Writers
need bios, for query letters, on websites, for conference brochures. If we are
writers surely we 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 the genre
you write and perhaps name a couple of your publications. If you have many
published books, you can mention the number but only go into detail with two or
three – 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 signing up 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 something directly relates to your
book. (For example, you’re a nurse and you wrote a hospital drama or you have
seven cats and you write mysteries featuring cats.) Don’t thank your family for
their support. Save that for your book dedications.
There’s
another reason to put the key information
up front. If you are submitting news to a media site or a quick bio to a
conference coordinator, the editor may cut to save space. Make it easy for them
to keep the first couple of sentences and cut the rest.
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 popularity with readers 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, but be consistent.
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.
I
keep several versions and cut and paste as needed. A longer bio may have a
sentence or two about each of my series. A shorter one may focus on a single
series or provide 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 website. The details
depend on what I’m trying to sell.
For example:
Kris Bock writes romance,
mystery, and suspense. (Seven words)
Sweet romance bio under 150 words:Kris Bock writes romance, mystery, and suspense. In the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery. Who wouldn't want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats.
Kris also writes a
series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original
screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The
Felony Melanie series
follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a
decade before the events of the movie.
Get a free 10,000-word
story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for
the Kris Bock newsletter. Learn more at www.krisbock.com.
(142 words)
Mystery Bio under 100 words:
Kris Bock has lived in ten states and one foreign
country but is now firmly planted in the Southwest, where many of her books are
set. In the Accidental Detective series,
a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of
turning fifty. Kris’s romantic suspense novels feature outdoor
adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Readers have called these novels
"Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel." Learn more at www.krisbock.com or sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get a
free Accidental Detective story and more. (88 words)
If I’m promoting my children’s books, I
have a different set of bios for that name. I can also include the following
with my Kris Bock bio if I’m targeting writers:
Kris writes for
children under the name Chris Eboch. She is the author of two books on the
craft of writing, Advanced Plotting
and You Can Write for Children: How to
Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers. Learn more
at chriseboch.com. Check out her self-paced writing classes or The Ten-Minute Writer series on YouTube. (58 words)
In some
circumstances, I might mention that I live in New Mexico and enjoy hiking, or
that my husband and I keep ferrets. Those are nice personal tidbits, but they
don’t prove I’m writing books people want to read.
Any of these
options keep the bio to under 200 words. I want to make sure I’m including links
to learn more if it’s going somewhere online, and beat simplest version of my
website URL if it’s in print.
For a digital
site, I might give readers the direct links to Amazon in the United States and
Amazon in the United Kingdom, plus a “genius” link that will take people to
their local site. That means fewer clicks before someone has a chance to buy my
books.
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.