Top Ten Tips for Authors:On Bio Writing
by Lauren Clark
I’ll admit it–I’m a book cover junkie! I love an eye-catching concept, great colors, and crisp, bold graphics. A great cover will get me to pick up a novel… but then I have to read the summary… and check out the author bio!
Anytime I’m shopping in a bookstore, or checking out a novel online, you’ll find me turning to a book’s inside back flap (or clicking through the Kindle pages) and reading the paragraph below the author photo.
If you’ve ever tried to write a bio–your own included–you know that it’s a challenging process! Here are my Top Ten Tips for making ‘Bio Writing’ a little easier and a lot more fun!
Read author bios from ten to twenty different books. Jot down what you like and don’t like.
Write out another list–this time, 20 to 30 things about you! What do you enjoy? What makes you interesting? Don’t leave anything out. Then, choose the best elements to include.
If you’re writing the bio for your first novel, it can be as short and sweet. Shoot for about 50 words or fewer.
Convey your personality and writing style. Don’t try too hard to be funny, but do include something that makes you seem like a real person. Do you cook? Love to hike? Stargaze?
Relate it to the genre in which you are writing–if you’re writing a novel about a marathon runner–and you love to compete in 5Ks or just completed your first triathlon, mention it!
What gives you credibility? Are you a member of a professional organization? Have you published any articles? Written for a newspaper or magazine?
Hit the highlights. You don’t need long lists of resumé information (education, job history).
What helps people connect with you? (Twitter handle, Facebook page, website, or blog)
Have at least one other person (who is not a relative or BFF) read and critique your bio.
Sleep on it. Have a different person read and critique your bio. Revise and update as needed!
What do you think? Share your best bio writing tip!
About Lauren Clark
Lauren Clark is the author of Stay Tuned and Dancing Naked in Dixie. She writes contemporary novels set in the Deep South; stories sprinkled with sunshine, suspense, and secrets.
A former TV news anchor, Lauren adores flavored coffee, local bookstores, and anywhere she can stick her toes in the sand. Her big loves are her family, paying it forward, and true-blue friends. Check out her website at www.laurenclarkbooks.com. You can also find Lauren on GoodReads, Twitter, and Facebook.
