Writing Your Bio
by Sheryl Hardin
A writer's biography isn't the story of his / her life; instead it is more like a resume. Your bio is the story of who you are as a writer to be used first and foremost as a marketing tool. The purpose is to convince a complete stranger they should care about your work.
Consider this, if you were riding in an elevator and someone asked you what you do, what could you say in 30 seconds or less? Here is your chance to add a potential fan. Just saying I am a writer probably isn't going be enough to inspire the person to go out and look for your book or buy a magazine that includes an article by you. You have to be able to articulate in just a few words why you are different, better, and / or more informed than your competition. Your author's bio does the same thing, except that your written words are the only voice you will have, so let those words show your passion for your work and your profession.
How to Begin
Begin at the beginning with your name. If you write under a pen, use your full name and put your pen in parenthesis beside it. Under your name begin with your history and publishing awards. Include the following sections as necessary:
About the Author
Here is your chance to sell yourself by briefly describing who you are as a writer in a short paragraph or two. Even if you have never been published before, you can catch your perspective publisher or editors attention here. Write in third person. Start with who you are such as "Name is an author and speaker." Next tell what is different about you. Explain how your work stands out from the crowd. This is a good place to explore why you write from a spiritual point of view. After you have caught your reader's interest include any credentials that support your expertise in the subject(s) about which you write. For example if you were once a detective and now you write mysteries you want to let your reader know.
Use a second paragraph if necessary to mention relevant hobbies, outside studies, or other personal information that adds to your credibility. Then end with what I call the likeability factor. This is where you can include a sentence or two about your current career, family, pets, etc. The purpose is to help your reader connect with you as a person. End the About the Author section with a snappy last sentence about why you write.
Awards
Include a brief list of any awards you have won. List the most recent award first. Include the year followed by the title of the award, a dash and the name of the group who gave you the honor. Include any award no matter how trivial you believe it is or how long ago you won it. If you haven't won any awards just skip this section.
Published Works
If you have published quite a few things it is good to create subsections to assist your reader in finding the information most important to him or her as quickly as possible. Begin each section with your last published work first. End with anything you have contracted to publish that has not yet been released. The order of the subsections is not as important as providing clear bulleted lists beneath understandable subheadings. If you do not have any works published yet, just leave this section out.
Subsections might include books, anthologies, online publications, articles, trade publications, and / or edited works. Use a standardized format such as the examples shown below:
| Book Title (a novel), by Author Name (City, State, Publisher, Year) | |
| Anthology Title including Author Name edited by Editor Name, Publisher, Year | |
| Article or Site Name, by Author Name http://www.site address, Year | |
| Article Title, Publication Name, Author Name (City, State, Publisher, Year) reprint online at http://www.site name | |
| Article Title, Trade Publication Name, Author Name (City, State, Publisher, Year) reprint online at http://www.site name. (Rated 5 Stars Best) | |
| Book Title, Edited by Editor Name, (City, State, Publisher, Year) |
Professional Affiliations
Last, list any and all of your professional affiliations in this section. Begin with your writing affiliations such as the Spiritual Writer's Association and end with other professional organizations that add to your credentials. Leave off any that don't. For example, if you are writing a scientific book, you will want to include your memberships in scientific societies. If however, you are writing a historical novel and you are a member of the National Auto Workers Union this isn't the place to include that affiliation unless your main character works on antique cards. You don't have to have a long list of professional organizations, but you do need at least one.
If you don't have any affiliations begin by finding the right group now. Belonging to a professional organization or two makes a statement about how serious you are craft. It says that you care enough about your work to hone your words and improve your technique. It says you are a professional.
If you don't have any affiliations begin by finding the right group now. Belonging to a professional organization or two makes a statement about how serious you are about your craft. It says that you care enough about your work to hone your words and improve your technique. It says you are a professional.
Using Your Bio
Include your bio whenever you submit a manuscript to an editor or publisher. You can use the About the Author section to provide a briefer bio when asked or on the sleeve of your book cover. An excerpt including the first and last sentence or two can even be used at the end of an article to tell your readers about you.