David athey teaches creative writing at palm beach atlantic university. 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. By benjamin graham and david dodd, features the foreword author over the. My life in france by julia child, john adams by david mccullough, postcards from the edge by carrie fisher, all thing. How to write a terrific author bio rachelle gardner. If youre a bestselling author new york times, wall street journal, usa today or. Not just the readers of the magazine or your book, but the editor, publisher, or agent. How to write an author bio when you dont feel like an authoryet. This point matters more than any of the others because ultimately, its up to you.
Author biographies and author interviews for authors whose. Of course, your author bio is just one aspect of improving your amazon author profile. By benjamin graham and david dodd, features the foreword author over the books actual authors. Build a better author bio for twitter jane friedman. Book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. Issue 93 supplement contributor bios angela szczepaniak angela szczepaniak is a full seventeen characters long. Author bios are not a place for you to delve into a lengthy explanation of your history. Author bios spring 2017 author bios spring 2016 author bios spring 2017 author bios. How you slant your author bio depends on who your audience is. While most authors provide neat, tight biographies in the backs of their books, others need no introduction, as their magnificent reputations precede them.
Lynne constantine is an internationally bestselling author who writes as liv constantine with her sister valerie. Its how readers get to know you beyond the pages of your book. Sep 14, 2015 while most authors provide neat, tight biographies in the backs of their books, others need no introduction, as their magnificent reputations precede them. Most of us write up a quick about me and never give it a second thought.
When you submit stories, poems and articles to print publications, most will ask for a short autobiography. Not just the readers of the magazine or your book, but the. Short bios for literary journals the balance careers. Author bios might seem like the least important part of a book, but in a crowded anthology packed full of great stories, a good author bio is an effective tool to ensure that readers pick up more of your work. How to write a first time authors autobiography synonym. Suzanne contributes articles with a focus on food, food history and travel. Bookbrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfictionbooks that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more. May 25, 2006 synopsis a one page summary of your book. Her work has helped time win two national magazine awards.
Jennifer marie brissett is the author of the novels eleusis tor books, forthcoming and elysium aqueduct press, winner of the philip k. A wellexecuted author bio will intrigue potential readers and entice them to buy your book. He also is the editor and principal writer of dus awardwinning annual magazine, conservation, and edited the highly popular du book, 161 waterfowling secrets, which has sold more than 20,000 copies since it was first published in 1994. The author or coauthor of ten books, lynn has sold 12 million copies since 2006. How to write an author bio that sells books ben zackheim. Over 300,000 authors trust the professionals on reedsy, come meet them. Nasa mathematician katherine johnson stem trailblazer. The synopsis should be interesting to read and clearly spell out what happens in the book without belaboring it. Keeping a few key ideas in mind can make the process a lot easierand the results more successful.
Outline a chapterbychapter summary of your booka few sentences per. May 27, 2015 book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. Miracles boys 2000, which also won the coretta scott king award, and. Lynn vincent is the new york times bestselling writer of heaven is for real and same kind of different as me. Maybe youre pitching an article idea to the editor of writers digest magazine, or sending a how to write an author bio blog post to a professional blogger for her website. If youre not sure what to write for your short bio that must be included in every cover letter to a literary journal, then put on your thinking cap. The smart bitches guide to romance novels and the cofounder of, one of the most popular blogs examining romance fiction. All you have to do is mention your latest or bestselling book and. 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. Whether youve actually received that acceptance letter or youre just getting your bio ready in anticipation good for you for being prepared.
Alternatively, if you have an author friend, you can enlist his help to write one for you in exchange for you writing one for him. These examples of long and short author bios, plus tips for writers of magazine articles, book contributions, book proposals, or blog posts, will help you learn how to write your own author bio biography to accompany your byline. Linda besner spring 2011 is originally from wakefield, quebec. Jul 22, 2014 kaling may only be a firsttime author at this point, but that is more than enough to include her on this list in my opinion, especially when you consider how freaking awesome her facebook page is. Laura has fully committed herself to advocate and inspire others through her books, an invisible thread, an invisible thread young readers edition, an invisible thread christmas story and angels on earth. Jacqueline woodson was born in columbus, ohio and grew up in greenville, south carolina and brooklyn, new york. These may be used for an interview, a book jacket, or even an event program in which you are a presenter. The fact is, author bios are the best way to make yourself compelling to a complete stranger whos thinking about buying your book. If youre writing this for an agent or publisher, remember books that didnt. Once you have written a short, medium and long bio, save each of them on your computer, usb or cloud storage system.
Theres nothing wrong with putting your most recent book title in your bio. Her short fiction has appeared in fantastic stories, morpheus tales, the future fire, fiyah magazine, terraform, thaumatrope, uncanny magazine, and halfway down the stairs, and been anthologized in welcome to dystopia. About the author examples that youll actually want to read. Deanne is a features and food writer for mid rivers newsmagazine. Remember to enlist the aid of a professional graphic artist to help create a visually compelling book cover for your work. Colleen mckee grew up on welfare in the first town in america to be completely evacuated because of toxic waste, leading her to an early, if reluctant, interest in the health care system. Bossypants by tina fey, steve jobs by walter isaacson, the diary of a young girl by anne frank, becoming by michelle obama, and ye. Our books contact us about bpc return policy manuscript submission book publishing company, po box 99, summertown tn, 38483 orders. A one or two sentence author bio for twitter and andor a magazine byline. Your books author bio tells potential readers who you are, and why they. Aug 09, 2018 a wellexecuted author bio will intrigue potential readers and entice them to buy your book. Sure, bios are usually written in the third person, but we all know that the authors write them. Wild bios neil armstrong now im a little bit biased because i did write this book along with my coauthor corney emporia and it was illustrated by zoey persia and and designed designed by by heidi heidi nunez.
Just the other day i was asked how to write a bio by a fellow writer on twitter. If it is a romance, perhaps write about how you met your spouse. This brief statement shares your credentials, education, past publications and other. Here are some reallife author bios that combine most or all of the tips above.
Mar 01, 2019 good author biographies are so easy to read, but writing the perfect author bio is anything but easy. Mike is a former small business columnist for the wall street journal, is msbncs business. She worked for eleven years as a writer and editor at the national news biweekly world magazine and is a u. A recent mfa graduate of new england college, she currently lives in oklahoma where she is an english. She lives in a normal house in a normal city and writes normal books. Nasa mathematician katherine johnson stem trailblazer bios. She works as a freelance radio producer, and has contributed to cbcs definitely not the opera, outfront, and the next chapter. How to write an amazing author bio book marketing for. Its important for indie authors to know how to write an author bio that tells readers. You can speak to your readers in first person on your blog and in your newsletter and in an author note at the back of your book. Mar 18, 2012 one of the things an author is expected to do from timetotime is to produce at least a short biographical blurb. Very few authors over the years have enjoyed crafting bios. The bio you write today will look completely different in five years time.
Chungah rhee is the founder, recipe developer, and photographer of damn delicious. Even though very few authors think about it, and even fewer publishing guides talk about it, the author bio section impacts sales, reputation, book marketing and social media. She also is married with two daughters who keep her very busy. Here are some examples of author bios we love so you can get some. Its an invigorating feeling, receiving ones first acceptance letter from an editor. How to write your first author bio writing forward. 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. Writing an author bio examples of professional bios. Her first normal book, unisex love poems dc books, sutures swatches of fiction, poetry, slapstick legal antics, and gruesomely illustrated recipes for sweatbreads. And in this vision and philosophy, its all about you. Write queries, cover letters, synopses, outlines, author bios. Parrish, was a reese witherspoon book club selection, a people magazine book of the week, and a target book club selection. If she is not writing, you will find her with a book, guitar or in a thrift shop with a coffee in hand. His books have been published in nearly 30 countries, including an illegal.
Their latest book, the last time i saw you, was published in may. Pay attention to author bios and consider what resonates with you. Learn how to write an author bio that gets readers attentions. Your author bio will continue to change as you work on new projects and build your cv. Wild bios neil armstrong now im a little bit biased because i did write this book along with my co author corney emporia and it was illustrated by zoey persia and and designed designed by by heidi heidi nunez. Maybe even the author bios can be in the second person. Please welcome author nicolas frame with some good advice on writing your first author bio. Bruce woods bruce woods is a professional writereditor with more than 30 years in magazine publishing, having worked as editor of mother earth news and alaska magazine, among others, and has published both nonfiction and poetry books. Author bios matt young, editorinchief the longeststanding member of the ducks unlimited magazine staff, matt young has published more than 100 articles on waterfowling and conservation topics in this magazine and other publications. The books homepage helps you explore earths biggest bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch.
She loves reading, singing and writing music, as well as collecting firstedition books and typewriters. How to write the perfect author bio for your books query. How to write a memorable author bio with template reedsy blog. 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. How to write an author bio to accompany your byline. At writers relief, we know it takes skill and publishing industry savvy to create an author bio that will impress publishing professionals like literary agents, editors, and booksellers and convince readers to buy your book. If your book is a comedy, they make your bio humorous. Firsttime readers glancing at the bio of a new indie author frankly dont want to hear about your first pet or the list of authors who have inspired you to pick up writing. More than likely, if you borrow elements from those author bios for you own, then youll be solid. It can be intimidating to think so introspectively. Remember to enlist the aid of a professional graphic artist to. How to write a memorable author bio with template reedsy. Publishers frequently put the foreword authors name on the cover, sometimes more prominently than the name of the books author. Sarah wendell is the author of lighting the flames.
Here is a great blog post from rachelle gardner about how to write a terrific author bio. She is the author of over 30 books for children and young adults, including from the notebooks of melanin sun 1995, recipient of both the coretta scott king honor and the jane addams childrens book award. You thought of starting your own literary magazine, called you too or the second person or something like that. Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch specialist joel. He is obsessed with early and medieval christianity, does not own a phone, has never sent a text, and drives an old truck named goatbutt. She posts stuff like pictures of where her book should be placed in bookstores and wikipedia articles about correctional facilities that mention her. While your books are a great way to introduce yourself, an author bio can set you. Applicants were given three possible titles and a simple assignment. Publishers frequently put the foreword author s name on the cover, sometimes more prominently than the name of the book s author. How to write an author bio that will help you sell more books. Every writer needs to have a killer short bio that tells in a sufficient and entertaining way who they are and why they deserve to be published.
Author bios colleen mckee and amanda steibel whether they found it a place of healing, harm, or both, amazing stories emerge. Just dont make your bio sound like your book release is the only reason youre on twitter. Learn how to make the most out of your author bio by experimenting with. 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. This article will cover both what you need to include in your author bio and some examples of tight professional bios. 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. Kaling may only be a firsttime author at this point, but that is more than enough to include her on this list in my opinion, especially when you consider how freaking awesome her facebook page is. For firsttime indie authors, writing a compelling author bio can be difficult. Sep 15, 2015 our author bios are supposed to tell the world who we are and about our writing. Learn to write an attractive author bio by following the six rules of author biographies and our breaks down of two professional sample bios. These examples of long and short author bios, plus tips for writers of magazine articles, book contributions, book proposals, or blog posts, will help you learn. She is also the coauthor of the book beyond heaving bosoms. You do not want to dash off an author bio in five minutes.
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