How to Write an Author Bio [With Examples and Templates] It looks unprofessional, scares away potential readers, foregoes an opportunity to connect with your target audience, and leads to fewer book sales. She read her first romance novel in eighth grade and has been addicted ever since. I fall somewhere between, but Mama always thought I was more kin to Papa than to her. Plus, writing a good author bio doesnt take that long. In many cases, creating an avatar of your customer with a name, location, and personality is a valuable way to both develop your author bio and strategically target your book marketing efforts. On her Twitter profile, It takes a ton of work to build up an audience, and most authors would rather spend that time writing books. Lucy Score is an exceptionally successful self-published romance author. WebMichael Lewis, the author of Boomerang, Liars Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball, The Blind Side, Panic, Home Game and The Big Short, among other works, lives in Berkeley, Ill note the word count on all of the examples below so you get a feel for length! Add hashtags to Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and more! Lucy grew up in rural Pennsylvania with a lot of time on her hands and a big imagination. Her friendliness and sense of humor comes across, and the blog portion of her website has sharp and engaging visuals. It is horribly more expensive,with the domain cost paid up front, for 3 years of use. He attended Madison College, where he met his wife, Annie. Author So today, Im sharing what I think are some great author bio examples. I also love the opening sentence! I work with her as Olivia Matthews (cozy mystery), and I didnt realize for quite a while that I had enjoyed one of her books that she published as Regina Hart! with Cyrus Webb, Read You Later with Lasheera Lee and Kataras Caf with Katara Johnson. In 2016, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in line with what was previously known as Aspergers Syndrome. (Your work is copyrighted whether you file for U.S. copyright or not, though U.S. copyright does help in pursuing an infringement claim.). We are in KC for a couple of days to see some old friends. Im so glad it was helpful! in her bio. Long Range Shooting Handbook: Complete Beginner's Guide to Long Range Shooting: Ryan Cleckner served as a special operations sniper team leader with the U.S. Army's elite 1st Ranger Bn. The bold font and background convey a sci-fi feel. This was a fantastic post. Additionally, people should know that if youre posting to your own domain as well as your Medium account with duplicate posts, that Googles algorithms may punish your post in thinking its plagiarized (Ive seen this pointed out on several SEO pages, though I havent checked the Google blog for any official confirmation). Your personality and/or expertise should make them want to read what you wrote. If you are hoping to traditionally publish, you probably want to limit this to short passages and snippets. This is so great. Learn how your comment data is processed. Point them in the direction of relevant work. This blog was hacked once, and it was awfulI have a ton of security in place now, and full backups every 24 hours! Ive heard great things about Wix, though I havent used it personally. Bryn, great links! I still dont know if I infected others who contacted me during that time. Do you have questions about it? Mom. Take our quick quiz to see if it checks off all of the boxes. ), If youre an indie author or not publishing, you can share as much as you want. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction books for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. No writers were harmed in the making of this reel! The funny thing is, I need to update mine, too. And they're also apt to purchase your next one. Don't be daunted by thought of writing about yourself. Did you graduate college with a degree in Creative Writing? Great tips and examples too! Doesnt hurt that hes a fellow OU alum either. Answer these 2 crucial questions to understand your genre and target audience: Your author bio needs to compliment the genre and subject matter of your book. Emily R. King is the author of the Hundredth Queen series, as well as Before the Broken Star, Into the Hourglass, and Everafter Song in the Evermore Chronicles. First of all, unless youre a household name, you must build credibility with the reader. This isnt to say that your bio should be impersonal. Have you been published before? Also, yay Jim Butcher. Lots of good stuff here that I need, especially the examples of published and not yet published authors. Author Bio A safe way to introduce readers to your other work is to direct them to your website, but keep in mind you're not selling them on this, only pointing it out. )[spacer height=20px]. You may briefly include credibility-building credentials, such as if you earned an MFA in Creative Writing. Also leave out the fun stuff about family, pets, and No, how about you just let me in automatically? Unpublished Writer: You Can Write a Kickass Author Bio! Some agents and editors ask for biographical information as part of a query or submission. At about the same time, I snagged the domain name for blogging as an author (much more salty language and violence there, so Im omitting that link). Shes brought everything together very nicely here. Finish on a call to action (check out the new book, follow on social media, etc.). Bios irrelevant to the book confuse potential readers. Rodney is doing a great job on his Amazon Author Page . To learn more, please visitwww.blossomtrilogy.com. But I dont want to just go with the first hit on the google search, you know? One of the not-quite-yet-author websites you listed, Emilyrae, happens to live in a nearby town, so I reached out to her. While author bios may seem like an afterthought, or something to fill up the backmatter of your book, its actually an unassuming but valuable piece of copy. Carlene, definitely okay! . People want to read the work of someone who knows what they're talking about, so making it clear that you are indeed that subject matter expert immediately puts a reader's mind at ease. If you take the author bio seriously and get it right, youll sell more books. Here is mine: Liz Boegers stint as a bikini model peaked in kindergarten. That's okay, too! You might be wondering how credentials work if you're a fiction writer. My road trip book! When readers trust you, they're more apt to tell the world about your book. 1. Describe yourself as a freelance writer because chances are you will be sending your manuscripts off to Notice that the bio is doing much more than just introducing her: its also inviting you to follow her on social media, hire her as a speaker or teacher, and sign up for her newsletter. Depending on your niche or subject, not sure. If you're looking for author bio perfection, Scalzis is as close as you're gonna find. Ranking high on the list of Things Authors Hate To Write, biographies are something that can make even the most seasoned writer pull their hair out. mn Delicious Meal Prep: 115 Easy Recipes for Low-Calories, High-Energy Living, Long Range Shooting Handbook: Complete Beginner's Guide to Long Range Shooting, Diary of a Farting Creeper: Why Does the Creeper Fart When He Should Explode? I do not have any pics of myself on my site, but I do have pics of my characters, which I commissioned through an artist Rod Espinosa on deviantart.com. Sticking to these four elements worked great for me. Jessie, this is awesome! Find out if your author bio is a 10/10. She is always like this I told her Id leave a 5-star review on Yelp. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book. 1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy, come meetthem. Unfortunately, Suffusion is no longer available, but Im pointing that out to say that you can get great professional results from free WordPress themes! I believe the hosting costs $4 a month, and many of the themes or design looks are free. Gain insight from Kindlepreneur on how you can optimize marketing for your books. Hopefully, you had a type of reader in mind when writing the book. If you have other titles that youve released previously, nows the time to mention them. Id already read and loved Lucy Foleys THE GUEST LIST, and like that one, this is told from several points of view. Im jealous! I love reading BIOS and learn so much when I do. Looking to publish? Chris, I think your blog looks great! I dont even know how Instagram works really, though my brother has been telling me its the best social media site to find and learn new things. Then again, I guess Google does the same sort of thing, just on a larger scale. I have always had a passion for writing and enjoy the process of crafting stories. When asked to offer a dozen things people should know about him, Lentz says he: He resides in Southern California with his high-school-sweetheart wife and family. Joanne Machin is an author of flirty, nerdy, feminist contemporary adult #ownvoices romance. Mention that. I read it back in 2020 and have referenced it several times in the last year. How to Write an Author Bio Examples & Tips to SELL Refer to them when you start writing and youll have an engaging author bio that should easily sell more books. I created my website myself using Wix (I meant to use wordpress and somehow I ended up with Wix, but anyway its done and paid for so Im stuck with it). John Scalzi writes books, which, considering where youre reading this, makes perfect sense. Thanks for the kind words, Naomi! The best author blogs have new posts on a more or less regular schedule. In summary, the steps in this post take you through everything you need when writing your own author bio. To listen to previously published episodes, please visit: fitforjoy.org/podcast, If interested, please email me: valeria@fitforjoy.org. And youre going to have to stop saying youre lazy. So many people loved her. It can also be used in other promotional or publishing materials, as former Penguin Random House marketer Rachel Cone-Gorham explains: An author bio is something that will let readers get a sense of who you are, and is an important part for pitching media and book proposals.. [spacer height=20px]. Most authors want to set up profiles on platforms like Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub, and some writers want a short author bio for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other social media accounts. I think it shows that you can keep things very simple and still be appealing. This means the bio will probably make a better impression. Only just discovered it, via your retweet today. Sometimes they also need paper writing help. How to Write a Killer Author Bio (With Template) - Reedsy You pay a little more if you wanted penname.com rather than penname.wordpress.com, and the former is a little nicer. This article was a godsend for me in terms of giving me the confidence to create a website even though I am unpublished. There are some advantages, such as being able to install a popup window to invite people to join your newsletter. Writing a novel was always on her bucket list, and eventually, with Until I Met Her, it became a reality. I also love taking naps and listening to music. These were some of the best writers websites I could find when I was researching this post, and I tried to include a variety. Most authors dont want to blogin other words, write posts on a regular basis. You probably see other peoples unique beauty or attractiveness, even if they dont fit the conventional mold. Bingley during a road trip break. Start With An Introductory Byline. Weirs mega-blockbuster novel The Martian famously started as a series of blog posts, so its no wonder hes got a sharp-looking blog. Internet is a SCARY place. I love the idea of including world-building with alien species! Click on the author names to see their websites. Unpublished Author Website Examples Emily Rae I love it that Emilys picturewith a big smileis front and center in this website. Can you hire a freelancer to write your author bio? This is your opportunity to show the world what an excellent writer you are, and why they definitely need to get into your book. How to Write a Terrific Author Bio - Rachelle Gardner This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Here is a 4-step process for writing your author bio: Start your bio with an opening byline that quickly summarizes your profile, plus your most recent release. While this may seem like obvious advice, a lot of irrelevant content finds its way into many author bios. I love it that Emilys picturewith a big smileis front and center in this website. Only include relevant materials and be as succinct as possible. In that case your article will help them to write a killer one. Now, I feel that my picture is too large. Web10+ Unpublished Author BIO Examples 1. If your book is melodramatic, add a little melodrama. Inspired by young minds and wise words. Share your thoughts in the comments section! Dont haphazardly throw together some sentences and hit the publish button. Unpublished Author Website Examples Emily Rae I love it that Emilys picturewith a big smileis front and center in this website. Adam Wallace writes this short bio in the first person, which is unusual and feels more friendlyas if hes personally introducing himself to you. https://www.servicescape.com/writers/grammarmaven, College Application Proofreading Services, Statement of Purpose Proofreading Services, How to Write a Bone-Chilling Dark Fantasy Tale. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer's Digest. He has also co-written WHAT IF ITS US and HERES TO US with Becky Albertalli. If you're a nonfiction writer, your bio is particularly important as it establishes your authority/expertise to write about the topic in your book and also your credibility with readers. <3. Best Author Websites (Including Unpublished Author Website Examples). Im sharing this one as an example of someone who does a lot of different types of writing, because I know some of my readers are the same way! Here are a few examples of what a successful short bio might look like: Example 1 Mary Jones is an Administrative Assistant with eight years of experience working alongside the executive team of a Fortune 500 company. Hi Bob, I hope everythings going well with you in these crazy times. This website features the authors completed, unpublished novel (which sounds terrific, by the way.). When I am not fighting dragons or chasing the bogey man out of my kids' closet, I like using my previous Online Optimization skills to help other authors with the 'technical' stuff and get the right authors to the top of Amazon and any other eBook service out there. There's a reason this is called an author biography and not an author autobiography. Visit her at damndelicious.net. This is awesome, but i am seeing in this days mostly hide there Bio in Blogs, But they don't know In The Blog Author Bio is also a Ranking Factor in the Google Search Ranking. I especially love that you included examples from unpublished authors. Thanks for all the great ideas. Is it really necessary to introduce the author as a third party. Not only is this the industry standard, it also makes it easier to toot your own horn, which you should definitely be doing here. What do you say on your website if youre an unpublished author? We didnt have a lot of what money could buy, but plenty of opportunity to develop our own ingenuity and creativity. But, hey, we are writers, after all! We have a whole series of posts on the subject, and we highly recommend you check those out as well! This website was built on Squarespace, and it looks really good. But the author bio is another critical tool that you shouldnt leave out. (76 words). If youre writing an About Me on your blog or website, however, it may be quite a bit longer! So for the last few months I turned off the indexing of my personal website to see how well my Medium following grew. Tiny light gray type will make a lot of people bounce. If your book is a spiritual guide to personal growth, some life-affirming positivity will improve your bio. I just kind of blogged about life in a data science program, and most recently on matters I was interested in. I dont know whats boring anymore. Experts encourage authors to start their writers bio with a byline (one-liner) that summarizes their profile and the titles of the latest publications. I really am tech-phobic with a high dose of author-avoidance. Web#9 Author Bio Example Joanna Penn Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller and nonfiction author who also writes under the pen names of JF Penn As an INFJ/INTJ, he has an insatiable curiosity about multiple topics including Mental Health and the surreal. I am a New York Times, Amazon and USA Today bestselling author who loves writing stories that make children laugh and get excited about reading and drawing and writing. Hello, Bryn. (21 words). She was the oldest of three in a literary household. I especially like the ones with a bit of humor. Liz, those two opening sentences are so good! Then I erased both of my stories. For this reason, its important to get your bio right. Ive even been called The Kindlepreneur by Amazon publicly, and Im here to help you with your author journey. Umrigar writes novels, but shes also a journalist, a memoirist, and a childrens book author. Bio Examples Readers may not connect with those bios as much as they connect with yours! If not, take that word out. Going through a divorce or other major family issues? You know its not true. (43 words). If someone is reading this article, it is highly unlikely that they can boast being bestselling authors or share that they are on the third book of a highly successful series. Probably because it involves writing about ourselves. You'll get it in your email inbox right afterward. Tailor your bio to your genre, target audience, and the individual book its for. You don't need to have a law enforcement background to write an FBI series, and you don't need to have worked as a CIA asset in order to write an awesome spy thriller. Feel free to use first person or third person, as long as you stick to one or the other. However, to my understanding, theres plenty more security measures you get with the .org site. I loved Jesss characterI ALWAYS love a character whos a little scruffy, a little bit of a grifter. Jane is a historian at Vermont College and has spent over a decade researching World War 2. WebFor example, for an unpublished author bio, you will need to highlight the personal projects you are working on, personal interests and career/academic trajectory. Im pretty decent with computers, but I chose Wix because they deal with everything, from an intuitive editor, the domain, the SSL certificate, to managing the server and security. Until she does. Behold, our favorite author bios of the day: Mindy Kaling, Why Not Me? https://theimplantbook.wordpress.com/, I have another site I use to post my short stories and flash fiction. Medium (eBook only, literary magazine, etc. Unpublished Author BIO Examples Are you noticing how big the authors names are on some of these sites? Get extra writing inspiration, news, and giveawaysand never miss a new post! Hopefully taking a peek at these varied author bios that each feature something we touched on in this article will get your creative juices flowingabout yourself! At that time, I would say dress simply, work with a professional photographer if possible, and as long as people can see your eyes and your smile, theyll get a sense of who you are and make a positive connection. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. Ill guess that youre writing some sort of fiction. Have you won awards, scholarships, or fellowships for your writing? While not everyone cares about the authors bio, some care a lot. Learn seven tried-and-true strategies for boosting book sales. Get extra writing inspiration, news, and giveawaysand never miss a new post! I think its great that youre using what you have and rebranding it. Find the perfect marketer for yournextbook. ChainLinked, Book1, misterio press. A professionally trained electrician, Jane has spent the last decade reading and writing romance novels giving her characters a palpable spark! and have had fun tinkering with my website: https://leahdobrinska.com/, Thanks for laying this all out, especially the unpublished author sites. Credentials can look differently depending on the author and the kind of book being written, but they do need to align with the writing somehow. Advocate. Just a super enjoyable read. Its entertaining and it suits you so well! I have a website/mailinglist/newsletter/readermagnet-thing going on in parallel with my rather ambitious WIP. I cant tell you how excited I am to get not one, but TWO Dresden books this year. You can learn more about Niyati and her publishing story here. Meet your dream marketer on Reedsy. 11 Good Author Bio Examples | BRYN DONOVAN Adam Silvera is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END, MORE HAPPY THAN NOT, HISTORY IS ALL YOU LEFT ME, INFINITY SON and INFINITY REAPER. I havent done a lot with it recently. If you're writing fiction, this can still help, but it matters less so. However. If your work has won any prestigious awards or earned bestseller status, make sure to mention that here, too. Hear about a Reedsy author's book tour. Conversely, if you're writing more serious fiction like literary fiction, hard sci-fi, epic fantasy or historical, then you might want to go easy on the humor and instead focus more on your expertise. I do think it helps to have some personal information in an author bio, but dont share anything about your personal life that you dont feel 100% comfortable putting out there. Of course, being that you're the author, that sounds totally weird, since you more than likely are biased toward yourself. You can do but it's not standard practice. Short author bios are very versatile. Earn a prestigious honor or academic position? In Atticus you can save as a template and then reuse that template wherever you want. Sophisticated and original? Unless these details are relevant to his book if, for example, the book is set in St. Louis or about parochial education or mens hairstyles not much of this tells us why hes the right author for this story. Thank you, Silke P.S. The same rules apply to nonfiction as wellhumor or a light tone can be leveraged depending on the subject matter. This can be done subtly, like by referring to your location in your byline: Or you can include a brief illustration of your lifestyle, says Rachel: Jane lives and works out of her home at the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and spends her summers hiking and camping with her two children and husband.. I do have a website. Also Im thinking of what content I can add while I work on the cover. Web8. Can I use what I already have? And thats not the message one wants to give people. Thats more about Mom than me. Thanks for the kind words! And if youre in the middle of writing a novel thats becoming a little messy..or youre ready to start a fresh new projectbe sure to check out my book Blank Page to Final Draft, a step-by-step guide to planning, writing, and editing your novel. Thanks again, and happy new year! MASTER LIST of Gestures and Body Language. Only stick to credentials that directly relate to the content of your book. Thanks again for your quick reply and for taking the time to look at my website. This, too, shows the reader why your book will be written as expertly as possible. I have been keeping a blog for quite a while now and while I do prefer working on my novel or short stories I have found my stride with it. Bio Examples I agree, the first + last would work for that! Im looking at revamping my own website right nowits always just been functional, but I want to make it pretty. You should include your name, relevant accomplishments, and a call to action in your authors bio. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Publish a new book? Her short Twitter bio continues that same impression. But first-time writers can include relevant expertise that pertains to your book. As I am not a van driver or pizza delivery girl, why would it interest anyone. I personally think that if youve hit the NYT and the USA Today, saying youre also an Amazon bestselling author is a bit beside the point, but its no big deal! I dont think I have time right now to blog, but should I include perhaps elements of world-building like the main characteristics of each of the alien species that are part of the story? For instance, if you're a mechanic by education and experience, you're probably not the best person to write a nutrition book, unless you have those credentials. And I wanted to keep my site secure. Her fallback career writing mysteries didnt kick-in until she neared the mid-century mark. Im actually not sure what SUP stands for, but I think this is a really effective approach for a social media site. You can definitely combine the two in a bio for a website. A RITA Award finalist and winner of the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award in 2011, she is also a nationally acclaimed writing instructor. ELD teacher, mother, MG writer. The apartment building setting is terrific and the story has real surprises. A good author bio (and book reviews and book description) compels them to actually buy the book. I appreciate your valuable input and will look into adjusting it accordingly. Why do we hate writing them so much?
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