketer rachel cone. For fiction writers especially selfpublished ones, who you are matters little in comparison to the quality of the story youve written and an attention grabbing synopsis. But when you include this information on createspace, it. Sell more books with a kickass amazon book page author marketing experts, inc. Id show the book to people at book fairs and signing events, and theyd flip the book over, read the bio, and laugh. How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers. Senior investment analyst public policy masters bio. For nonfiction authors, the author bio is a critical marketing tool as who are you are is often as or more. May 28, 20 50 great author bios for inspiration posted in inspiration may 28th, 20 by mike brown 5 comments whether you are a designer, writer or an artist, having a portfolio website is a great way to increase your customer base. Over 300,000 authors trust the professionals on reedsy, come meet them.
This article was written by a professional writer, copy edited and fact checked through a multipoint auditing system, in efforts to ensure our readers only receive the best information. But dont worryyou dont need stellar credits to have a stellar bio. Write the bio for the site where it will live, and mention your reading interests. Book summary and author bio on the back of the book. Its the media relations tool that tells reporters, producers, bloggers and other media gatekeepers that your personal history gives you the perfect credentials for this novel or that your professional. Please welcome author nicolas frame with some good advice on writing your first author bio. To submit your questions or ideas, or to simply learn more, see. Sample book hardcover july 3, 2006 by sample author author, sample editor, illustrator 5. I am the author of this or that book, and i am a word wrangler.