Today, I have the Pleasure of Welcoming
Kris Bock
and her awesome article on
Bios Made Easy
Writers
need bios, for query letters, on websites, for conference brochures.
Surely writers can write about ourselves. Yet while coordinating
writing conferences, I discovered that even published authors often
write poor bios, whether through modesty, carelessness or
overwriting. Many bios are entertaining, but don’t do their job.
The
job is selling yourself and your books. Keep that focus in mind and
the rest will follow.
Content:
List your publications. If you have many, mention the number but only
go into detail on three or four –
perhaps the most recent or
popular. Specify the genre, as titles aren’t always clear by
themselves. If you don’t have published books, mention your other
credentials – “Cub Newshound’s articles appear in Slate,”
for example.
Don’t
get carried away listing awards. If each book has four or five minor
awards, the reader bogs down in dull details. List the most
prestigious, or combine them – “Ms. Inkslinger’s
books have received five Readers’ Choice Awards from various
states.”
Relevancy:
If someone is considering buying your book or coming to hear you
speak, they want to know your success as a writer or speaker, not the
names of your pets. Put your professional information first. Don’t
start with your hobbies or childhood, unless it directly relates to
your book. (For example, you’re a nurse and you wrote a hospital
drama.) Don’t thank your family for their support. Save that for
your book dedications.
Style:
You may need different bios for different uses – playful on a book
flap; professional for a newspaper article; focused on teaching
experience for a conference catalog; praising your writing success
for a book signing. Regardless, focus on information. Humor and
lively writing are fine, but don’t get too wrapped up in sounding
“literary.”
In
a large conference brochure, the designer probably wants consistent
style. A touch of formality may be appropriate – you’re trying to
portray yourself as a professional. Pretend you’re someone else
writing about you in the third person. “Bard Wordsmith
is an award-winning author….” For a query letter, use first
person. A website could go either way.
Length:
Keep it short and to the point. If your bio will stand alone, on an
individual brochure or flyer, try 100-200 words. If your bio will
appear along with others, 50-100 words is plenty (or whatever they
request). Many people will skim anyway. Include your website for more
information. An editor may cut to save space, so put the most
important information up front.
I
keep several versions and cut and paste as needed. A longer bio may
have a sentence about each of my romantic adventure novels. A shorter
one may have only a few words on each, or general info on the kind of
books I write. If I’m promoting
my critiquing/editing business, I would focus on my experience as a
teacher and workshop leader, noting that people can get
recommendations and rates on my web site. The details depend on what
I’m trying to sell. (See examples below.)
So
what about you? To get started, make a list of the facts that you
want to share. Then write a simple, straightforward paragraph that
includes them. Next, decide if it’s appropriate to dress it up, but
as in all good writing, communication comes first.
Kris
Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures
and Southwestern landscapes. Roberta at Sensuous Reviews blog says,
“Counterfeits is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have
enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart’s Moonspinners.”
Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com
or visit her Amazon
page. Sign
up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements
of new books, sales, and more.
Kris
writes for children under the name Chris Eboch. Her book Advanced
Plotting helps writers fine-tune their plots. Learn more at her
website or Amazon
page, or check out her writing tips at her Write
Like a Pro! blog.
Thanks for the wonderful information about writing an author bio,
Tina
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