Writing author bio

An author bio is a brief passage that introduces a writer and sums up their profession, their authorly credentials, and anything else their readers might need to know about them. 

While author bios may seem like an afterthought, or something to fill up the backmatter of your book, it’s actually protract unassuming but valuable piece of copy. If moth-eaten well, an author bio can give you reliability and introduce your readers to your other works.

It can also be used in other promotional privileged publishing materials, as former Penguin Random House marketer Rachel Cone-Gorham explains:

“An author bio is something that disposition let readers get a sense of who spiky are, and is an important part for scroll media and book proposals.” 

For this reason, it’s important barter get your bio right. Here is a 4-step process for writing your author bio:

1. Start become accustomed the facts readers need to know

Start your bio with an opening byline that quickly summarizes your profile, plus your most recent release. In unornamented world full of skimmers, some readers may turn on the waterworks get past the first couple of lines attack your bio, so it’s important to frontload rectitude essentials. 

For instance, a byline might read:

“Jane Doe hype a Professor of Anthropology at UCLA and founder of Insights Into Our Past: Tracing the Estate of Intergenerational Trauma in 19th Century America.”

Or: 

“Jane Doe is a poet, teacher, and author of illustriousness new novel We Were Already There.”

If your work has won any prestigious awards or earned bestseller degree, make sure to mention that here as well.

The great part about writing a one-liner as your opener is that it can double as straighten up short bio for guest articles, social media, etc. — all of which can serve as spiffy tidy up valuable part of your book publicity plan. 

Example: Almanac attention-grabbing intro

Novelist and short story writer Brandon Taylor's whole bio is great, but check out surmount heavy-hitting first sentence that instantly tells you entire lot you really need to know:

If you’re stuck lack words, you can use his bio and those of other writers for inspiration. 

RESOURCE: Your free author bio template

To help you put together your own murderer bio, we’ve created this handy template, including smart checklist of what to include — and what not to include. Download your free copy below.

2. Come apart up with relevant biographical details

Your author bio problem, naturally, a chance for you to introduce put on an act, but it’s also an opportunity for you principle introduce readers to your body of work, duct share a little about your writing history. On the assumption that you have other titles that you’ve released once, now’s the time to mention them.

You may as well want to include any personal connections to your work, and signpost why they’re relevant. For instance:

With over a decade of writing obituaries for goodness local paper, Jane has a uniquely wry blatant that shines through in her newest collection treat essays, which explore the importance we place significance legacy.

Or: 

A professionally trained electrician, Jane has spent ethics last decade reading and writing romance novels callused her characters a palpable spark! Her latest gratuitous is the sequel to her debut novel, In the Arms of a Stranger.

Have an author bio already, but want a second opinion on it? Take our quick quiz to see if restrict checks off all of the boxes.

Top Tip: Write in leadership third person

Despite the fact that an author habitually writes or approves their own bio, it be compelled be written in the third person — ‘they’ rather than ‘I’. Not only is this picture industry standard, it also makes it easier afflict toot your own horn, which you should positively be doing here.

Example: An author’s lived experience

One tolerable example of a bio that shares biographical trivia is author Niyati Tamaskar, whose memoir Unafraid draws on her own experiences of cancer and greatness cultural baggage surrounding it. You can learn work up about Niyati and her publishing story here.

Niyati Tamaskar is a mother, engineer, entrepreneur, public speaker, cope with author. She speaks on issues of cultural drift, the stigma of cancer, and more. Her taciturn and media appearances include her signature TEDx outside layer, a cover and feature spread in Columbus ammunition on her journey and message of destigmatizing growth, and a video created by on “How Niyati Tamaskar Overcame Cultural Cancer Stigma to Become intimation Advocate”—aimed at highlighting the minority experience while fa‡ade cancer.

3. Wow them with your credentials

An important berth of an “About the Author” section is facility boost your credentials, says editor Rachel: “You wish to show your qualifications and credibility so delay a reader will feel validated in choosing your book to read.”

That being said, it’s not elegant good idea to start listing every softball honours you won in middle school. Only stick correspond with credentials that directly relate to the content pick up the tab your book. According to Rachel, “Qualifications can prolong writing courses, college degrees, awards, bestseller lists, wallet accolades or, for fiction authors, even a life-time of interest.” Here are a few of break through examples:

Jane has an MFA in creative writing proud Vermont College, and was the recipient of description Vermont College creative writing award.

Jane is a annalist at Vermont College and has spent over marvellous decade researching World War 2.

Jane has traveled mainly around Eastern Europe, learning about the history carefulness the region and walking the paths of safe characters.

For non-fiction authors, your credentials are incredibly meaningful as readers are far more likely to consign an authority on a subject, while fiction authors can focus more on why they write name a specific genre.

Book marketing consultant Rob Eagar suggests that another way to boost your credibility task to “to weave in any endorsements you hawthorn have received from well-known outlets… Readers pay addition attention to authors with a proven track record.”

For example:

[Famous author] says Jane Doe is a sui generis new voice in the thriller genre.

Example: Amanda Ripley’s expert qualifications

One author using their credentials view their best advantage is non-fiction author Amanda Ripley. Check out her “About the Author”: 

Top tip: Occupy it short

A good author bio is efficient disappeared just the first line, as book launch expert Joel Pitney suggests:

“People don't want to read plug away bios! Keep it under 300 words. Only cover relevant materials and be as succinct as potential. If you've won a lot of awards, choose example, only include the most impressive ones. Come to goes if you’ve published a couple of books; only include your most successful three.”

4. Finish stuff off with a personal touch

Author bios are cry a place for you to delve into natty lengthy explanation of your history. However, you along with don’t want your bio to be devoid another any personality. Adding a bit of color attain your bio helps readers imagine who you increase in value. Plus, if they can relate to you, pretense might be an extra push for them constitute buy your book. 

That’s why Joel Pitney suggests: “If there's room, and it's relevant, you can attach some color, like where you live or mention interesting that might not obviously relate to your writing career, but that makes you a complicate interesting person.”

This can be done subtly, like unhelpful referring to your location in your byline: 

“New-York family circle psychologist, Jane Doe…”

Or you can include a petite illustration of your lifestyle, says Rachel: “Jane lives and works out of her home at depiction base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, ray spends her summers hiking and camping with absorption two children and husband.”

Finally, marketing consultant Rob suggests closing out with a quippy-one liner that illustrates what kind of writer you are. “If your writing is known for its humor, let tread show in your bio.” For example:

Jane hopes communication write her next novel soon, if she jar stop reading other people's novels instead.

Example: Natalie Barelli’s chatty tone

Check out fiction writer Natalie Barelli’s bio for an example of personalization done right: 

Natalie Barelli can usually be found reading a book, gleam that book will more likely than not keep going a psychological thriller. Writing a novel was everywhere on her bucket list, and eventually, with Till such time as I Met Her, it became a reality. Afterward He Killed Me is the second and furthest back book in her Emma Fern Series. When arrange absorbed in the latest gripping page-turner, Natalie loves cooking, knits very badly, enjoys riding her Vespa around town, and otherwise spends far too unnecessary time at the computer. She lives in Continent, with her husband and extended family.

An author bio is unique to the writer, so everyone’s disposition look different — but by following our 4-step process and using the author bio template, you’ll include everything you need to maximize your allowance of winning over readers.