• Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Books & Such Literary Management

A full-service literary agency that focuses on books for the Christian market.

  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Books & Such
    • Our Agents
    • Our Behind-the-Scenes Staff
    • Our Travel Schedule
  • Our Authors
    • Author News
    • Collaborators and Ghostwriters
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Editors Select
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Books & Such
    • Our Agents
    • Our Behind-the-Scenes Staff
    • Our Travel Schedule
  • Our Authors
    • Author News
    • Collaborators and Ghostwriters
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Editors Select

Write a Terrific Author Bio

September 20, 2012 //  by Rachelle Gardner//  32 Comments

Blogger: Rachelle Gardner

Sometimes it’s hard to believe how difficult it can be to write about yourself in a bio—after all, you’re a writer! But I understand it’s not as simple as that, so here are a few tips to make it easier.

1. Write your bio in first person for query letters, third person for most other purposes including proposals, book jackets, article bylines.

2. Make it professional but you also need to convey personality and writing style. Don’t try too hard to be funny, but include something that makes you seem like a real person.

3. What gives you credibility? What makes you interesting? What helps people connect with you? (When you’re on Twitter, Facebook or your blog, what kinds of posts seem to get the most comments?) These are things you can briefly include.

4. If your book centers on something specific—the Civil War, for example—are you a member of a Civil War society? Have you published any articles in historical journals? Include that.

5. Try not to include too much “resumé” type information–education, job history, etc. because it tends to be boring. Only include what’s relevant to the book you’re pitching.

6. As you write a bio, consider carefully the purpose of the bio – who is the audience? Is it agents and editors? Is it your blog readers? Tailor it to this audience.

How to write a bio if you have no publishing credits:

  • If you’re a member of a writers’ organization such as SCBWI, ACFW or ASJA, you can mention it.
  • You can mention if you’re a member of critique group or if you have a degree in literature or writing.
  • Don’t say something like “I’ve been writing stories since I was two years old.”
  • Keep it short and sweet, i.e. “Jane Smith is a fifth grade teacher in Bellingham, Washington, and is a member of ACFW.”

A bio for a query letter:

  • For FICTION, if you’re unpublished, it should be one to two sentences—about 50 words or fewer.
  • For NON-FICTION, it should be longer, enough sentences to establish your credits, credentials, and/or platform in the subject matter of your book.

Some tips for the process of writing a bio:

  • Read author bios in a couple dozen different books. Note what you like and don’t like.
  • Make a list of things you MIGHT want to say about yourself. Try to list 20 to 30 things—don’t self-edit, because you don’t want to leave anything out. Later you can choose the best elements to include.
  • Write two or three bios of different lengths so that you have them ready when you need them.
  • Trade author bios with a writer friend and help each other make them interesting.

Wanna show us your brief author bio? Put it in the comments!

Let’s respond to each others’ bios. Be constructive but nice!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Category: Authors, Authors, Blog, Business of writingTag: autho bio, author bio in a query, author resume

Previous Post: « How to Make the Most of a Conference Without Talking to Anyone Important
Next Post: News for Nonfiction Writers and Novelists from the Editors »

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Heather Day Gilbert

    September 20, 2012 at 7:33 am

    OOh, fun! My bio’s out w/my proposal right now, so I won’t include it. But my agent gave me this UBER-HELPFUL hint–

    Use action verbs as much as possible.

    In other words, not “Heather has lots of newspaper writing experience”–more like “Heather captivated local newspaper readers with her feature articles, including a series on Bed and Breakfasts.” Well, not those exact words, but it really amps up the intensity of your bio.

    Writing in 3rd person is just…weird. But for the proposal, it does work!

    Helpful post today, Rachelle!

    Reply
  2. Lori

    September 20, 2012 at 7:37 am

    This would be my bio (using third person) for a thriller/suspense that would have a big component that deals with the International Space Station:

    Lori has been fascinated about rockets, astronauts, and stars since she was a little girl. She is a technical writer for an engineering company and has been writing mostly for the International Space Station for the last (insert x amount of) years. This is her first work of fiction.

    Reply
    • Meghan Carver

      September 20, 2012 at 11:59 am

      Lori, I really like the connection of your current job, your interests, and the subject of your novel. You certainly sound qualified to me! I’ve read, though, that you ought not include that this is a first work of anything, whether it be fiction, non-fiction, children’s, etc. Rachelle, what is your advice on that?

      Reply
      • Lori

        September 20, 2012 at 5:58 pm

        I wrote “This is her first work of fiction.” mainly because I wanted to emphasize that the book is definitely fiction and not non-fiction.

    • Shauna

      September 20, 2012 at 6:50 pm

      Lori, I would write “fascinated by” rather than “fascinated about”…reads easier in my opinion.

      Reply
  3. Dale Rogers

    September 20, 2012 at 11:41 am

    Thanks, Rachelle. It’s nice to have something to go by.

    Reply
  4. Cheryl Malandrinos

    September 20, 2012 at 11:55 am

    How neat. Here’s the one from my website. It might be too wordy. For a recent agent query, all I posted was that I was the author of Little Shepherd.

    Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer, children’s author, and editor. Her first children’s book, Little Shepherd, was released in August 2010 by Guardian Angel Publishing. Her next book is due out in the fall of 2012. She is a member of the SCBWI, a book reviewer and blogger. Ms. Malandrinos lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two children. She also has a son who is married.

    Reply
    • Meadow Rue Merrill

      September 20, 2012 at 2:11 pm

      I’m an SCBWI (lapsed) member too! Currently working on memoir, but looking forward to finishing revisions on my middle grade novel. And I’m in Maine! Anyone else you know in our neck of the woods who writes Christian fiction for kids?

      Reply
      • Cheryl Malandrinos

        September 21, 2012 at 10:53 am

        Honestly, I don’t. But it’s good that we’ve connected. There are days I think I’m all alone out here. 🙂

    • Shauna

      September 20, 2012 at 6:55 pm

      Cheryl, I might reword the fourth sentence to say, “She is a blogger, book reviewer and a member of the SCBWI.”

      Reply
      • Cheryl Malandrinos

        September 21, 2012 at 10:52 am

        That’s a good suggestion. I never did like that sentence. Thanks.

  5. Meghan Carver

    September 20, 2012 at 12:10 pm

    This is my bio that I included in a query for a novel (women’s fiction) about a third-year law student who writes her own prenup, afraid that she won’t be allowed to use her sound mind if she says, “I do.”

    I am an ACFW member and have twice attended the Indianapolis Christian Writers Conference. I have a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University (no, I did not write my own prenup in law school!) and a B.A. in English from Millikin University, and I have taught Composition 101 at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. I won several awards and achieved publication through high school and college. After a break to complete my graduate education and birth six children, I had several articles and short stories published.

    Rachelle, what is your advice on including “cutesy” details like skipping high school calculus to take creative writing twice?

    Reply
    • Heather Day Gilbert

      September 20, 2012 at 1:50 pm

      Meghan, I know I had some cutesy stuff (I thought it was hilarious!)and my agent told me to cut it. You want to look as professional as possible. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  6. Carole Lehr Johnson

    September 20, 2012 at 12:19 pm

    Rachelle, thanks so much for the tips. This is a daunting task for me and what you had to say helped me tremendously.

    Reply
  7. Jennifer Major

    September 20, 2012 at 1:26 pm

    Jennifer Major is a West Coast girl living happily on the East Coast with her husband and four children. She is a wife, mother, part time missionary and full time friend. She has swum in the Amazon River and watched the sun rise over the Andes. She writes part time for her local newspaper and full-time for her readers. She blogs and Facebooks, Twitters and is a member of ACFW.
    When she has free time she loves to spend time with her fellow moms and feed them her gourmet cheesecakes.

    Reply
    • Heather Day Gilbert

      September 20, 2012 at 4:26 pm

      I love this one–very vivid, Jennifer!

      Reply
    • Shauna

      September 20, 2012 at 7:05 pm

      Jennifer, I might reword the last sentence to say, “When she has free time she loves to spend it with fellow moms and feed them her gourmet cheesecakes.”…so you could eliminate the double use of “time” and “her.”

      Wish I had one ready to post today : (

      Reply
      • Jennifer Major

        September 21, 2012 at 7:33 am

        Thanks Shauna, it looks much tighter.

    • Melissa K. Norris

      September 20, 2012 at 10:09 pm

      Where’s that cheesecake recipe girl? And I’d love for you to be specific and tell us what you write for the local paper. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jennifer Major

        September 21, 2012 at 7:36 am

        Melissa, email me at jandjmajor@rogers.com and I’ll flip you the recipes for my New York and Triple Chocolate cheesecakes. And my chocolate pate. I was in the paper for that.
        Speaking of the paper, I’m part of a team that contributes to “Community Triple Take”, a op-ed column where one question gets 3 answers. And I’ve written a few articles as well.

  8. Ann Bracken

    September 20, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    Oh, this is fun! I think it’s important to preface mine with the fact that I write American Revolutionary War romances, often set around a farm.

    As the granddaughter of a New England dairy farmer, I was able to draw much of my information regarding running a farm from my father. My background is in science, and my undergraduate research was published in The Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry. I continue to write technical reports for a pharmaceutical company. I was elected as secretary of my local chapter of Romance Writers of America for 2013. I’m currently living my happily-ever-after with my husband, four children, pets, and a large garden.

    Reply
  9. Jill

    September 20, 2012 at 3:56 pm

    Thanks, Rachel! You always provide your followers with a wealth of information. This post will definitely go into the “Keep” file.

    Reply
  10. Martha Ramirez

    September 20, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    Great tips! Thank you.

    Reply
  11. Melissa K. Norris

    September 20, 2012 at 10:08 pm

    This is a fun post, I love seeing the diversity of all the other readers. 🙂

    Melissa K. Norris writes inspirational historical romance novels. Her stories inspire people to draw closer to God and their pioneer roots. She found her own little house in the big woods, where she lives with her husband and two children in the Cascade Mountains. She writes a monthly column, Pioneering Today, for the local newspaper that bridges her love of the past with its usefulness in modern life. Her books and articles are inspired by her family’s small herd of beef cattle, her amateur barrel racing days, and her forays into quilting and canning—without always reading the directions first.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Major

      September 21, 2012 at 7:37 am

      Cascades?? Ohhhh. Must check out your blog….

      Reply
      • Melissa K. Norris

        September 21, 2012 at 1:58 pm

        Stop on by, you’ll see the Cascades a little bit in the header pic.

  12. Peter DeHaan

    September 21, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    Writing a bio is next on my to do list. Thanks for the ideas!

    Reply
  13. Anne Love

    September 26, 2012 at 6:58 am

    Very timely post, thanks everyone for sharing. I need to write a more professional bio. Here’s first draft hot from my keyboard, comments welcome:

    Anne Love writes full length Christian Historical Romance novels from rural settings of the 19th century. She works full time in Northern Indiana as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and balances out her life as a wife and mother with blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads and of course coffee. She is a member of ACFW, has participated in Scribes critique groups and has attended ACFW Indianapolis and Denver where she met her critique partner and fellow blogger. Her roots and faith are Mennonite, but neither she nor her heroines wear bonnets.

    Reply
  14. Harrie Farrow

    August 16, 2013 at 10:23 pm

    Thank you. Read your blog and went from being stumped to writing this bio.
    Harrie Farrow had an idyllic childhood growing up in the Virgin Islands. Her 20s were filled with adventure (dead head/hippie style), travel and education – including graduating summa cum laude from San Francisco State with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Human Sexual Studies. A brief carrier in freelance writing back in the Virgin Islands was followed – in her 30s and 40s – with a move to the Ozarks, where she opened and operated a fine dining restaurant, raised a son (soccer mom!), designed a beautiful house, wrote this novel, nearly finished another novel, and did more traveling. After the breakup of a 35 year long relationship, losing her restaurant and home, and gaining a grandson, she returned to freelance writing, this time doing investigative reporting. Waking up to find four slashed tires on her car convinced her to quit that line of work and instead focus on finally publishing “Love Sex and Understanding the Universe” and finish writing “Bonita verses Ivan Rasta Man and the Monkey Go Round.”

    Reply
  15. Natalie

    April 15, 2014 at 5:28 am

    Hello everyone,

    My first children’s book is with my illustrator and I am preparing to write my bio. I am a substitute teacher with degrees in Psychology and English. Should I provide all of this information?

    Reply
  16. Kris Koniar

    July 31, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    It’s always so hard to write about yourself!! Thank you for the wonderful ideas in your post Rachelle.

    OK…here goes…

    Having lived in a haunted house as a child, Kris Koniar has always been fascinated by things that go bump in the night. Her ghostly experiences and love of a romance come together in her stories, creating a chilling and at times funny reading experience for her readers.

    A transplanted Yank, Kris lives in Ontario, Canada with her handsome husband, techy son, rolly polly kitty and a lizard named Stubby. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with her family, in the never ending search for the perfect subject for her photographer husband.

    Reply
  17. Campbell

    November 16, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    In writing authors biography, you should have you clear ideas and creative thoughts. Sometimes best authors biography writing service can give proper ideas.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the Blog

Privacy Policy

Awards

Top 50 Writing Blogs









Site Footer

Connect with Us

  • Books & Such
  • Janet Grant
  • Cynthia Ruchti
  • Rachel Kent
  • Wendy Lawton
  • Barb Roose
  • Debbie Alsdorf
  • Janet Grant
  • Cynthia Ruchti
  • Rachel Kent
  • Barb Roose
  • Debbie Alsdorf
  • Cynthia Ruchti
  • Wendy Lawton
  • Barb Roose
  • Debbie Alsdorf
  • Debbie Alsdorf

Copyright © 2022 Books & Such Literary Management • All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy • Site by Design by Insight