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Writing Your Author Bio? Here Are 20 Great Examples. (Plus a Checklist!)

October 15, 2020 by Diana Urban

Writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a well-crafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so interesting. You should regularly maintain your bio on places like your BookBub Author Profile so fans and potential readers seeking you out can learn more about you and why they should pick up your latest book.

Stuck on what to include? While there is no one-size-fits-all formula, here are some examples of author bios we love so you can get some inspiration when crafting your own bio. We’ve also created an Author Biography Checklist with recommendations on what to include, as well as where to keep your author bio up to date online.

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1. Ramona Emerson

Ramona Emerson is a Diné writer and filmmaker originally from Tohatchi, New Mexico. She has a bachelor’s in Media Arts from the University of New Mexico and an MFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. After starting in forensic videography, she embarked upon a career as a photographer, writer, and editor. She is an Emmy nominee, a Sundance Native Lab Fellow, a Time-Warner Storyteller Fellow, a Tribeca All-Access Grantee and a WGBH Producer Fellow. In 2020, Emerson was appointed to the Governor’s Council on Film and Media Industries for the State of New Mexico. She currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she and her husband, the producer Kelly Byars, run their production company Reel Indian Pictures. Shutter is her first novel.

Why we love it: Ramona makes a splash as a new author by detailing her extensive experience in both writing and filmmaking. Her background makes an effective setup for her debut novel about a forensic photographer.

2. Courtney Milan

Courtney Milan writes books about carriages, corsets, and smartwatches. Her books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly , Library Journal , and Booklist . She is a New York Times and a USA Today Bestseller. Courtney pens a weekly newsletter about tea, books, and basically anything and everything else. Sign up for it here: https://bit.ly/CourtneysTea Before she started writing romance, Courtney got a graduate degree in theoretical physical chemistry from UC Berkeley. After that, just to shake things up, she went to law school at the University of Michigan and graduated summa cum laude. Then she did a handful of clerkships. She was a law professor for a while. She now writes full-time. Courtney is represented by Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency.

Why we love it: Courtney concisely leads with her accolades and bestseller status before diving into more personal information with a witty tone. She also includes a call-to-action for readers to sign up to Weekly Tea, one of her mailing lists.

3. Adam Silvera

Adam Silvera is the number one New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not , History Is All You Left Me , They Both Die at the End , Infinity Son , Infinity Reaper , and—with Becky Albertalli— What If It’s Us . He was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start for his debut. Adam was born and raised in the Bronx. He was a bookseller before shifting to children’s publishing and has worked at a literary development company and a creative writing website for teens and as a book reviewer of children’s and young adult novels. He is tall for no reason and lives in Los Angeles. Visit him online at www.adamsilvera.com .

Why we love it: Adam begins his bio with his bestseller accolades and a list of his popular titles. But we especially love how he also includes his previous experience in children’s literature. It’s a fantastic way an author can craft a unique and credible bio using information besides accolades or bestseller status.

4. Farrah Rochon

USA Today Bestselling author Farrah Rochon hails from a small town just west of New Orleans. She has garnered much acclaim for her Crescent City-set Holmes Brothers series and her Moments in Maplesville small town series. Farrah is a two-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America and has been nominated for an RT BOOKReviews Reviewers Choice Award. In 2015, she received the Emma Award for Author of the Year. When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah spends most of her time reading, cooking, traveling the world, visiting Walt Disney World, and catching her favorite Broadway shows. An admitted sports fanatic, she feeds her addiction to football by watching New Orleans Saints games on Sunday afternoons. Keep in touch with Farrah via the web: Website: https://www.farrahrochon.com/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/farrahrochonauthor Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/FarrahRochon Instagram: https://instagram.com/farrahrochon/ Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2povjuZ Join my online Fan Club, the Rochonettes! https://www.facebook.com/groups/FarrahRochon/ Farrah’s Books In Order: The Holmes Brothers Deliver Me (Mar. 2007) Release Me (May 2008) Rescue Me (Jan. 2009) Chase Me (Jan. 2017) Trust Me (May 2017) Awaken Me (Jan. 2018) Cherish Me (Jun. 2018) Return To Me (Aug. 2019) New York Sabers Huddle With Me Tonight (Sept. 2010) I’ll Catch You (Mar. 2011) Field of Pleasure (Sept. 2011) Pleasure Rush (Mar. 2012) Bayou Dreams A Forever Kind of Love (Aug. 2012) Always and Forever (Jan. 2013) Yours Forever (Mar. 2014) Forever’s Promise (Apr. 2014) Forever With You (Feb. 2015) Stay With Me Forever (Aug. 2015) Moments in Maplesville A Perfect Holiday Fling (Nov. 2012) A Little Bit Naughty (Mar. 2013) Just A Little Taste (Jan. 2014) I Dare You! (Nov. 2014) All You Can Handle (June 2015) Any Way You Want It (Feb. 2016) Any Time You Need Me (June 2016) Standalones In Her Wildest Dreams (Jan. 2012) The Rebound Guy (July 2012) Delectable Desire (Apr. 2013) Runaway Attraction (Nov. 2013) A Mistletoe Affari (Nov. 2014) Passion’s Song (Feb. 2016) Mr. Right Next Door (Sept. 2016) Anthologies A Change of Heart (The Holiday Inn Anthology – Sept. 2008) No Ordinary Gift (Holiday Brides Anthology – Oct. 2009) Holiday Spice (Holiday Temptation Anthology – Sept. 2016) Christmas Kisses (Reissue–Contains Tuscan Nights and Second-Chance Christmas previously published by Harlequin Kimani

Why we love it: Farrah packs a lot of information into that first paragraph, elegantly describing the awards she’s received and has been nominated for. We also love how she makes it easy for readers to find her on whichever social media platform they prefer and to discover which book to start with for each series.

5. Angie Fox

New York Times bestselling author Angie Fox writes sweet, fun, action-packed mysteries. Her characters are clever and fearless, but in real life, Angie is afraid of basements, bees, and going up stairs when it is dark behind her. Let’s face it. Angie wouldn’t last five minutes in one of her books. Angie is best known for her Southern Ghost Hunter mysteries and for her Accidental Demon Slayer books. Visit her at www.angiefox.com

Why we love it: We love how Angie distinguishes herself from her characters, making herself relatable to readers. She also mentions her bestseller status and best-known works in a humble way.

6. Tiffany D. Jackson

Tiffany D. Jackson is the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly , Monday’s Not Coming , and Let Me Hear a Rhyme . A Walter Dean Myers Honor Book and Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, she received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University, earned her master of arts in media studies from the New School, and has over a decade in TV and film experience. The Brooklyn native still resides in the borough she loves. You can visit her at www.writeinbk.com .

Why we love it: This is an excellent example of a short, concise bio — a perfect snippet for journalists, bloggers, or event coordinators who need to grab Tiffany’s bio for their article or programming.

7. Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander is the New York Times Bestselling author of 32 books, including The Undefeated ; How to Read a Book ; Solo ; Swing ; Rebound , which was shortlisted for prestigious Carnegie Medal; and his Newbery medal-winning middle grade novel, The Crossover . He’s also the founding editor of Versify, an imprint that aims to Change the World One Word at a Time. Visit him at KwameAlexander.com

Why we love it: We adore how Kwame calls out his aim to “change the world one word at a time” along with a handful of his best-known books. Short and sweet!

8. Glynnis Campbell

For deals, steals, and new releases from Glynnis, click FOLLOW on this BookBub page! Glynnis Campbell is a USA Today bestselling author of over two dozen swashbuckling action-adventure historical romances, mostly set in Scotland, and a charter member of The Jewels of Historical Romance — 12 internationally beloved authors. She’s the wife of a rock star and the mother of two young adults, but she’s also been a ballerina, a typographer, a film composer, a piano player, a singer in an all-girl rock band, and a voice in those violent video games you won’t let your kids play. Doing her best writing on cruise ships, in Scottish castles, on her husband’s tour bus, and at home in her sunny southern California garden, Glynnis loves to play medieval matchmaker… transporting readers to a place where the bold heroes have endearing flaws, the women are stronger than they look, the land is lush and untamed, and chivalry is alive and well! Want a FREE BOOK? Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.glynnis.net Tag along on her latest adventures here: Website: https://www.glynnis.net Facebook: bit.ly/GCReadersClan Goodreads: bit.ly/GlynnisGoodreads Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/GlynnisCampbell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GlynnisCampbell Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/GlynnisCampbell BOOK LIST: The Warrior Maids of Rivenloch: THE SHIPWRECK A YULETIDE KISS LADY DANGER CAPTIVE HEART KNIGHT’S PRIZE The Warrior Daughters of Rivenloch: THE STORMING A RIVENLOCH CHRISTMAS BRIDE OF FIRE BRIDE OF ICE BRIDE OF MIST The Knights of de Ware: THE HANDFASTING MY CHAMPION MY WARRIOR MY HERO Medieval Outlaws: THE REIVER DANGER’S KISS PASSION’S EXILE DESIRE’S RANSOM Scottish Lasses: THE OUTCAST MacFARLAND’S LASS MacADAM’S LASS MacKENZIE’S LASS California Legends: THE STOWAWAY NATIVE GOLD NATIVE WOLF NATIVE HAWK

Why we love it: Like other authors, Glynnis leads with her bestseller status, but not before making sure readers know to follow her on BookBub! We like how her personality shines through in her all-caps calls to action and that she includes the characteristics of her books in a fun way so readers will know what to expect from her work.

9. Laurelin Paige

Laurelin Paige is the NY Times , Wall Street Journal , and USA Today bestselling author of the Fixed Trilogy . She’s a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching edgy black comedy on Netflix or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. You can connect with Laurelin on Facebook at facebook.com/LaurelinPaige or on twitter @laurelinpaige. You can also visit her website, laurelinpaige.com , to sign up for emails about new releases. Subscribers also receive a free book from a different bestselling author every month.

Why we love it: We love Laurelin’s bio because she lets her fun personality shine through! She also includes information about a monthly giveaway she runs through her mailing list, which is enticing and unique.

10. Mia Sosa

Mia Sosa is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic comedies. Her books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly , Kirkus Reviews , Booklist , and Library Journal , and have been praised by Cosmopolitan , The Washington Post , Buzzfeed , Entertainment Weekly , and more. Book Riot included her debut, Unbuttoning the CEO , in its list of 100 Must-Read Romantic Comedies, and Booklist recently called her “the new go-to author for fans of sassy and sexy contemporary romances.” A former First Amendment and media lawyer, Mia practiced for more than a decade before trading her suits for loungewear (okay, okay, they’re sweatpants). Now she strives to write fun and flirty stories about imperfect characters finding their perfect match. Mia lives in Maryland with her husband, their two daughters, and an adorable dog that rules them all. For more information about Mia and her books, visit www.miasosa.com .

Why we love it: This is such a well-constructed bio, with a paragraph for each (1) listing accolades and praise from trade reviews, (2) including a blurb about Mia’s overall author brand, (3) describing her previous work experience and how she became an author, and (4) sharing personal information and directing readers to where they could learn more.

11. Aiden Thomas

Aiden Thomas is a trans, Latinx, New York Times Bestselling Author with an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, OR. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by color. Their books include Cemetery Boys and Lost in the Never Woods .

Why we love it: A well-known advocate of diverse books, Aiden leads with their identity markers to connect right away with readers of similar identities. The rest of their concise bio fits information about their bestseller status, education, location, personality, and popular titles into just a few short sentences!

12. Wayne Stinnett

Wayne Stinnett is an American novelist and Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Between those careers, he’s worked as a deckhand, commercial fisherman, divemaster, taxi driver, construction manager, and over the road truck driver, among many other things. He now lives on a sea island, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, with his wife and youngest daughter. They also have three grown children, five grand children, three dogs and a whole flock of parakeets. Stinnett grew up in Melbourne, Florida and has also lived in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Cozumel, Mexico. His next dream is to one day visit and dive Cuba.

Why we love it: What better way to introduce an author of novels about travel, seafaring, and military adventures than to share his first-hand experiences! By weaving in relevant professional background and a glimpse of his home life by the sea, Wayne demonstrates deep knowledge of his subjects to his readers, as well as connecting with them on a personal level by describing his family and goals for the future.

13. June Hur

June Hur was born in South Korea and raised in Canada, except for the time when she moved back to Korea and attended high school there. She studied History and Literature at the University of Toronto. She began writing her debut novel after obsessing over books about Joseon Korea. When she’s not writing, she can be found wandering through nature or journaling at a coffee shop. June is the bestselling author of The Silence of Bones , The Forest of Stolen Girls , and The Red Palace , and currently lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.

Why we love it: We love how June includes her background and what inspired her writing. Sharing a story’s origins is a wonderful way to meaningfully connect with readers.

14. Claire Delacroix

Bestselling author Claire Delacroix published her first medieval romance in 1993. Since then, she has published over seventy romance novels and numerous novellas, including time travel romances, contemporary romances and paranormal romances. The Beauty , part of her successful Bride Quest series, was her first book to land on the New York Times list of bestselling books. Claire has written under the name Claire Cross and continues to write as Deborah Cooke as well as Claire Delacroix. Claire makes her home in Canada with her family, a large undisciplined garden and a growing number of incomplete knitting projects. Sign up for Claire’s monthly medieval romance newsletter at: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/622ca9849b7136a9e313df83 Visit Claire’s website to find out more about her books at http://delacroix.net

Why we love it: While Claire has an extensive backlist, she succinctly describes her publishing success and subgenres. She also includes all of her pen names so readers can easily find her, no matter which name they’re looking for.

15. Vanessa Riley

Vanessa Riley writes Historical Fiction and Historical Romance (Georgian, Regency, & Victorian) featuring hidden histories, dazzling multi-culture communities, and strong sisterhoods. She promises to pull heart strings, offer a few laughs, and share tidbits of tantalizing history. This Southern, Irish, Trini (West Indies) girl holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a MS in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned a BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. Yet, her love of history and lattes have overwhelmed her passion for math, leading to the publication of over 20+ titles. She loves writing on her southern porch with proper caffeine.

Why we love it: Vanessa launches into her bio by sharing the specific time periods she writes in, as well as the diverse characters and emotions her readers can look forward to, appealing directly to her ideal audience . She then shares a bit of personal info, leaving readers with an image of her in her element: writing on a porch while sipping tea.

16. April White

April White has been a film producer, private investigator, bouncer, teacher and screenwriter. She has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a shipwreck, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. She and her husband share their home in Southern California with two extraordinary boys and a lifetime collection of books. Her first novel, Marking Time , is the 2016 winner of the Library Journal Indie E-Book Award for YA Literature, and her contemporary romantic suspense, Code of Conduct , was a Next Generation Indie Award and RONE Award Finalist. All five books in the Immortal Descendants series are on the Amazon Top 100 lists in Time Travel Romance and Historical Fantasy. More information and her blog can be found at www.aprilwhitebooks.com .

Why we love it: April’s bio is short and sweet, but is packed with interesting information. She was a private investigator and survived a shipwreck? How can you not want to learn more about this author? She also elegantly includes her books’ status and subgenre in the last paragraph, along with a call-to-action for readers to learn more.

17. Julia Quinn

#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don’t read (or write) romance, and if you watch reruns of the game show The Weakest Link you might just catch her winning the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code. On December 25, 2020, Netflix premiered Bridgerton , based on her popular series of novels about the Bridgerton family. Find her on the web at www.juliaquinn.com .

Why we love it: Julia takes a unique approach, making her bio more voicey and focused on her interests. Yet she keeps it up to date, including her latest news in the last sentence (above the call-to-action).

18. Rick Mofina

USA Today bestselling author Rick Mofina is a former journalist who has interviewed murderers on death row, flown over L.A. with the LAPD and patrolled with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Arctic. He’s also reported from the Caribbean, Africa and Kuwait’s border with Iraq. His books have been published in nearly 30 countries, including an illegal translation produced in Iran. His work has been praised by James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Sandra Brown, James Rollins, Brad Thor, Nick Stone, David Morrell, Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Linwood Barclay, Peter Robinson, Håkan Nesser and Kay Hooper. The Crime Writers of Canada, The International Thriller Writers and The Private Eye Writers of America have listed his titles among the best in crime fiction. As a two-time winner of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award, a four-time Thriller Award finalist and a two-time Shamus Award finalist, the Library Journal calls him, “One of the best thriller writers in the business.” Join Rick Mofina’s newsletter from his website and receive a free eBook! You can also find Rick Mofina’s new exclusive serialized thriller, The Dying Light , by subscribing to Radish Fiction com For more information please visit www.rickmofina.com https://www.facebook.com/rickmofina or follow Rick on Twitter @Rick Mofina

Why we love it: Including Rick’s first-hand experiences as a journalist lends him credibility in his genres of Crime Fiction and Thrillers. He also includes a list of well-known authors who have praised his work, and these endorsements may encourage those authors’ fans to give Rick a try. The free ebook offer effectively sweetens the deal!

19. J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A Word on Words . She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker. With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, been optioned for television, and has been published in 28 countries. J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Why we love it: This is a great example of a concise bio suitable for use in any blog or publication. J.T. keeps to just the essential ingredients of a professional author bio: accolades, genres, experience, and a bit of what she’s up to today for a personal touch.

20. James S.A. Corey

James S.A. Corey is the pen name for a collaboration between Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. James is Daniel’s middle name, Corey is Ty’s middle name, and S.A. are Daniel’s daughter’s initials. James’ current project is a series of science fiction novels called The Expanse Series. They are also the authors of Honor Among Thieves: Star Wars (Empire and Rebellion).

Why we love it: We love co-author bios that reveal how the duo came up with their pseudonym as a fun fact for readers! We also like that the reminder of this bio simply points readers straight to their buzziest works.

Want to share this post? Here are ready-made tweets:

Click to tweet: If you’re writing your author bio, these examples are so helpful! #writetip #pubtip http://bit.ly/1OSBcDO

Click to tweet: Make sure to keep your author bio updated! Here are some great bio examples, PLUS a printable checklist of what to include and where to keep it up to date. #amwriting http://bit.ly/1OSBcDO

This post was originally published on October 15 2015 and has been updated with new examples and a PDF checklist!

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Home / Book Publishing / How to Write an Author Bio [With Examples and Templates]

How to Write an Author Bio [With Examples and Templates]

To write a great author bio, you need to know your target audience, cater to your genre, brag (but not too much), keep it brief, and call the reader to action.

When you’re self-publishing on Amazon , you need to put some serious thought into the author bio on your Amazon book page. Don’t haphazardly throw together some sentences and hit the publish button.

The author bio isn’t your most important tool. (The most essential tools are the book reviews , book cover , and synopsis/blurb .) But the author bio is another critical tool that you shouldn’t leave out.

Can I just leave my author bio out? No, you cannot just leave out your author bio, even if you wrote a short story or novella. It looks unprofessional, scares away potential readers, foregoes an opportunity to connect with your target audience, and leads to fewer book sales.

Plus, writing a good author bio doesn’t take that long.

If you’re not Grisham, or Godin, or Ferriss, or Fleming, very few people will buy a novel by you purely based on name recognition. So put a little work into your bio, and you won’t regret it.

Note: The Author Bio is just one of many parts of a book. I have a whole series of posts on the subject, and I highly recommend you check those out as well!

• What is an author bio?
• Examples of phenomenal author bios
• Tips on making a persuasive, engaging author bio
• How to add the bio to your book page
• An author bio template checklist

Table of contents

• What should an author's bio include?
• Is an author bio actually important?
• What’s your book about?
• Who are you writing for?
• 4 Writing Tips For Creating an Author Bio:
• Step 3: Add the Bio to Your Book Page
• Podcast Episode: The Perfect Picture For Your Author Bio
• 6 Examples of Phenomenal Author Bios
• Can you hire a freelancer to write your author bio?
• How to Write a Bio for Your Author Website
• Author Bio Template
• Where does your author bio go?
• How often should you update your “About the Author” page?

For clarification, on Amazon, there are 2 kinds of bio:

• The generic bio on your “ Author Page ”
• Separate bios for each of your books

The advice in this post is aimed at your bio on your individual book pages, although much of it will still be relevant to your main Author Page.

Why Should You Trust Me?

I've actually been writing and formatting books for a long time. Over 10 years so far, and counting.

But that's not the real reason, because there are plenty of authors who have lots of experience, but know next to nothing about the different parts of a book, or book formatting in general.

The real reason you should trust me is because I actually created my own formatting software that solved all my problems. I called it Atticus.

But this isn't meant to be a sales pitch. I just want to make sure it's clear that I know what I'm talking about. The amount of research that went into not only formatting my own books, but also creating a formatting software is huge.

I researched everything, which led me to learn all about every. single. part. of. a. book. And there were a lot more than I realized.

And of course, that includes the Author Bio.

So if all that makes sense, hopefully you'll come along with me as show you everything I've learned.

Also called “About the Author,” an author bio is:

• A paragraph about you as a writer
• Your credentials
• Your interests
• A call to action
• Other relevant information you want to share with your target audience

An author biography is your chance to connect with readers beyond just a byline.

Everyone needs a stellar front cover design, an attention-grabbing book title , and a sophisticated keyword strategy . But those book marketing musts simply draw users to see your book’s product page.

A good author bio (and book reviews and book description ) compels them to actually buy the book.

The author bio establishes you as the kind of writer whom your target market ought to read. It’s where you forge a connection with potential readers and get them to trust you. Readers should want to know what you have to say based on your author bio.

If you take the author bio seriously and get it right, you’ll sell more books.

You should include your name, relevant accomplishments, and a call to action in your author’s bio. Aim for a bio of 60-90 words in length.

If your book is humorous, inject humor. If your book is melodramatic, add a little melodrama. Tailor your bio to your genre, target audience, and the individual book it’s for.

If possible, include links to your website or social media , so people can find out more about you.

Include a picture when possible. This picture should be a professional headshot of you smiling or looking serious, depending on your genre. Do not skimp on the headshot. An unprofessional author headshot screams low-quality content.

Yes, a good author bio is actually important because:

• It builds credibility
• It affirms whether what you have to say is worth reading
• It tells your target audience that you have written a book for them
• Readers may relate to your personal story
• You will sell more books

“No one reads the author bio,” I hear you say. But you’re wrong. While not everyone cares about the author’s bio, some care a lot.

First of all, unless you’re a household name, you must build credibility with the reader. If a reader doesn’t think you’re credible, they will read your book with a cynical eye and judge every mistake they find. Or worse, they won’t buy your book in the first place.

Second of all, more than ever, consumers are buying books from writers they want to support. If someone learns more about and relates to the author, they are much more likely to buy.

Increase Your Book Marketing

See the Publisher Rocket effect, when you use the right keywords and categories to help get your book seen more on Amazon.

How to Write a Powerful Author Bio for Your Book

Here are 3 steps to write an awesome author bio (About the Author) and upload it onto Amazon:

• Figure out your genre and target audience
• Write the bio
• Add the bio to your book page

How do you write a bio for a first-time author? First-time authors might not be able to include any literary accomplishments, like other best-selling books and prestigious awards. But first-time writers can include relevant expertise that pertains to your book. Also, any author can inject personality and a call to action, no matter if this is their first book.

Step 1 : Figure Out Your Genre and Target Audience

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. Bios irrelevant to the book confuse potential readers.

While this may seem like obvious advice, a lot of irrelevant content finds its way into many author bios. Consider:

• If your nightmare-inducing horror novel contains a perky and cheerful author description about your love for puppies and former career as a glassblower, you forfeit an opportunity to connect readers with your writing.
• If your middle-grade comedy has an author bio that reads like a middle school textbook , your audience may be confused whether you’re able to write comedy.
• If your book is a contemporary romance novel with a middle-aged female protagonist, your author bio’s personality and content should relate to the right target audience.
• If you’re writing about tax-deduction strategies for real estate investors, your bio should present your expertise — why anyone should listen to you on the subject.
• If your book is a spiritual guide to personal growth, some life-affirming positivity will improve your bio.

You need to think about your target reader. Hopefully, you had a type of reader in mind when writing the book . You always need to know who would want to buy and read your book.

Figure out your target reader, then write your author bio for that person.

For non-fiction authors, your ideal reader probably wants to read your credentials, your life experience, and what qualifies you to speak on a particular topic.

For fiction writers, your ideal reader may be looking for a unique, exciting personality to come out through the bio. You may briefly include credibility-building credentials, such as if you earned an MFA in Creative Writing.

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. Check out this guide on how to create a customer avatar.

Don’t add information “just in case” a different kind of reader might appreciate it. You end up with a behemoth of a bio that no one reads because it’s too daunting and unfocused.

Step 2 : Write the Bio

Now you need to write the actual words of the bio. Stick to this checklist on how to write an author bio:

• Begin with a punchy, impactful first sentence.
• Introduce your area of expertise or your unique personality, depending on the genre.
• Build credibility without overly bragging.
• Add a personal touch, such as a relatable profession or quirky hobby.
• Finish on a call to action (check out the new book, follow you on social media, etc.).

While you’re writing, always ask yourself, “Is this relevant to my reader?”

Most readers won’t care where you were born (unless it’s a book about where you live), what high school you went to, or that you always wanted to become a full-time writer.

This isn’t to say that your bio should be impersonal. On the contrary! This is your opportunity to make readers feel like they know you. Your personality and/or expertise should make them want to read what you wrote.

• Write in the third person. “About the author” demands the third person. While it may feel a bit weird to write “he” or “she” rather than “I” in the first person, there’s one significant benefit: Your relevant accomplishments and accolades will sound far less boastful.
• Don’t brag too much . Don't go overboard showing off because everyone knows you wrote it. Even if the author bio is in the third person, state your achievements, but don’t become a braggart. Sprinkle in a bit of humility and modesty as well.
• Keep your author bio short. The faster they can read about you, the faster they can buy your book. Aim for 60-90 words and don’t go above 150. It takes effort and practice to distill everything into such a short space. Once you’ve nailed it, you can fit a great deal of personality and information into those 60-90 words.
• Use the bio like a business card . Give readers a way to interact with you by adding your website or social media info. At the very least, they’ll be able to find out more about you and explore your other works. Adding this info at the end is the most common call to action in author bios.

Step 3 : Add the Bio to Your Book Page

You can add your author bio to your Amazon book page by visiting Amazon Author Central , select your book, and add it in the “About the Author” section.

You can add the “About the Author” page into your back matter for a physical book. On most word processors like Scrivener or Vellum, you should be able to generate the author bio into your print-ready file.

But one really annoying bit about adding an author bio to most books is that you have to copy and paste it for every book. This gets cumbersome when you have ten books and need to make one tiny change in each of them.

Unfortunately, most programs like Vellum and Scrivener do not have a way to do “templates” where you update a single Author Bio page, and it gets updated across all your books.

But Atticus can.

In Atticus you can save as a template and then reuse that template wherever you want. And the best part is, if you change the template, it will change it for all your books. Check it out!

Here are some real-life author bios from Amazon or on a back cover that combine most or all of the tips above:

Forgotten Legacy : Robin Perini, the Publisher’s Weekly and internationally bestselling author of Forgotten Secrets, is devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes adventures with a love story sure to melt their hearts. 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. By day, she’s an analyst for an advanced technology corporation, but in honor of her mother, Robin has become a passionate advocate for those who battle Alzheimer’s disease. She loves to hear from readers. Visit her web­site at www.robinperini.com.

[Length: 97 words]

D a mn Delicious Meal Prep: 115 Easy Recipes for Low-Calories, High-Energy Living : Chungah Rhee is the founder, recipe developer, and photographer of Damn Delicious. What began as a grad school hobby is now a top food blog, with millions of readers coming to her site for easy weeknight recipes and simplified gourmet meals. She lives and continues to cook non-stop in Los Angeles, with her corgi, Butters. Her first cookbook was published in 2016 by Oxmoor House. Visit her at damndelicious.net.

[Length: 70 words]

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. on multiple combat deployments. He is a graduate of the premier Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (SOTIC), among other military training courses, and has taught snipers and police sharpshooters from around the world. Ryan has a series of online instructional videos known for their ability to explain complex topics in a simple and digestible way. Ryan is currently a firearms industry professional and an attorney.”

[Length: 83 words]

Diary of a Farting Creeper: Why Does the Creeper Fart When He Should Explode? (Volume 1) : Who is Wimpy Fart? Wimpy Fart loves Minecraft and writes awesome Minecraft books for YOU because you are the best Minecraft fans in the world. You can email Wimpy Fart to tell him about your favorite Minecraft books, or to talk about really loud farts. [email protected] Oh – Wimpy Fart reads all your awesome Amazon reviews and likes to know what you want to read about in Minecraft books!

[Length: 68 words]

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. Penn. She’s a podcaster and an award-winning creative entrepreneur. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer's Digest.

[Length: 49 words]

John Scalzi writes books, which, considering where you’re reading this, makes perfect sense. He’s best known for writing science fiction, including the New York Times bestseller Redshirts, which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. He also writes non-fiction, on subjects ranging from personal finance to astronomy to film, was the Creative Consultant for the Stargate: Universe television series. He enjoys pie, as should all right thinking people. You can get to his blog by typing the word “Whatever” into Google. No, seriously, try it.

[Length: 85 words]

If you're looking for author bio perfection, Scalzi’s is as close as you're gonna find. His bio lends himself credibility, demonstrates his personality, and has one of the most unique calls to action you'll ever read. How many of you actually googled “whatever” just now?

Yes, you can hire a freelance writer or a ghostwriter to write your author bio to make sure it’s as amazing as it should be. Their creative writing know-how can produce a bio worthy of a good read and help you better connect with your audience if you’re having a hard time with the bio.

Hopefully, because you’re a writer, you’re able to follow the steps in this article to create your own bio. But in many cases, writing about yourself is more challenging than writing any other prose. (No shame, I promise!)

To write an author bio for your website, follow these 8 tips and tricks:

• Determine what your book’s about, and tailor your bio to compliment the style and tone.
• Determine your target audience, and tailor your bio to attract those specific readers.
• Begin your bio with a punchy first sentence.
• Build credibility by demonstrating your accomplishments, but don’t brag too much.
• Add links to relevant interviews (on NPR or PBS, for example), news articles (ever been featured in The Wall Street Journal ?), and Amazon sales pages.
• Finish with a call to action — perhaps a link to your sales page.
• Make sure your word count is 60-90 words.
• When you review it, take out all irrelevant words. Will your target audience care about each word? If not, take that word out.

On an author’s website , you can go into more detail, list more important works or achievements, and link to other pages on your website to find more info.

Also, an author website bio lends itself more to the first-person than a book page bio. Feel free to use first person or third person, as long as you stick to one or the other.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach, but the following checklist provides a structure you can use as an author bio template:

• Add a personal touch, such as a hobby or favorite TV show.
• Finish on a call to action (check out the new book, follow on social media, etc.).

If you browse bestselling author bios, you'll notice they tend to follow this sequence.

The content and tone you include in your author bio will depend on several factors:

• Content and tone of your book
• Genre (or multiple genres)
• Previous works
• Previous achievements
• Personal preference
• Medium (eBook only, literary magazine, etc.)

In a print book, your author bio should go in the back matter of your book or on the dust jacket sleeve.

You should also place an author bio on your website that goes into a little more detail than the bio in your book.

For an eBook on Amazon, your author bio goes below the suggested books. Here are the headings that appear before the “About the Author” section:

You should update your “About the Author” page or individual author bios any time something significant changes in your life or career, especially honors and awards or when your next book comes out.

Publish a new book? Update all your old bios.

Win an award? Update all your old bios.

Featured on a famous talk show? You may want to update all your old bios.

Going through a divorce or other major family issues? If you mention your spouse or now-estranged children in your bio, you may want to change that. (I know that’s dark, but it happens and is worth considering.)

Earn a prestigious honor or academic position? You know what you should do.

I’ll show you mine…

In summary, the steps in this post take you through everything you need when writing your own author bio. Refer to them when you start writing – and you’ll have an engaging author bio that should easily sell more books.

My own author bio is listed just below for reference (and ridicule, if you like).

I don't have to tell you, I'm pretty much a techy goofball. Hopefully, my bio does a great job of conveying just that. Using humor and an upbeat tone, I want to let Kindlepreneur readers know exactly who I am as a content writer in 34 words.

Special thanks to John Scalzi for inspiring me to write this specific type of bio.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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67 thoughts on “ How to Write an Author Bio [With Examples and Templates] ”

After one year locked at home because of COVID-19, I decided to have as much fun as I had when teaching at school. That’s how “A Modern Superhero” was born. I enjoy good food, that’s why I need to do some exercise. By the way, run to my social media for some free perks.

Should I or should I not say what my day job is? Yes it has and no it hasn’t to do with my books. As I am an architect, I have well-structured novels! Lol. But is that boring? As I am not a van driver or pizza delivery girl, why would it interest anyone. I don’t know what’s boring anymore. Please help! Thanks.

Depending on your niche or subject, not sure. I’ll guess that you’re writing some sort of fiction. If that is the case, a mention of something that is important to you is fine, but don’t drag it on and focus on it. If you’ve used levity in your writing, then you can say something like “Architect by day, crime novelist by night.”

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Last updated on Feb 24, 2022

How to Write a Killer Author Bio (With Template)

An author bio is a brief passage, usually about a paragraph , that introduces an author and sums up their work, 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 an unassuming but valuable piece of copy. Done well, an author bio can give you credibility and introduce your readers to your other works. 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.” 

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

1. Start with the facts readers need to know

2. open up with relevant biographical details, 3. wow them with your credentials, 4. finish it off with a personal touch.

Start your bio with an opening byline that quickly summarizes your profile, plus your most recent release. In a world full of skimmers, some readers may not get past the first couple of lines of your bio, so it’s important to frontload the essentials. 

For instance, a byline might read:

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

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

If your work has won any prestigious awards or earned bestseller status, make sure to mention that here, too.

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

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Example: An attention grabbing intro

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

If you’re stuck for words, you can use his bio, and other great “ About the Author ” examples for inspiration. 

RESOURCE: Your free author bio template

FREE RESOURCE

Grab our Author Bio Template

Use this to write an awesome “about me” in less than 5 minutes.

Your author bio is, naturally, a chance for you to introduce yourself, but it’s also an opportunity for you to introduce readers to your body of work, and share a little about your writing history. If you have other titles that you’ve released previously, now’s the time to mention them.

You may also 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 the local paper, Jane has a uniquely wry voice that shines through in her newest collection of essays, which explore the importance we place on legacy.

A professionally trained electrician, Jane has spent the last decade reading and writing romance novels giving her characters a palpable spark! Her latest work 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 it checks off all of the boxes.

Let us grade your author bio

Find out if your author bio is a 10/10. Takes one minute.

Top Tip: Write in the third person

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

Example: An author’s lived experience

One great example of a bio that shares biographical details is author Niyati Tamaskar , whose memoir Unafraid draws on her own experiences of cancer and the cultural baggage surrounding it. You can learn more about Niyati and her publishing story here .

Niyati Tamaskar is a mother, engineer, entrepreneur, public speaker, and author. She speaks on issues of cultural bias, the stigma of cancer, and more. Her speaking and media appearances include her signature TEDx talk, a cover and feature spread in Columbus magazine on her journey and message of destigmatizing cancer, and a video created by Breastcancer.org on “How Niyati Tamaskar Overcame Cultural Cancer Stigma to Become an Advocate”—aimed at highlighting the minority experience while facing cancer.

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

That being said, it’s not a good idea to start listing every softball trophy you won in middle school. Only stick to credentials that directly relate to the content of your book. According to Rachel, “Qualifications can include writing courses, college degrees, awards, bestseller lists, and accolades or, for fiction authors, even a lifetime of interest.” Here are a few of her examples:

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

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

Jane has traveled extensively around Eastern Europe, learning about the history of the region and walking the paths of her characters.

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

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

For example:

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

How to Build an Amazing Author Blog

10 lessons to help you start your blog and boost your book sales.

Example: Amanda Ripley’s expert qualifications

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

Top tip: Keep it short

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

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

Author bios are not a place for you to delve into a lengthy explanation of your history. However, you also don’t want your bio to be devoid of any personality. Adding a bit of color to your bio helps readers imagine who you are. Plus, if they can relate to you, it might be an extra push for them to buy your book. 

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

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

“New-York based psychologist, Jane Doe…”

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.”

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 it show in your bio.” For example:

Jane hopes to write her next novel soon, if she can 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, and that book will more likely than not be a psychological thriller. Writing a novel was always on her bucket list, and eventually, with Until I Met Her, it became a reality. After He Killed Me is the second and final book in her Emma Fern Series. When not absorbed in the latest gripping page-turner, Natalie loves cooking, knits very badly, enjoys riding her Vespa around town, and otherwise spends far too much time at the computer. She lives in Australia, with her husband and extended family.

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

And if you’re looking for more inspiration on how to build your online presence, check out more examples of the “ About the Author ” section or our course on how to build an author mailing list:

How to Build Your Author Mailing List

Learn how to connect with your audience and sell more books with email.

8 responses

Diane says:

07/06/2018 – 09:10

Excellent post! I really liked the way explained each point with examples. Author can write a big book but broke into sweat when it comes to write a bio about themselves. Sometimes they also need paper writing help. It have to be short and interesting, not boring. In that case your article will help them to write a killer one.

Nancy Man says:

20/06/2018 – 00:10

This was super helpful -- thanks! Sticking to these four elements worked great for me. I've finally got a bio that I'm not rolling my eyes at. :)

Antigone Blackwell says:

08/12/2018 – 19:01

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. More examples with start up authors would be great.

India Government Schemes says:

12/03/2019 – 11:42

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.

Joe Robinson says:

08/05/2019 – 12:28

Very helpful article that has helped me write my author bio for my upcoming book "Move Your Marriage to Greatness" a Marriage Replenishment Work designed to help couple achieve extraordinary accomplishments that are uncommon in many marriages today. I appreciate you making this article available.

Jitender Sharma says:

10/09/2019 – 05:00

Thanks for your post

Mike aantonio says:

14/11/2019 – 10:06

After reading the bio. samples mentioned above. Is it really necessary to introduce the author as a third party. Can't we directly say " Hi I am a blogger from so and so ......."

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

15/11/2019 – 09:15

You can do... but it's not standard practice.

Comments are currently closed.

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Table of Contents

• Why Your Author Bio Is So Important

How To Write Your Author Bio

Template for author bio info.

• Author Bio Examples
• Your Bio Grows as You Grow

More Ways to Read

• Download a PDF

How To Write An About The Author (With Examples)

Don’t Have Time Right Now?

Unless you’re a household name author (Steven King, JK Rowling, Malcolm Gladwell), most people buying your book won’t know who you are.

So how will they learn about you?

And why is this even important?

That’s what this blog post will explain: how to properly write it, and why your author bio matters.

Why Your About The Author Is So Important

Even though very few authors think about it, and even fewer publishing guides talk about it, the “Author Bio” section impacts sales, reputation, book marketing and social media.

“Author reputation” is consistently cited as one of the main factors that influence a book buying decision. If you’re seen as an authority on your book topic, readers will buy your book and read it. One of the best ways to be seen as an authority is to have a great Author Bio.

For business the short bio can sometimes be more important than what’s actually in the book—the sad but true reality is that more people will read your author bio than your actual book.

It takes a long time to read a book, but it’s very easy to make a snap judgment based on a short paragraph, and most people do that.

This is doubly true for media and social media. Most people in media work very hard under tight deadlines and don’t have time to read long books or even pitch emails. But a good author bio cuts right to the point by saying: this is an important person I need to pay attention to.

Writing about yourself is a task that many even full time writers shy away from. Don’t make this mistake. A few simple steps can get an effective bio that will impress interested readers and help sell your book:

Step 1. Mention your credentials on your book subject:

It’s important to establish your credentials in your book’s topic area.

For example, if you’re writing a diet book, mention things like professional degrees, nutrition training or accomplishments, places you’ve worked, awards you’ve won, etc. Any credential that clearly signals your authority and credibility in your space works.

If you struggle with what to say about yourself, remember the idea is to make it clear why the reader should listen to you. What credential do you have–if any–that signals seriousness to the reader?

For some types of books and authors, this is harder to do. If there’s no clear way to signal direct authority or credentials—for example, you wrote a thriller or a romance novel—then don’t make up things or try to “invent” authority. Focus on the other parts of the author bio.

Step 2. Include achievements that build credibility or are interesting to the reader (without going overboard)

You’ll also want to include things you’ve accomplished in your life, especially if you don’t have direct credentials and authority in the book subject matter. This will help your audience understand why they should spend their time and money reading what you’ve got to say.

If you have something about you or your life that is unusual, even if it’s not totally relevant, you should still consider putting it in your bio.

For example, if you were a Rhodes Scholar, or you started a major national organization, or won a national championship in ping-pong—whatever. The point is to show the reader that you have done things that matter, even if they don’t matter to the book.

If you’re lacking on credentials or exciting things, you can always put in your passions and interests. Anything that you enjoy doing, writing about or consider a hobby, especially if they are relevant to the book topic.

That being said, do NOT ramble on and on about things that reader doesn’t care about. Put yourself in your readers shoes, and ask yourself, “Does this fact really matter to anyone but me?”

Step 3. Mention any books you’ve written, and your website (but don’t oversell them)

If you’ve written other books, especially on that subject, make sure to mention them. If you’re a bestselling author (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today or even Amazon) or won awards, even better.

If you’ve won multiple accolades and listing them all is becoming tedious, aim for brevity instead. Simply writing “John Smith is an award winning author whose works include …..” is more than enough to show your readers you know what you’re doing.

If you have an author website , an author page ( on Amazon or another 3rd party site) or anything else that helps promote your brand then you should make sure you include it at the bottom of your bio (assuming this meets your goals).

Again, you don’t want to brag here so just be humble and simply put something like “Find out more about John at www.johnsmithwriter.com”. It should be simple and have a clear call to action.

Step 4. Drop some relevant names, if they’re appropriate (without being crass)

Yes, name dropping can put off readers if it’s done wrong. But there’s a right way to do it.

For example, if you are relatively unknown, you can say something like, “The woman that Seth Godin called “the most important writer of our time” reveals to you the secrets of…” This way you are trading on Seth Godin’s reputation, and establishing your credentials at the same time (assuming he said this).

Also, if you’ve worked for or with very well-known people, name dropping is not seen as bad; it’s seen as an effective signal to the reader of your importance and ability. What matters is that there is a reason that you are using someone else’s name that makes sense, and is not just a gratuitous name drop.

Step 5. Keep short and interesting (without leaving anything important out)

While your readers are interested in finding out more about you, they don’t want to get bored, or listen to arrogant bragging about how great you are. If your bio is too long, or too full of overstated accomplishments and awards, it will turn your readers off and actually make you look less credible.

Typically, if you keep your word count around 100 words you’re ok. Anything longer than that means you’ve gone on too long about your accomplishments, your personal life or both. Cut it down to the most important things.

Step 6. Always Write in Third Person, Never First Person

Third person is “She is.” First person is “I am.” This is a small thing, but if you write in first person, it is a major sign of first-time amateurism.

This is a template to write your author bio. I’m not saying it’s the very best way to write an author bio, in fact, many of the best examples below do NOT fit this template. But, many people asked for an easy to follow template, and this is what we use with our authors.

• First sentence: “[Author] is [statement to establish credibility on this subject and / or authorship of previous books]”
• Second sentence(s): Statement(s) further establishing credibility or qualifications of author to write the book.
• Third sentence (optional): Historical “before that” information that is at least tangentially relevant to the book, or very compelling in another way.
• Fourth sentence: Endorsement of author’s credibility by others, awards, or some other social proof, if available.
• Fifth sentence: Tidbit of personal information or insight into life experience.
• Sixth sentence: Link to website or other resource (if relevant).

Here is how that looks in practice:

Will Leach is the founder of TriggerPoint Design, a leading behavior research and design consultancy specializing in using behavior economics and decision design to drive consumer decision making. He is a behavior design instructor at the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University and has more than twenty years of behavior insights experience working with Fortune 50 companies to solve their most important behavior challenges. Will is the only two-time winner of the EXPLOR Award for his work in behavior design and is known as America’s foremost authority in applying behavior science to marketing. Will lives in Dallas with his wife and family.

If You Can’t Write About Yourself, Have Friends Help You

People, especially writers, have a hard time writing about themselves. Often, the Author Bio is the most difficult part of the marketing process for an author to write effectively.

If you are unsure about whether your author bio seems either incomplete, or too arrogant, run it by a few friends for feedback.

For example, when I was doing my first bio, I made all the mistakes I outlined above. I eventually had to have my friend Nils Parker write my bio for me. It’s always easier for your friends to praise you and see the amazing things you do.

If you don’t have writer friends, then hire a freelance writer to help you. It won’t cost much, but their creative writing know how will pay big dividends for you.

Examples of Author Bios

I’m going to show you a lot of different bios. Some are the best author bios I’ve read, whereas some feel like they were written by cheap self-publishing companies. The point is to give you an idea of how many different authors did them, so you can find your own author bio writing style:

Example 1 – High Status And Short: Lynn Vincent

This bio is the perfect “less is more” for an author with a lot of credentials. When you have done what Lynn has done, you can just say it quickly and succinctly.

Lynn Vincent is the New York Times best-selling writer of Heaven Is for Real and Same Kind of Different As Me. The author or coauthor of ten books, Lynn has sold 12 million copies since 2006. She worked for eleven years as a writer and editor at the national news biweekly WORLD magazine and is a U.S. Navy veteran.

Example 2 – High Status But Undersells: Michael Lewis

Contrast this to Michael Lewis, who is a very well known author, but still leaves quite a bit out of his bio that would help many readers understand who he is and why they should care (even Michael Lewis is not famous enough to assume people know him).

Michael Lewis, the author of Boomerang, Liar’s Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball, The Blind Side, Panic, Home Game and The Big Short, among other works, lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Tabitha Soren, and their three children.

Example 3 – Bad Amanda Ripley

Many authors have different bios on different books (because they leave the bio writing to their publisher, which is a huge mistake). You can see the difference in the author Amanda Ripley.

Her bad bio is strangely both boring and overselling:

Amanda Ripley is a literary journalist whose stories on human behavior and public policy have appeared in Time, The Atlantic, and Slate and helped Time win two National Magazine Awards. To discuss her work, she has appeared on ABC, NBC, CNN, FOX News, and NPR. Ripley’s first book, The Unthinkable, was published in fifteen countries and turned into a PBS documentary.

Example 4 – Good Amanda Ripley

Contrast that to this good bio, where she comes off as much more of an authority—mainly because her other books are mentioned, as were her awards.

Amanda Ripley is an investigative journalist for Time, The Atlantic and other magazines. She is the author, most recently, of THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD—and How They Got That Way. Her first book, THE UNTHINKABLE: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes–and Why, was published in 15 countries and turned into a PBS documentary. Her work has helped Time win two National Magazine Awards.

Example 5 – Bad Doctor Bio: Dr. David Perlmutter

This is a long, uninterrupted string of hard to process things. Dr. Perlmutter is very qualified, but mentions everything (including medical school awards) which detracts from the overall effect.

David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM is a Board-Certified Neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition who received his M.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine where he won the research award. Dr. Perlmutter is a frequent lecturer at symposia sponsored by such medical institutions as Columbia University, the University of Arizona, Scripps Institute, and Harvard University. He has contributed extensively to the world medical literature with publications appearing in The Journal of Neurosurgery, The Southern Medical Journal, Journal of Applied Nutrition, and Archives of Neurology. He is the author of: The Better Brain Book and the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Grain Brain. He is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of nutritional influences in neurological disorders. Dr. Perlmutter has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated radio and television programs including 20/20, Larry King Live, CNN, Fox News, Fox and Friends, The Today Show, Oprah, Dr. Oz, and The CBS Early Show. In 2002 Dr. Perlmutter was the recipient of the Linus Pauling Award for his innovative approaches to neurological disorders and in addition was awarded the Denham Harmon Award for his pioneering work in the application of free radical science to clinical medicine. He is the recipient of the 2006 National Nutritional Foods Association Clinician of the Year Award. Dr. Perlmutter serves as Medical Advisor for The Dr. Oz Show.

Example 6 – Good Doctor Bio: Dr. Benjamin Carson

Contrast this to Dr. Carson, who focuses only on the credentials and status signifiers that the reader would care about and understand, like his specialties and companies he works for.

Dr. Benjamin Carson is a Professor of Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery, Oncology, and Pediatrics, and the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He is also the author of four bestselling books—Gifted Hands, Think Big, The Big Picture, and Take the Risk. He serves on the boards of the Kellogg Company, Costco, and the Academy of Achievement, among others, and is an Emeritus Fellow of the Yale Corporation.

He and his wife, Candy, co-founded the Carson Scholars Fund (www.carsonscholars.org), a 501(c)3 established to counteract America’s crisis in education by identifying and rewarding academic role models in the fourth through eleventh grades, regardless of race, creed, religion and socio-economic status, who also demonstrate humanitarian qualities. There are over 4800 scholars in forty-five states. Ben and Candy are the parents of three grown sons and reside in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Example 7 – Good Balance: Tim Ferriss

Tim does lean aggressively into the idea of listing all the cool things he’s done and noteworthy outlets that have talked about him, but still makes his bio interesting and relevant to the reader of his books:

Timothy Ferriss is a serial entrepreneur, #1 New York Times best- selling author, and angel investor/advisor (Facebook, Twitter, Evernote, Uber, and 20+ more). Best known for his rapid-learning techniques, Tim’s books — The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and The 4-Hour Chef — have been published in 30+ languages. The 4-Hour Workweek has spent seven years on The New York Times bestseller list.

Tim has been featured by more than 100 media outlets including The New York Times, The Economist, TIME, Forbes, Fortune, Outside, NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and CNN. He has guest lectured in entrepreneurship at Princeton University since 2003. His popular blog www.fourhourblog. com has 1M+ monthly readers, and his Twitter account @tferriss was selected by Mashable as one of only five “Must-Follow” accounts for entrepreneurs. Tim’s primetime TV show, The Tim Ferriss Experiment (www.upwave.com/tfx), teaches rapid-learning techniques for helping viewers to produce seemingly superhuman results in minimum time.

Example 8 – Out of Balance (Confusing & Overselling): Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl is similar to Tim, but runs several unrelated things together in a confusing way, and mentions things that no reader would ever care about (e.g., the director of a movie based on her book). This same bio could be 25% shorter and much stronger.

Cheryl Strayed is the author of #1 New York Times bestseller WILD, the New York Times bestseller TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, and the novel TORCH. WILD was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as her first selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. WILD won a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, an Indie Choice Award, an Oregon Book Award, a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, and a Midwest Booksellers Choice Award among others. The movie adaptation of WILD will be released by Fox Searchlight in December 2014. The film is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and stars Reese Witherspoon, with a screenplay by Nick Hornby. Strayed’s writing has appeared in THE BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS, the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post Magazine, Vogue, Salon, The Missouri Review, The Sun, Tin House, The Rumpus–where she wrote the popular “Dear Sugar” advice column–and elsewhere. Strayed was the guest editor of BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 2013 and has contributed to many anthologies. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages around the world. She holds an MFA in fiction writing from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their two children.

Remember: Your Bio Grows as You Grow

Treat your author’s bio as a living document. Just because you’ve written it once, doesn’t mean it’s finished. As you grow and change as a writer so should your bio, and the best part is that it’s easy to change a byline.

Also, remember that if you are writing for different genres or different topics that some of your accomplishments and past works will be more relevant to your readers than others. It’s a good idea to tweak your author bio for the next book you release.

Getting your author bio right is an important task. In fact, this small section is usually the ONLY source of information potential readers have about you (except maybe Google), and that’s why it is one of the most important pieces of marketing material you write for your book.

Take it seriously, get it right, and it will help you sell books.

The Scribe Crew

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How to write an author bio as a new writer

• Your author bio is your calling card. A strong author bio establishes your authority, introduces readers to your background, and convinces them to buy your book.
• An author bio is usually no longer than 100 words, so keep it short and simple. Include your location, relevant experience, and key themes in your work.
• Avoid common mistakes when writing your author bio. Write in the third person, keep it succinct, and don’t be afraid to brag about your achievements.

As a writer, your author bio is one of the most important passages you’ll ever write. A well-written bio can make or break the sale of your book - whether you’re pitching it to an agent, a publisher, or a reader. As a result, you need to know how to write an author bio, especially if you don’t have a whole lot of experience yet. You can also use our free AI author bio generator which can help you get started!

Author bios are typically no longer than 100 words - so every character counts. In this guide, we’ll answer some of the most commonly asked questions about author bios, helping you get a handle on this tricky but vital task. You’ll see lots of successful author bio examples in our 6-step process for writing an author bio as a new writer.

The importance of a good author bio

Your author bio is your calling card. Whether you’re self-publishing or heading down the traditional publishing route, readers and agents alike want to know about you and your background.  So it’s important to deliver the information in a way that makes them want to read your writing.

Some people will buy your book because they know you, or because you’ve been recommended to them. But most readers don’t seek out books by first-time novelists - so you should do everything you can to sell your book.

That’s where your author bio comes in. There are three key reasons why it’s so important to write a bio that stays with people:

• A strong author bio establishes your authority . If your book is about a young soldier enduring his first military tour, and you spent years serving in the army, readers will automatically give your book more credibility. If you’ve had short stories published in a range of publications, agents will have confidence there’s a market for your work. ‍
• Introduce potential readers to your background . Many people want to read books that offer a new perspective, so this is your chance to tell them who you are, and why they’ll be interested in what you have to say. Talk with pride about your culture, work history, and personal achievements. ‍
• Convince people to buy your book . Along with your book blurb and quotes from reviews, your author bio should persuade people to read your book. It’s not the place for a hard sell, but it should be persuasive and powerful enough to convince readers to choose your book.

Your bio is a cog in a much larger wheel. Readers will look at your book cover, reviews, price, and length as well as your author bio. So the more of these you can make compelling and convincing, the more likely it is that readers will choose your book.

What should an author bio include?

Since you only have 100 words to make an impression in your author bio and you need to stay on track. Here are the key components every author should include in their bio:

• Where you’re from and where you live. People connect with local authors, so be proud of your hometown and your adopted city (if they’re different).
• Relevant personal background information. This can be cultural, geographical, or personal. Include any information that’s relevant to your book and your story.
• The themes you love to write about. This helps readers make an informed decision about the books they buy, and helps you build a loyal readership when you deliver on your promise.
• Relevant qualifications or experience. This isn’t your CV, so don’t list everything. But if you’ve worked at magazines or publishing houses, this can validate you as an accomplished writer.
• Any awards you’ve won or publications you’ve been featured in. Authors with little or no experience may not have these (yet!), but if you do, your bio is a great place to feature them.

Before you start writing your author bio, make a list of everything you could include, using the above points as a guide. Not everything will make the cut, but it’s helpful to have this list to hand when you’re structuring and writing your author bio.

How to write an author bio for an agent

Now you know the purpose of your author bio, and what should be included, you can do what you do best - write it.

Before you start, here are some common mistakes new authors make:

• Writing in first person . An author bio written in the first person is less authoritative than a third person bio. Writing about yourself in the third person may feel strange at first, but this is the standard format, so follow this to the letter.
• Being too modest . A lot of writers are introverts, so boasting about their achievements doesn’t come naturally. But your author bio is going to be part of your sales pitch, so it needs to be convincing. Take off your humility hat and write with confidence.
• Writing too much . Inexperienced writers sometimes compensate for their lack of experience by writing more. This is usually a telltale sign that you’re lacking confidence, so keep your author bio concise.

6 steps to writing a killer author bio

Ready to write the perfect author bio? Let’s get started.

1. Write an introductory byline

The first line of your author bio is the first thing your readers will learn about you - so make it count. Start with important, relevant facts that agents and readers will care about most - including the name of your new book.

As an example, here is the author bio of debut novelist Paul Mendez:

Paul Mendez was born in Dudley. He began writing in 2002, and has contributed to the Times Literary Supplement and the Brixton Review Of Books. He lives in London, and Rainbow Milk is his first novel.

For new authors, personal information acts as a point of connection between you and a potential reader. The takeaway here is to make sure your readers know enough about your background to read on and find out more.

If you have any awards or previous publications, this is a great place to include them. But if you haven’t, don’t be disheartened. Your author bio will evolve as you publish more work, so don’t worry if you don’t have lots of publications or awards you can include at this stage.

2. Establish your authority

Now you’ve captured your readers’ attention in the opening line, it’s time to show them you’re the real deal.

The next couple of sentences should deliver a concise explanation of your credibility, both as an author and on the subject of your book. Remember, the reader is still deciding whether to buy your book - so you need to explain why they should listen to you.

If you’re a Nobel Prize winner, this part of the bio will write itself. For the rest of us, the obvious things to highlight are degrees, awards, and training. If you have a lot of experience, focus on the most relevant information. If there’s nothing spectacular you can list, focus on your experiences and education.

Kevin Kwan, author of the blockbuster book Crazy Rich Asians, uses a very simple author bio in his debut novel:

Kevin Kwan was born and raised in Singapore. He currently lives in Manhattan. Crazy Rich Asians is his first novel.

It doesn’t matter that Kwan didn’t have lots of accolades or publications at the time of publishing; the fact he grew up in Singapore establishes Kwan as an authority on the affluent Asian community.

3. Outline your themes and style

For new authors, it’s important to acknowledge and emphasise your credibility - but once you’ve done this, readers will also want to know what to expect from your novel.

This final section is where you’ll outline the themes and style of your writing. Is it funny? Sad? Political? Historical? Does it draw on themes of love, war, or vengeance? Telling the reader what kind of writing you specialise in can add power to your pitch, and help draw in readers who are looking for books in your specialist genre.

Prolific author Joanna Trollope’s author bio begins:

Author of eagerly awaited and sparklingly readable novels often centred around the domestic nuances and dilemmas of life in contemporary England, Joanna Trollope is also the author of several historical novels and of Britannia’s Daughters, a study of women in the British Empire. ‍

This sentence tells the reader what they can expect when they pick up one of Trollope’s books. She’s likely to connect with people who enjoy reading other similar material.

4. Make it relatable, unique and concise

Authority crops up again and again in author bios - but while your content should be authoritative, your tone should remain friendly and relatable.

Now you have an initial draft of your author bio, read back through it and check the tone. If it seems swaggering or unfriendly, adjust the tone of your author bio to be more personable and matter-of-fact.

Here’s an extract from Eva Ibbotson’s author bio, demonstrating her trademark charisma and relatability:

Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna, but when the Nazis came to power her family fled to England and she was sent to boarding school. She planned to become a physiologist, but hated doing experiments on animals, and was rescued from some fierce rabbits by her husband-to-be.

If you can pull it off, some wry humour is a great way to ingratiate yourself with potential readers - especially if your book falls in the comedy book genre . Experimenting with different ways to make your author bio unique will help you stand out in a reader’s (or publisher’s) mind.

This step is also an opportunity to make sure your author bio is the perfect length, and trim any unwieldy adverbs or overlong sentences.

Tip: Many authors use this space to add a link to their website or a Twitter handle. In this case, even if the reader doesn't end up buying your book, you’ll still get an opportunity to connect with them and hopefully cultivate a further relationship.

5. Let it rest

The last step in writing an author’s bio is editing. Like your story manuscript, the best writing is allowed to breathe before you go back over it to create the final draft. Ideally, this process should take at least a few days.

In the meantime, share your author bio with your friends, family, and fellow authors. If you’ve shared your work with other people before, you’ll know that not everyone will come back with invaluable professional feedback. Most will just say ‘nice’ or ‘looks good’.

But, ideally, you should get three kinds of feedback:

• Feedback from colleagues. Your colleagues might highlight other key professional achievements which should be included in your author bio.
• Feedback from your family. This will help you determine whether the message is clear enough, and help you gauge the tone of your writing.
• Feedback from fellow authors. Lots of other people have been through the torment of writing their own author bio. They may be able to share feedback they’ve had from editors and agents that could help you with your author bio.

Some feedback is more valuable than others, so don’t feel obliged to use the feedback you receive if you don’t feel it will add value to your bio. As long as you include all the relevant information, establish yourself as a credible author, and maintain a professional, friendly tone, you’re on the right track.

6. Keep your bio up-to-date

Don’t rely on a dusty old bio that’s no longer fit for purpose. Your author bio should evolve over time as you publish more work, get more experience, and earn more accolades.

Each time you submit your author bio, use this checklist to make sure it’s up-to-date:

• Is it in the right format? Tweak your bio so it follows the guidelines set out by the publisher or agent.
• Does it contain the right information for this audience? Like a CV, check your bio is tailored for the publication or audience who’ll be reading it. ‍
• Does it include your most recent work? Check your author bio contains all the most relevant and recent information.

Where does the author bio go in a book?

Different publishers have different approaches to where they print the author bio. For hardback books, the bio is often found on the dust jacket at the end of the book. Paperbacks, meanwhile, usually include the author bio at the front of the book, before the publishing information. Occasionally, the author bio can be found on the back page of a paperback, or after the publishing information and before the introduction.

For more inspiration, check out the Penguin Random House authors page . You can see the bios of every author publishing with them.

If you’re self-publishing, or your book will be issued in ebook format, your author bio is likely to be a lot more visible. It often features on the product page for your book, as well as towards the front of the book itself. As a result, self-publishing authors need to write a particularly compelling bio.

There are no hard and fast rules about where your author bio should go, but by following these conventions, you’ll make it easy for potential readers to find and read your author bio before they buy.

Author bios are one of the most difficult things for many authors to write. Not only are there strict form and content rules, but you’re forced to go against human nature by boasting about your awards, experience, and accomplishments. 

But if you can write a great bio, it can separate you from the bunch, whether you’re self-publishing or pitching to agents.

For more useful resources on self-publishing and writing a novel, take a look at our author advice hub . Check out our guide on book chapters where we explain how long they should be and provide examples of popular books.

Advice from a published writer

Alex Fisher, " Seadogs and Criminals"

You don’t need to write much for an author bio. Keep it short and sweet, just enough so that the reader gets the idea of who you are and can imagine who it is that has created this story they’ve just followed. Just a vague location of where you live (a county or country), who you live with, your job, and a few hobbies will do.

Achievements and qualifications can also be added but these don’t matter too much. You don’t have to be qualified to be a great writer; you just need experience and passion.

Drop us a message, we'll be happy to help.

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From hobbyist to published author: A guide to self-publishing for non-professional writers

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You need to create a brief and compelling author bio for use on your website, book jacket, and press releases. But do you know how to write an author bio? We take a look at the key elements of an interesting bio (and which details should be omitted).

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Updated April 2022.

Your book is riveting, but your author bio is a snooze.

If you’re afraid the above sentence describes you, well, don’t be too hard on yourself; plenty of brilliant authors freeze up when it comes to writing about themselves in sound bites. They’re more comfortable creating lush fictions, not highlighting their own career achievements and personal anecdotes in (as Morpheus from The Matrix says) “the desert of the real.”

Table of Contents: 1. Keep your bio short 2. Write in the third person 3. A little history goes a long way 4. Your older books may not matter 5. List SOME of your literary achievements 6. Mention the most relevant professional, educational, travel, or personal experiences 7. Get some outside perspective 8. Write multiple bio versions 9. Don’t forget the human touch

Comfortable or not, you need to create a brief and compelling author bio for use on your website, book jacket, press releases, etc., so let’s take a closer look at the key elements of an interesting bio — while determining which details should be omitted.

1. Keep your bio short

Your author bio isn’t the place to tell your whole life story. 250 words is a good starting place . Once you’ve got that version firmed up, you can create a slightly longer version for PR purposes, or cut it down to 50 or 100 words for other uses such as contributor pages in a print publications, social media profiles, etc. Many poetry journals have asked me to send them a bio as short as 25 words, which is the same length as this very sentence.

2. Write in the third person

Telling your story in the third person may seem a little pretentious at first, but it does make it easier to talk confidently about your achievements. Give it a try.

3. A little history goes a long way

Ask yourself, “does anyone care where I’m from?”

If you’re writing a series of detective stories set in San Francisco and you were born and raised in the Bay Area, sure — that detail could be crucial to your bio. But if your book is a paranormal romance set in Russia, do we really need to know you were born in Iowa and now live in Maryland? (I’m guilty of this myself; just look at my author bio below!)

Mentioning your birthplace, your year of birth, your parents’ occupation, they’re just some of the default things we put in bios: Mary was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1953 .

We begin at the beginning by habit. Boring! Cut to the good stuff that really matters to your audience. Maybe your parents’ occupations are crucial to your own story. Maybe a recent accident or current event sparked your latest creative effort. If so, try starting with that. Just be sure of its importance before taking up any extra words in what should be a succinct bio.

4. Your older books may not matter

Again, this isn’t a dictum, merely a consideration, but mentioning the books you’ve already published MIGHT be a waste of words.

Think about it: if you’re Stephen King, everyone already knows what you’ve written; if you’re a relatively unknown author, no one cares what you’ve written.

If you’re in the latter camp, the only thing that matters (other than your author name) is that the details of your life which you choose to include in your bio make the reader want to crack open your book.

5. List SOME of your literary achievements

It’s usually wise to mention any big literary prizes or awards you’ve won, plus the most impressive moments from your publication history. This sort of stuff establishes credibility.

If you’re a highly celebrated writer, no need to be exhaustive (and probably no need to read this article further, since I’m assuming your author bio is already killer).

One thing that is common in the poetry world is to mention where you currently teach, since many poets are also academics. While this does establish credibility, that detail is so ubiquitous in bios that it’s rendered somewhat meaningless. Plus, the way things are going in higher education, you might be adjunct-ing at a new school in a new city every 12 months anyway.

6. Mention the most relevant professional, educational, travel, or personal experiences

Once again, it’s about pulling in the details that will resonate with your readers and fit snugly with the topics you’re writing about. If you’re a crime novelist, your background as a NYC arson detective is going to interest people. If you’re a cancer survivor writing about healthy attitudes towards aging, mentioning your personal medical history is crucial. Writing a Mediterranean cookbook? Talk about how you spent a year going back and forth between Spain, France, Italy, and Greece.

7. Get some outside perspective

It’s tough to see your own life and career objectively. So ask your friends, family, potential readers, and fans what they consider to be the most important or interesting aspects of your life story. Get the advice of your editor, agent, or writing group. And be sure to take good notes on what they suggest!

8. Write multiple bio versions

I always recommend writing a few different versions of your bio. Pass them around and ask for feedback. Then combine the most compelling sections from each version to create an unbeatable Voltron of an author bio!

9. Don’t forget the human touch

Whether you write fiction, essays, self-help, or instruction manuals, you’re hoping to make a connection with your readers. Your bio is also a chance to make a connection, so be sure the thing doesn’t read like a Wikipedia entry. Give it some quirk and character. Make the vibe match your aesthetic. Light and chatty. Dark and brooding. Urbane, but with a weak spot for Wendy’s hamburgers. Remind us that you’re human.

What does your author bio look like? What difficulties did you have writing it? How has your author bio changed as you grow in your writing career? Let me know in the comments section below.

75 COMMENTS

Good words of wisdom. I am writing a children’s book so I will include my background of being a child psychologist.

A resume in a collection could (50/50 here, IMHO) be delivered in a third-person voice, as it then represents one in a list of others who are involved with [whatever]. It would be there at the behest of whomever is running the show and not the individual whose bio material we’re reading. gygulhjljk

Hi sir your blog is very important Their par very good & important for me

If you’re writing a series of detective stories set in San Francisco and you were born and raised in the Bay Area, sure — that detail could be crucial to your bio. But if your book is a paranormal romance set in Russia, do we really need to know you were born in Iowa and now live in Maryland? (I’m guilty of this myself)

Good advice Chris… However, the important question to ask yourself, before you commence writing a bio: “Why do you do, what you do?”… it is more important than – “Who you are?”. The Bio is also assisting potential readers to choose your work. To connect readers to your work, one needs to tell them why have I written that book?

Good advice Chris… However, the important question to ask yourself, before you commence writing a bio: “Why do you do, what you do?”… it is more important than – “Who you are?”. The Bio is also assisting potential readers to choose your work. To connect readers to your work, one needs to tell them as to why have I written that book?

https://freefirenews.in/

thanks for the information

Good advice Chris… However, the important question to ask yourself, before you commence writing a bio: “Why do you do, what you do?”… it is more important than – “Who you are?”. The Bio is also assisting potential readers to choose your work. To connect readers to your work, one needs to tell them as to why have I written that book? https://www.ffdataminer.in/

Thanks for sharing. I think the author bio should be short and informative.

This is a great piece of content on how to write an effective bio, which definitely helped me a lot. I made changes as soon as I read this.

Great content, but did you intend to have the story’s photo show someone smoking a pipe? Around the world people are working to stop young people from smoking and these outdated archetypes interfere with that process.

Excellent overview of bio does and don’ts.

Catch you later. Gotta go re-do my bio! Thanks for the tips!

Thank you for the suggestions. This is one of the hardest thing to write on blogs and proposals for me.

Candice http://Candice.yamnitz.us

[…] Popular BookBaby Posts How to legally quote song lyrics in your book 10 Tips For Creating Your First Children’s Picture Book My 20-Step Plan to Writing a Book: Part 1 (Steps 1-10) Nine Manuscript Editing Software Programs You Should Consider Things I Wish I Had Known Before Self-Publishing My Book How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers […]

This is a great post Chris, with some extremely valid points, I wanted to add a bio to my blog author page and this guide was spot on.

Regards…

I’m currently preparing my very first poetry submission. They are asking for a 50 word bio. I have absolutely no idea what to write so I went searching for suggestions. This article is great for people who are already published, but what does a person who is not put in their author bio? Because honestly, if I’d got that far I wouldn’t be needing to find out how to write an author bio.

Great article! I have given serious thought to having another writer to describe my trilogy.

I realize I can’t do everything

Thanks for information…nice post.

I found this article to be most enlightening. Thanks for taking the time to write share your advice.

This is what I wrote as a result:

Edmund Alyn Jones is a of course a novelist. He is also an award-winning playwright, and classically trained Shakespearean actor. He claims Detroit, Michigan as his hometown, and the lessons he learned therein as his “PhD in Perseverance.” Edmund is the proud ‘bonus dad’ of two strapping young men, and helped to create a third with his uber-talented (albeit messy) wife, Kennikki Jones-Jones. Edmund has performed in venues from Singapore to Denmark, and has even produced a stage play Off-Broadway in New York City. He has been a game show host, professional clown, retail assistant manager, and television spokesperson. As of the reading of this bio, who knows where he may be living. Edmund really likes video games.

such a great tips thank you so much

Very good information on Importance of Author Bio.

And we were not showing author bio till now, Did not know it needs that much.

By d way, This line is awesome – If you’re Stephen King, everyone already knows what you’ve written; if you’re a relatively unknown author, no one cares what you’ve written.

I always put “boulevardier, bon-viveur, ex-KGB assassin & liar. Only one of these is true.”

Chris, every author should read your “How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers” and understand what makes them unique, so that reader’s get a glimpse of a life’s accomplishments earned and what makes their works worth a reader’s time. Today, author’s need to be chief cook and bottle washers, becoming more than they should be. Writer’s should be writhing and leave all the marketing to the so called experts. Marketing is far from a perfect science, but when done right it sets that writer above the crowd. A short bio done right can connect reader and author together that would otherwise not exist.

1. per your request, below is my author bio.

Mark Glamack’s professional history includes director, animator, producer, and writer for family entertainment in the motion picture and television industries from Disney to Hanna Barbara, and most other animation studios: Nominated for an EMMY for the series “Life with Louie”; elected six terms as Governor for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; and as a patented inventor.

Then one day out of the blue, God appeared to Mark asking him to write “Littluns: And the Book of Darkness,” the most powerful experience of pure love he ever experienced, changing his life forever.

The awards won for “Littluns” include: two GOLD “Mom’s Choice Awards;” one for Fiction, and also for “Young Adult Books” in the category of Fantasy, Myths & Legends; the “Dove Award”, “The Indi Award”, and Honorable Mention at the New York Book Expo. You can read about the awards won, and reviews for “Littluns” at http://www.littlunsblog.com

Mark’s full bio can be found at http://www.littluns.net/pages/about.html?osCsid=781f1bb5d1b5f7544379b463 …

2. You also asked, “What difficulties did I have writing my bio?”

It wasn’t so much about being difficult, as it was trying to be thorough in 250 words, or less. That’s why I included the link to my full bio.

3. How has my author bio changed as I’ve grown in my writing career?

When I was on jury duty the Judge asked everyone to say a little about themselves. I asked him if he wanted the long or short version. After I gave the short version, and finished with his request, he called me a Renascence Man. I never thought of that before, but I guess he was right given all the diverse things I’ve done.

Although I’ve written scripts and other works, not in a million years would I have even considered becoming an author. Not that I wouldn’t be interested in becoming an author, but with seven projects developed over the last decade, I already had more on my plate than I could handle. Just goes to prove that when with God, all things become possible.

Now with sales to justify a sequel to “Littluns”, it looks like there will be more to my bio as an author than I had ever thought possible.

Give me the chance to tell a story any day. The requirement to write about me, not so much. I like to include an “Author’s Note” in the back of my historical fiction. But writing “About the Author” for a book or my websites always leaves me stressed. Thanks for the great suggestions – now to figure out how to put them to work, and hopefully reduce the stress at the same time.

I struggle with writing bios! Your article was just what I needed to polish mine. Thank you so much, Chris, for your wonderful suggestions!

Third person is good. It gets us past our self-consciousness. But first person brings us closer to our reader. So, start with third. And then edit to first when you think your book (or career) might benefit or when first might seem less artificial and liven this precious bio up a bit! Stick to third person when you contact seems like the type who prefers formality. Best, Carolyn Howard-Johnson

…And we thought it doesn’t matter. Added a perfect author bio now. :) Thanks

Thank you for this, I really needed this for my website!

Good article.

The point that is kind of insinuated but not said directly is this: your bio should help sell the book. Start there and some of the resulting sections become easier. 3rd person has more credibility than first person statements (the exception might be a memoir). Facts about you as an author that either lend credibility in writing on the topic or just plain make you an interesting person win over boring lists of other traits. For example, where you live only matters somewhat if that is that is a predominant element in the book or your market wants to read stories by local writers.

Sure, you can include statements in your bio just because they are important to you but put that inside the book. Use the published bio for the facts about yourself that qualify you as an expert, or tip people’s interest in you which tips them into reading the book.

I go for self-deprecating: I know just five languages, have edited just five orthopaedics books and just twelve engineering- and computer-related theses.

Such great advice here. Last one is so important–don’t forget the human touch. I infuse what I hope is some humor into mine. I’m going to check the rest of my bio and compare it to this list. Thanks!

Great Suggestions and will follow them!!!

Thanks for these tips! I just needed some of them for inspiration to create my own About page. Check it out here:

http://playingwriter.com/about/

What do you think? :) I tried to make it short, human, and funny.

Ok, well done.

[…] most books, the “about the author” blurb is a brief paragraph of roughly 250 words. How long do you think the “about the author” section of Great […]

Third person or first i think depends on the person writing it; but both can be done well. Always get someone to check it for you also, so it sounds natural and to the point – i believe this is most important.

Yeah, for me writing in third person is odd, I prefer telling the story about me from my own, not someone else.

Actually, it usually depends on an editor or publisher’s editorial policy. I hate writing third person bios but I have seldom been given the option. The one time I submitted without following the guidelines, I got it back with a “no, no” note.

Good advice Chris… However, the important question to ask yourself, before you commence writing a bio: “Why do you do, what you do?”… it is more important than – “Who you are?”. The Bio are also assisting potential readers to choose your work. To connect readers to your work, one needs to tell them as to why have I written that book?

As well the useful info, I really enjoyed the humor in your piece, Chris. There is such a deluge of advice about the right way to do things (such as write an author bio), that it’s very refreshing to have humor woven in! Thanks!

Also want to add that as I was tackling writing an “about the author” page for the back of my novel, I found myself really favoring first person as a way to connect more directly with those who had just read my 500+ page historical novel. (I wanted to say thank you–but didn’t.)

Catch you later. Gotta go re-do my bio! Thanks for the tips! :)

good information for how write their bio for blog’s. Thanks

[…] Chris Robley warns that a little bit of personal history goes a long way. […]

[…] Chris Robley warns that a little bit of personal history goes a long way. […]

[…] Chris Robley, with Book Baby blog: https://blog.bookbaby.com/2014/03/how-to-write-a-great-author-bio/ […]

[…] Are Essential For Authors Radio 101: Tips For Authors & Speakers Doing Radio Interviews How To Write A Great Author Bio That Will Connect With Readers Venn Zen: Authors, Be One With Your Audience Self-publishing Budget Advice From Miral Sattar […]

My current e-book is a character drama about three troubled women in an international modelling contest. With no promotion whatsoever, it went viral for a few months, downloaded 2000 times.

I cannot see any relationship between my life and my story. I am a man to begin with. My first success was as a headline hero racing bike in Mexico. My book about engineering won first prize in an international literary contest, got included in reading at high schools and universities, and got fan clubs at OxBridge, Harvard, and UBC, that I know of, as well as other awards. I got six years of school. Expelled five times for writing what the schools did not want to read. The second expulsion became a series in MACLEANS that sparked the interest in alternative schooling. Why would any woman wanting to read a story about competing women be interested in this CV?

Um, off the top of my head – If your female characters come across to your female readers as believable, you being a male author sets you apart. Many male authors create female characters who display behaviour more typical of men than of women. (For example: stress response – fight or flight, or tend and befriend?) Obviously, typical “male” and “female” behaviours show up only when we look at large groups of people; any given individual is most unlikely to be average or typical in everything in all situations. But if all your female characters display male-type behaviour on all fronts all the time, I’d be wondering if there was a new type of exogenous androgen leaching into the drinking water. Your racing bike background suggests that whether you were making bikes or racing bikes or both, you should have a good understanding of the nature of competition, of how to balance risk vs. reward, of when you get better results from cooperating than opposing, etc. – all principles that could apply to other competitive situations such as modelling contests. Getting expelled from school for writing that which your schools thought should not be written might say things about you that would make you interesting to a thoughtful reader – for example, was your being expelled related to characteristics such as being observant, analytic, accurate, not bound by political correctness, thinking outside the box, refusing to comply with directives you saw as stupid/dangerous, a tendency to relay unpopular messages impolitely (now that could make for fun reading), and/or . . . . ? As for engineering background/knowledge, it’s totally relevant if your target audience is female or male nerds and things like wardrobe engineering, social engineering, gaming theory, AI, neuroperceptual engineering, or any other kind of engineering is involved in your story. (As Wikipedia says, “Engineering is the application of mathematics and scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, innovate, design, build, maintain, research, and improve structures, machines, tools, systems, components, materials, processes, solutions, and organizations.” Any of that going on in your story?) In the spirit of full disclosure – I’m a female, motorcycle-riding, risk-averse science fiction reading mother of an engineer –

Dear Ms. Arsenault,

I am grateful for your thoughtful and well-considered response to my pique about authors’ bios. Although this is not the place for a conversation, I want to answer your points. My reply extends to 1000 words. I think this longer than the monitor will pass, so I am Sending merely one paragraph on the chance that a live monitor will think it will interest other story tellers who peruse these responses.

I have sensed that the average woman has better communication between the two sides of her brain than the average man; her senses are keener by resonance. All-together women are more likely to consider all sides of a conflict; manly men bulldoze through. Men see only what they look at; peripheral vision enables women to spot signals of intent like a martial artist. Women are implicit, men are explicit, like East and West; the East does by magic what the West does by engineering — any unknown technique looks like magic or woman’s intuition. Women lack muscle mass; they must avoid collisions like a bicycle. Women have one centre of gravity whereas men have two. The lagging upper centre causes the adolescent male swagger; actresses can’t imitate it in gender benders — they should weight their shoulder pads with 10 pounds. Women have an inner stability affording quick reflexes that surprise men. Women are oppressed; they get their way by learning to pretend submission, as do children and menials. Their act is mistaken for their nature. Girls manipulate male weakness; men hate them. Women use male power; men love them. Women are more supportive and intimate than men; isolated women suffer anxiety. Women have children and hormones that want children; responsibility handicaps women. Nothing would change the world so drastically as making men sick for a week of every month; no general would start a war he could not win in three weeks.

Men see women as children with boobs; women write their male characters paper thin. Romantic women do not realize that their hero’s dashing urbanity is supported on a sense of superiority like a Southern gentleman’s genuinely generous and kindly noblesse oblige is built on slavery; the highest virtue rises on the basest vice. That is what subtext is all about. Women should write male characters only when they feel that men hurt, too.

Many words to say women should write male characters unafraid to admit vulnerability. Sparks can fly when strong women connect with vulnerable men and only when both parties are aware of which head (big head or little head) is driving the action.

It looks like 1/4 of my reply to you got on. This is the rest.

A few trials proved my bio counterproductive. I was seated on stage as guest of honour behind Buckminster Fuller when he spoke here to a packed house of 3000. Bucky graduated from Harvard, I did not graduate from high school; culture clash makes me poison ivy in academe. Neither does my track record sell a character drama.

My first expulsion ended my public schooling. My photographic memory wrote exams without error. I was working a 40-hour week doing a man’s job and I lived on my earnings. I refused to be treated as a child. I was there to learn, not to be taught; pedagogues do not know the difference.

5 years later, I was designer-salesman and paid public speaker. My employer started training me to supervise the largest construction projects in the country; with little schooling, my employer led the local industry. That is how I learned the practical engineering that made my best-seller, reviewed in the NY TIMES.

I was expelled a second time for an assigned term essay telling Why Kids Quit School. I told it like it is. Submitted to the national magazine, that rejected essay inspired a series fomenting the popular interest in alternative schooling that swept the country in the ‘60s.

I was rejected again for writing a term narrative that was “too mature for a student.” The next year, it was performed as an audio opera starring Canada’s #2 actress of stage and big screen. My opera was mature; my school teachers were not.

My e-trilogy is an action crime mystery with song and dance scenes, an almost paranormal character drama in a tragicomedic road show about naive fish out of water. It is soap opera for the thinking woman.

The market returned its verdict on my essay, my opera, my best-seller, and my first novel went viral briefly. My stories can’t be sold, only discovered.

You question that a man can create female characters. I agree. And women write men skin thin. What do you think of STEEL MAGNOLIAS?

My main protag is a singleton raised as a son by her General Dad in an overprivileged home; I do not expect many readers to know such an unusual character better than me, so I have a wide margin for error. Most readers know a humble family like my second protag’s, a girl who wants it all; I am not a girl, not a sib, not popular, and I don’t want it all, so what do I know? I speak through the third character whom no reader will believe.

Fledgling story tellers are told to know everything about their characters. Detail is not character; motive creates character. Complex motives create complex characters. Circumstance creates motive; complex circumstance creates complex motives. Motive drives character. Character drives plot. A story is about somebody who wants something; ET wants to go home. Writing is blocked when motive is lacking.

Culture dichotomizes reality into subjective and objective, inner and outer, female and male, yin and yang. Women are supposed to live inside; a man with an inner life is disparaged as effeminate. My observer is blind; she can function only by bringing her outside inside. My characters are searching for their other halves —- which is basically what romantic fantasy is all about. Everybody believes the authorized fantasies; whole people are not believed in the demimonde of illusion. Whole people are paranormal.

In stories, people seek to find or escape from what is missing in their lives. My protags are are not proper women because their parents did not provide all their spirits need to be whole. They search for their whole selves throughout their stories. The whole self is the treasure in the cave guarded by the fearsome dragon, the pearl beyond price, the Kingdom.

Every morning, I read a couple dozen bios of my competition. I downloaded books by a couple dozen of the most interesting. Not a half-dozen held my interest; one is delightful. An awesome flair for words and expert knowledge do not construct a story. I should not read the bio before I read the book; likewise, no one should read mine.

For the curious and for readers who know, I wrote strategies and engineering into my story.

A veteran winner whose parents won’t let her lose, my main protag tells how to win. “Never lead. You will be exhausted. Stay behind the leader. All the trouble will be behind you, and you have only one to beat in the dash to the line. And never forget the one behind you.”

Leslie spun on the ball of her foot as she dropped her left knee, hands on the floor, to sweep her extended left foot behind Nikki’s advancing heel. The girl went down with a painful yelp as her legs split. Still turning, Leslie straightened both legs against oncoming Erin’s rearward thigh to roll the tall girl over her rising hips. “What are you?” Nell gasped. Ann sneered, “Aw, she’s just a cranky old gymnast showing off her floor routine.” Ann was Argo champ before entering the modelling contest.

Whether my protags are feminine depends on defining nature from culture. My main protag is a dancer; she tumbled her attackers with a dance routine. Is dance unfeminine? A woman who can’t defend herself is a child.

A motorcycle mama might appreciate the car chase when my character shows how they drive in a Bemidji blizzard, describing tach and traction, heel and toe, clutch and gear, and weight distribution for controlled skids; her big brother races stock. Don’t try it at home, girls.

I am driven to write only when nobody will listen to me about some pernicious, popular persuasion. The publishing industry is striving for popularity. I am not. I have a message. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest told a message. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold carried a message. 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 are warnings. 007 is popular. Harry Potter is popular. The Hunger Games isn’t even trivial.

Mea culpa for responding impulsively to Mr. Robley’s blog. There is no fault in his telling what readers expect of authors’ bios. My petty plaint at feeling left out served nobody’s interest. You made my day.

Served my interest. Thank you, Tom, who is not petty.

You are a good read and atypical. Hooray!

Great advice!

The only element I should except would be the speak-in-the-third-person one. Having read tons of resumes, knowing that a third-person voice is likely being written by the person whose name is on the resume makes him seem as if he’s trying to artificially elevate his stature by subtly suggesting someone else feels this way about him, too.

I think it’s not an ego trip to present one’s accomplishments with a personal thrust. It does, however, require a delicate touch to not appear overly self-effacing.

A resume in a collection could (50/50 here, IMHO) be delivered in a third-person voice, as it then represents one in a list of others who are involved with [whatever]. It would be there at the behest of whomever is running the show and not the individual whose bio material we’re reading.

As always, just IMHO, of course.

I very purposefully wrote my website in the first-person, because I wanted to brand myself as relatable and I thought that writing in the first-person was a very practical way to do that. My author bio seemed like it belonged somewhere else when it was the only page written in third-person; so I changed it. I do, however, keep an updated third-person copy of my bio in case it ever comes in handy some place else.

Worth considering.

Something else to consider for the short-short version of one’s author bio, the version which will accompany your author photo on the back of your next book: If the themes of your books differ significantly from each other, you may find it better to custom-design a separate bio for each book. For my novel “Bead of Sand,” in which Civil War reenactors figure largely, I mentioned my lengthy experience as a living history reenactor in my bio blurb, and my author photo showed me in uniform playing the fife. Neither this photo nor this bio blurb will be appropriate for the story I’m currently writing, which is completely unrelated.

I think we might call this kind of maintenance of author bios, adjusting the blurbs to suit their purpose, sort of “keeping it green” – live and lively.

During the Korean War, I was an assassin for the United States Government. 65 years later I cover three live missions in a full length account during that time. No one, from the top down, would ever admit to what my story covers.

[…] Secrets to Writing a Killer Author Bio How to Write a Great Author Bio That Will Connect with Readers Tips for Writing Your Author […]

Thanks for this awesome guidance chris Robley. I am a new author and was looking for this type of stuff.

I thought the achievements go from newest first, and oldest last. It that correct? Thank you so much!

Typically, yes, your most recent work/awards should go first, unless there are others in your history that make you more recognizable. If you have a bestseller in your catalog, or a prestigious award – you might want to lead with that info.

[…] Need help? Check out “How to write a great author bio.” […]

is it alright to use the phrase ‘is a poet and wordsmith’, in my author bio

Well, if space is limited, I think it’d be better to say those things while also pointing out something you’ve written. Like, “… is the author of …” That way you’re getting at the accomplishment AND the skill in the same sentence.

@ChrisRobley

If you guys are like me, and agree with Chris about ‘freezing up’, I highly recommend Odesk or Elance. Post the job and what you’re willing to pay. You’ll receive tons of replies, which you then need to sort through. I usually pay $25.00 for a 250 word write up.

Hire two or three writers to sum it up for you, then edit, or combine the best parts if need be.

Cheating? Sort of.

Guilty as charged.

Thanks for the suggestions. Will check ’em out.

Thanks BookBaby, all I want is a Book Review from someone who I know has already read my book. Having difficulty getting them to write one is not easy, especially the most successful in Business people I know. I will never buy a Review. You are welcome to read my book, it is Non-Fiction. After working with “Pearls in the Oyster” for 3 years, drilling and mounting the lovely Akoya pearls for the Customers, my passion for pearls had given me the incentive to write my first Edition of “Pearls of Creation A-Z of Pearls”. Marketing it was a pleasure as I did talks even to the ‘Pearl Society of Chicago’ at Eve Alfille’ Studio and Gallery. As my book was well received I gathered as much info on pearls as I could, even visiting 3 of the 7 Pearl Farms. One Freshwater pearl farm in Camden, Tennessee. Paspaley Pearling Co, with their perfect pearls in Australia and New Zealand with the Abalone mabe’, all came in to the 2nd Edition, with their contact details and lovely color pics. A comprehensive cross-referenced Dictionary and all came together like a puzzle.

[…] 10. How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers […]

[…] 9. Use your Author Bio to intrigue your readers. Time to tell the world about YOU. What is it about your own life experiences that will make your book worth reading? For some tips on what to include, check out our article “How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers.” […]

[…] How to Write a Great Author Bio on The BookBaby Blog [Free, Reading Time: 5 mins] This shorter guide covers all the absolute basics to keep in mind as your write your author bio. […]

[…] How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers – by @chrisrobley – Because writing bios is hard … and important […]

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How To Write An Author Bio (With Examples And Templates)

So you've written a book or started a blog and now need to craft an author bio to help readers get to know you. An author bio is one of the most important parts of establishing your writing platform, but it can also be one of the hardest to write. How do you condense your life's story and writing experience into a few short paragraphs? How do you make yourself sound accomplished yet approachable?

Don't worry, we've got you covered. In this article, we'll walk you through how to write an engaging author bio from scratch. We'll provide examples and templates to get you started, tips for choosing the right tone and perspective, and advice for including the key details that help connect you to your readers. By the end, you'll have all the tools you need to craft an author bio you can be proud to share. Writing about yourself doesn't have to be awkward or intimidating. With the right mindset and approach, you can make it fun and help your unique author voice shine through.

What Is an Author Bio and Why Is It Important?

An author bio is a short biography of yourself that accompanies your written work. Whether you're publishing a book, starting a blog, or pitching to media, an author bio helps establish your credibility and connect with your audience.

As an author, your bio is one of the first things people will read to get a sense of who you are. It should highlight your relevant experience, accomplishments, and qualifications in an authentic yet compelling way.

An author bio is an important part of your platform as a writer. It helps build credibility with your readers and establishes you as an authority in your niche. Keep your bio concise yet compelling, focusing on your most significant accomplishments and credentials. Use an authentic and friendly tone to connect with your audience on a personal level. Update your bio regularly to keep it current. With a strong author bio, you'll make a great first impression on anyone who reads your work.

Elements to Include in Your Author Bio

An author bio allows readers to quickly glimpse who you are and your background. The elements you include can help establish your credibility and connect with your audience. Here are some of the key things you’ll want to incorporate into your author bio:

1. Your name

Include your full name so readers know exactly who you are. You can also include any credentials or titles you may have. For example, “John Doe, Ph.D.”

2. A brief bio

Give readers a short 1-2 sentence bio summing up who you are and what you do. For example, “John Doe is a freelance writer and marketing consultant.” Keep this high level without too many details.

3. Your areas of expertise

Mention 1-3 areas you have expertise or experience in. For example, “John Doe specializes in content marketing, email marketing, and social media strategy.” This helps establish your credibility and lets readers know what topics you can knowledgeably write about.

4. A personal detail

Adding a personal detail or fun fact can help humanize you and connect with readers. But keep it light and avoid anything too controversial. For example, “When he's not writing, John enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time with his family.”

5. Social media links

If you have social media profiles related to your writing or area of expertise, include links to them in your bio. For example:

Twitter: @johndoe

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johndoe

An author bio is a key part of your online presence as a writer. Keep it concise yet compelling, highlight your experience and expertise, and make a personal connection with readers. Follow these tips and you'll be crafting an author bio that represents you well in no time!

How to Write an Author Bio in 5 Easy Steps

Writing an author bio is an important way to connect with your readers and build your credibility as a writer. Here are five easy steps to craft an engaging author bio:

Step #1 Choose a Style and Perspective

Decide if you want to write your bio in first or third person. First person (“I have been writing for 10 years”) tends to be more personal while third person (“John Doe has been writing for 10 years”) sounds more professional. Think about your audience and writing style to determine which perspective fits best.

Step #2 Share Some Background

Give the reader a sense of your background and qualifications. Mention your areas of expertise, degrees or certifications, and years of experience. Keep this high-level without too many specific details. For example, “Jane Doe has over 20 years of experience as a content writer and has developed expertise in health and wellness topics.”

Step #3 Discuss Your Writing

Talk about your writing experience, style, and any publications or accomplishments. For example, “John Doe has published over 200 articles on Medium covering a range of productivity and lifestyle topics. His writing is known for its simple yet engaging style and actionable advice.” You can also mention any awards or recognition you’ve received.

Step #4 Share Some Personal Interests (Optional)

Include some of your personal interests and pursuits to give readers a more well-rounded sense of who you are. For example, “When not writing, Jane enjoys yoga, cooking, and spending time with family.” This part of the bio is optional but helps to humanize you and build a personal connection with readers.

Step #5 Review and Refine

Read through your draft bio and look for any areas that could be improved. Get feedback from others as well. Refine and edit your bio to ensure the tone and content are aligned with your brand and goals. Keep your bio to 2-3 short paragraphs for the best results.

With these steps, you'll be able to craft an author bio that highlights your experience, expertise, and personality. Your bio is a key part of your online presence as an author, so take the time to get it right!

Dos and Don'ts for Your Author Bio

When crafting your author bio, there are a few dos and don'ts to keep in mind:

• Do keep it short and sweet. Your bio should be 3 to 4 sentences at most. Any longer and readers may lose interest. Stick to the essentials about your background and experience.
• Do focus on your credentials and qualifications. Mention any relevant degrees, certifications or areas of expertise that make you an authority on your subject matter. For example, “John Doe has a PhD in Psychology from Harvard University and over 10 years of experience as a practicing therapist.”
• Do include a fun fact. Adding an interesting personal detail helps to humanize you and build a connection with readers. For instance, “When he’s not writing, John enjoys hiking with his two dogs and learning to cook Indian cuisine.”
• Don’t exaggerate or misrepresent yourself. Be authentic and honest. Lying or stretching the truth will only damage your credibility and reputation in the long run.
• Don’t get too personal. While a fun fact is fine, avoid oversharing details about your family life, health issues, religious views or other topics that don’t relate directly to your work. Your bio should maintain a sense of professionalism.
• Don’t use clichés or meaningless adjectives. Phrases like “passion for writing” or “expert communicator” are overused and ineffective. Show your expertise through concrete facts and examples instead.

Author Bio Examples

Writing an engaging author bio can be challenging. Here are 10 examples to model your own after:

1. The Humble Expert

"John Smith has over 20 years of experience as a business consultant. He has helped over 500 companies improve efficiency and increase profits. Outside of work, John enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with family."

This bio highlights the author's experience and expertise while remaining humble and personable. The details about hobbies and family make him relatable.

2. The Aspiring Authority

"Jane Doe is the founder of ABC Company and an aspiring authority on leadership and management. She frequently blogs and speaks on topics like improving company culture, effective communication, and the habits of high-performance teams."

This bio establishes the author as an aspiring expert in her field who is actively working to build her authority through content creation and public speaking.

3. The Lifelong Learner

"Mike Johnson has been a lifelong learner and educator. He has degrees in Psychology, Education, and Leadership. Mike has spent over 15 years teaching personal development skills to students around the world. He writes to share the life lessons and wisdom gained from his diverse experiences, adventures, failures, and continued learning."

This bio highlights the author's passion for continuous self-improvement and sharing knowledge with others. The tone is inspiring and reflective.

4. The Relatable Role Model

"Sara Williams is a mother of three, marathon runner, and health coach. She knows firsthand the challenges of balancing family, fitness, and a career. Through her writing and coaching, Sara aims to motivate and inspire women to pursue their goals and dreams despite obstacles or setbacks."

This bio establishes the author as a relatable role model for readers by highlighting shared life experiences and values. The uplifting and empowering tone is appealing.

5. The Quirky Character

"When Jack isn't writing or daydreaming up his next story, he enjoys woodworking, stargazing, and birdwatching—though not usually at the same time. Jack lives with his wife, two kids, and an energetic border collie in the Pacific Northwest. He likes pizza, craft beer, and all things retro."

This playful bio gives readers a glimpse into the author's quirky personality and varied interests with personable details. The lighthearted and humorous tone creates an instant connection with readers.

6. The Multifaceted Creative

"Emily Clark is a true creative at heart, with a passion for photography, painting, and writing. Her artistic endeavors serve as a means of self-expression and allow her to explore the world through different mediums. Emily's work often captures the beauty of everyday life, showcasing the extraordinary in the ordinary."

This bio introduces Emily as a versatile artist who finds inspiration in various forms of creativity. Her ability to capture the essence of everyday moments and transform them into art is a testament to her unique perspective and talent.

7. The Globetrotting Explorer

"Alex Rodriguez is an avid traveler and adventurer, always seeking new experiences and connections around the globe. From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to diving in the Great Barrier Reef, Alex's wanderlust has taken him to breathtaking destinations. Through his writing, he shares captivating stories and insights gained from his journeys."

This bio showcases Alex as an intrepid explorer who embraces the thrill of discovering new cultures and landscapes. His travel experiences enrich his storytelling, offering readers a glimpse into the wonders of the world.

8. The Tech Guru

"Sarah Thompson is a tech enthusiast and expert, passionate about the latest advancements and their impact on society. With a background in computer science, Sarah has a deep understanding of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain. Through her writing, she simplifies complex concepts, making them accessible to readers of all backgrounds."

This bio positions Sarah as a knowledgeable authority in the ever-evolving world of technology. Her ability to bridge the gap between technical jargon and everyday readers makes her an invaluable resource for those seeking clarity in the digital age.

9. The Advocate for Change

"Michael Nguyen is a dedicated advocate for social justice and equality. Through his writing, he sheds light on pressing issues such as racial discrimination, gender inequality, and environmental sustainability. Michael's powerful words aim to inspire individuals to take action and create a more just and inclusive world."

This bio highlights Michael's commitment to raising awareness and driving positive change. His passion for justice resonates throughout his writing, empowering readers to become agents of transformation in their communities.

10. The Historical Storyteller

"Elizabeth Turner is a captivating historical storyteller, bringing the past to life with her vivid narratives and meticulous research. With a passion for uncovering forgotten tales and exploring different eras, Elizabeth transports readers to bygone worlds, immersing them in the rich tapestry of history."

This bio paints Elizabeth as a masterful weaver of stories, skillfully intertwining facts with imagination to create a mesmerizing journey through time. Her unwavering dedication to historical accuracy ensures that readers not only enjoy her narratives but also gain a deeper understanding of the past.

Author Bio Templates

Whether you're publishing a book or starting a blog, an author bio is an important way to connect with your readers and build your credibility as a writer. The good news is, author bios follow a pretty standard template you can use to craft your own.

Here are some examples to get you started:

Short Bio (50-100 words)

Use this for a quick intro on your blog, social media profiles, or the back of your book:

• [Your name] is a [your profession] and [other relevant info, e.g. award or accomplishment]. [He/She] lives in [location] with [his/her] [family member(s)]. [His/Her] [hobby or interest] include [activity 1], [activity 2], and [activity 3].

Medium Bio (100-150 words)

This provides a high-level overview of your background and credentials:

• [Your name] is a [your profession] and [other relevant info, e.g. award or accomplishment]. [He/She] has over [X] years of experience [in your field or relevant experience]. [His/Her] work has appeared in [publications or media outlets].
• Outside of work, [he/she] enjoys [hobby 1], [hobby 2], and [hobby 3]. [He/She] lives in [location] with [his/her] [family members]. [His/Her] latest [project or work] is [book title or blog name].

Longer Bio (200-500 words)

Use this on your website or in proposals to give readers a comprehensive sense of your experience and qualifications:

• [Your name] is a [your profession] and [other relevant info, e.g. award or accomplishment] with over [X] years of experience. [He/She] is passionate about [your work or area of expertise] because [reasons and motivations].
• [His/Her] work has appeared in [publications or media outlets]. [He/She] has written [X] books including [book title 1], [book title 2], and [book title 3]. [His/Her] latest [project or work] is [book title or blog name].
• Outside of work, [he/she] enjoys [hobby 1], [hobby 2], and [hobby 3]. [He/She] lives in [location] with [his/her] [family members].

Using these templates, you can craft an author bio that gives readers a well-rounded sense of who you are and builds your credibility.

Use Hypotenuse AI to Write Your First Author Bio

You've come this far, so why not take it all the way? Writing your author bio doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming. Using a tool like Hypotenuse AI can help make the process fast and painless.

Hypotenuse AI is designed specifically to help authors craft compelling author bios . All you have to do is provide some basic details about yourself and your writing, and the AI will generate a draft bio for you. You can then easily review and revise the draft to ensure it captures your unique voice and story. Give it a try and let artificial intelligence help craft your compelling author bio!

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8 Great Author Bio Examples, Analyzed

There’s some awkwardness in composing an author bio, whether you’re an established author or a debut novelist. Its purpose is to concisely share any relevant qualifications or accolades you have, and perhaps show some personality if you feel like it and it’s genre-appropriate. The bio isn’t likely to be the deciding factor when it comes to someone choosing to buy a copy of your book (though it certainly matters more in nonfiction than fiction, where some level of expertise is expected), but it’s very much worth taking the time to write one thoughtfully, even if drawing attention to yourself makes you uncomfortable.

Since there isn’t a single right way to write a great author bio, I've collected 8 case studies that showcase the range you can work within.

1. Ruth Ozeki

“Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest. She is the author of three novels: My Year of Meats, All Over Creation and A Tale for the Time Being, which was shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize and translated into 28 languages. She has also written a short memoir, The Face: A Time Code. She is affiliated with the Everyday Zen Foundation and lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she teaches creative writing at Smith College and is the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities.”

At this point in her career, Ozeki is a widely recognized writer, so her bio is less about ‘proving’ herself, and more about giving readers a sense of who she is and where her interests lie. She identifies as a filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest, which reflects some of her passions, and prepares readers for the heartwarming, thoughtful storytelling they can find in her work.

2. Jessica Andrews

“Jessica Andrews writes fiction. Her debut novel, Saltwater, was published in 2019 and won the Portico Prize in 2020 and her second novel, Milk Teeth, was published in 2022. She is a Contributing Editor for ELLE magazine and she writes for the Guardian, the Independent, BBC Radio 4 and Stylist, among others. She was nominated for the ELLE List in 2020 and shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction Futures in 2022. She co-runs literary and arts magazine, The Grapevine, and co-presents literary podcast, Tender Buttons. She is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at City University, London.”

Jessica Andrews is still at the start of a promising literary career, having very recently published two novels. The range of activities she lists in her bio show a writer who’s keeping busy, relevant in the media, and quickly gathering esteem in the literary community. Experience teaching creative writing is always a persuasive note to end on — if young writers are learning the ropes of the craft with your help, that’s something that will make your readers trust your work more.

3. Gretchen McCulloch

“Gretchen McCulloch is an internet linguist and the author of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language. She is the Resident Linguist at Wired and the co-creator of Lingthusiasm, a podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics. She lives in Montreal, but also on the internet.”

This nonfiction bio keeps it simple: the author is a linguist whose life is all about linguistics: it’s her job, as well as her hobby podcast. With the short but intriguing note at the end (“She lives in Montreal, but also on the internet.”) McCulloch succinctly hints at the playfulness and sense of humor that pervades her writing about linguistics, efficiently giving readers an idea of what her writing is like.

4. Bryan Washington

“Bryan Washington is a writer from Houston. His fiction and essays have appeared in, among other publications, the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, the BBC, Vulture and the Paris Review. He's also a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 winner, the recipient of an Ernest J. Gaines Award, a PEN/Robert W. Bingham prize finalist, a National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize finalist, the recipient of an O. Henry Award and the winner of the 2020 International Dylan Thomas Prize.”

This example shows how little showmanship is required when you’ve got enough accolades to pack your bio. Washington sticks to the facts, which speak for themselves. He’s been published in every writer’s dream publications , and won a series of jaw-dropping awards. There’s really no need for him to try and do anything else in this bio. He’s also writing literary fiction, the genre where prestige is most important, so this summary of his career is ready to impress any intrigued lit fic readers.

5. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

“Ayanna Lloyd Banwo is a writer from Trinidad & Tobago. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she is now a Creative and Critical Writing PhD candidate. Her work has been published in Moko Magazine, Small Axe and PREE, among others, and shortlisted for Small Axe Literary Competition and the Wasafiri New Writing Prize. When We Were Birds is her first novel; she is now working on her second. Ayanna lives with her husband in London.”

Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s bio opens by stating where she’s from, namely Trinidad and Tobago. This isn’t obligatory for all non-US or UK authors at all, but it often feels like an important thing to say if your cultural background is important to you or your work (I do it too). Beyond that, she mentions her education, showing her longtime engagement with literary work. This is a common thing to mention for young or debut authors who haven’t yet amassed award nominations, and in this case it clearly signals that Lloyd Banwo has a strong educational background, a growing publication record, and much promise for the future.

6. Rainbow Rowell

“Rainbow Rowell writes all kinds of stuff. Sometimes she writes about adults (ATTACHMENTS, LANDLINE). Sometimes she writes about teenagers (ELEANOR & PARK, FANGIRL). Sometimes — actually, a lot of the time — she writes about lovesick vampires and guys with dragon wings (THE SIMON SNOW TRILOGY). Recently, she's been writing comics, including her first graphic novel, PUMPKINHEADS, and the monthly SHE-HULK comic for Marvel. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska.”

It’s interesting to see how genre affects bios — in more commercial genres, there’s more room for authors to be informal and playful in the way they describe themselves. Here, Rainbow Rowell humorously summarizes her wide range of interests in a friendly, chatty way that appeals best to the readers of her work, be they adult readers of romance, teenage or young adult readers of YA romance or fantasy, or comic fans. She’s clearly keeping busy, and any reader of her bio knows to expect energetic, irreverent writing.

7. Elizabeth Lilly

“Elizabeth Lilly is an author-illustrator, animator, and graphic designer. Elizabeth was a reading, doodling daydreamer in high school, and, unsure of her path, went to architecture school at Virginia Tech for college. Elizabeth graduated from college in May of 2014. She now makes her stories in a little old house in the little old city of Baltimore, Maryland. Geraldine is her debut picture book.”

Speaking of playful genres, children’s books are definitely the part of the literary world where whimsical bios are most tolerated (and encouraged). Here, personality matters more than accolades, as Elizabeth Lilly’s bio shows. Lilly quickly paints a picture of her character: a reader, daydreamer, a human being finding her path. In other words, very much the imaginative and playful company you might like your child to be in, if you’re going to read a picture book together. The “little old house in the little old city of Baltimore” detail captures a sense of what her work for children will feel like: cute, warm, and welcoming.

8. Chris Power

“Chris Power is the author of A Lonely Man and Mothers, which was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. He lives in London.”

This example is a reminder that bios don’t need to be paragraph-long overtures to your personal accomplishments. If you feel more comfortable keeping your bio as short as possible, that’s absolutely fine — the only two ‘compulsory’ elements are any previously published books, and if you have them, at least one award nomination or win. That’s, essentially, what a bio boils down to: past publications and social validation. If taciturn is more your style, an author bio like Chris Power’s will do the job just fine.

This is a small sample, but on book jackets out there, you’ll find an even greater variety. For inspiration, look for bios in the same genre and career stage as you, but try not to obsess about bios if you can help it. It’s worthwhile trying to write one thoughtfully, but it’s not important enough to warrant an existential crisis!

Kleopatra Olympiou is a writer of literary fiction from Cyprus, and holds an MA in Creative Writing from Durham University. She’s previously written for Electric Literature, LitReactor, and Reedsy’s blog.

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Question: How do I write a great author bio for my book cover and website?

Your author biography or “About the Author” is your chance to let the reader know a little bit about you and any relevant information or credentials that support your ability to write the book they are considering purchasing. Think of it as your calling card.

It’s important to have several different versions of your biography including shorter versions for social media profiles or article mentions, and longer versions for your book’s cover, author website, author sales sheet, and more.

Key Elements of a Great Author Biography

Your author biography should accompany any mention of your work. It is a valuable tool in your book marketing kit that helps agents, publishers, media outlets, or potential readers get a sense of who you are and why your book will be a great read. New authors have the opportunity to introduce themselves, while more established authors have the opportunity to mention any accolades for previously published work.

Whether a debut or more experienced author, there are four main things you should try to accomplish with your author biography that will make it more effective:

1.  Establish your authority – share any credentials, areas of expertise, or awards that validate your ability to write on the topic or tell the story.

2.  Reveal your “why” – let readers know why you chose this topic or story, and why your perspective on it matters.

3.  Share something personal – are there interesting or relevant aspects of your background that might be intriguing to readers? Or, do you have hobbies or passions you want readers to know about? Sharing something personal allows readers to connect with you.

4.  Point to where they can find out more – if you have an online presence – and we highly recommend you do – include your author website address or a couple of your social media handles at the end. This important “call to action” will hopefully entice readers to learn more.

Some authors include information on where they grew up and where they currently live. You don’t have to share this type of personal information if you are not comfortable, but you could miss out on some local or regional opportunities if you don’t. For example, many media outlets like to support local authors and if you don’t include your location in your biography, you won’t show up in their research for potential interviews. Readers also love supporting local authors so you could miss out on some book sales as well.

If you’re writing under a pen name or pseudonym and wish to remain anonymous, don’t include any identifiable information in your biography. Instead, focus on establishing your authority as a writer and how your writer voice is unique.

Author biographies should always be written in 3rd person, which is the “he/she” voice. It can be strange to write about yourself in this way, so try drafting your biography in the 1st person “I” voice to start, and then convert it to 3rd when finalizing. When written in 3rd person, your author biography appears more professional and trustworthy.

Author Biography Tips for Nonfiction Authors

When writing in nonfiction categories such as business, how-to, self-help, or travel, it’s important to quickly establish why you are qualified to write on the topic. This can include relevant work or travel experience, degrees, or certifications. Readers want to know why they can trust the information or solutions you are presenting in your book. Here are some additional tips for nonfiction authors:         

•  Include any services you offer that are relevant to the topic. •   Mention any speaking experience if you are available to speak on the topic. •   Include a professional headshot when there is room. •   When writing memoir , it’s important to include any personal information that is relevant to the experience or life event about which you are writing.

Author Biography Tips for Fiction Authors

For fiction authors, you want to be clear about the genres and subgenres you write in and the themes about which you enjoy writing. Fiction readers tend to gravitate toward specific categories of books because they enjoy the elements, tropes, and themes that are present. Including this information in your biography helps readers make an informed decision about the books they buy, and enables you to build a loyal readership. Here are some additional tips for fiction authors:

•  The tone of your biography should complement the tone of your writing. If your books are humorous, for example, include some humor in your biography. •   Mention any accolades related to writing craft or bestseller status. •   Share any awards or nominations you’ve received , even for short work. •   If you’ve created a memorable author brand or have become known for a certain style of writing, be sure to include it. •   Share what inspires your writing or ideas if relevant.

The Benefits of Preparing Multiple Author Biographies

It’s important to prepare at least three versions of your author biography that address different media and marketing needs. You’ll want a short and snappy version that can be plugged into your social media profile or added to any articles you publish. This version should be around 50 words or less and typically includes a couple of sentences that focus on your writing credentials, what you write, and where readers can find out more about you. While this may not seem like many words, you can see below that it provides ample space to include the key elements:

Before you start writing your author biography, make a list of everything you can potentially include. As you draft and revise, focus on the most pertinent pieces of information and cut the rest. Along with your book description and quotes from reviews or testimonials, your author biography should be a quick read that entices readers to learn more and buy your book.

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How To Write a Successful Author Bio

Quick, look at your back cover. If there’s a big blank space there, you probably need to write your author bio.  This is not the time to be shy; your author biography, while only a few sentences long, can have a huge impact on the success of your book and you as an author.

This is your opportunity to share a little about yourself, why you write, what else you’ve written, and maybe a fun fact or two that will make a reader smile. Your bio is an important part of your author brand ; something that helps define you as an author for readers. And it plays a part in establishing accurate metadata that search engines and readers need to find you.

Consider Your Audience

What do your readers want to know? Keep your information relevant to the book’s subject and your audience.  If you’re writing children’s books, leave out the fact that you started your own tax firm at age 19, and vice versa; if your books are about preparing your own small-business taxes, don’t mention that your two Shih-tzus are named Jingles and Meriwether.

Elements to Include:

• Education. Where did you get your advanced degree(s)? If you don’t have a lot of other career or writing experience, name-dropping your university helps show qualification.
• Experience with the subject. Tell us how you became an expert, or how you’ve recently used your expertise.
• Previous publications/writing experience. Were you published in the New York Times? Fantastic! If this is your first book, you might mention it briefly, but only if you have room after all of your more important information. Otherwise, you can state what you are in vague terms: novelist, writer, poet, etc.
• Other ways to find you. Do you blog? Have a podcast? Write regular articles for a popular site? Include other ways for readers to find your work or contact you directly if you wish.
• Personal life. Decide how comfortable you and your family are with divulging personal information; naming your spouse, children, and pets is not necessary, takes up precious space in your bio, and won’t sell your book any better. Including your city (or the nearest major city) may help you connect with local readers.
• Your personality. If your book is of an appropriate subject matter, don’t be afraid to show your personality in your bio. What are your hobbies, your interests, your weird personality traits? If you’re a witty, clever person, your bio should reflect that.

Write Multiple Author Bios

One should be very short (~ 25 words) and contain the name of your most recent book, to use for article bylines, and one should be around 100 words for your book cover and website. Finally, be prepared to edit the bio for each publication you need it for. For example, you may not mention your obsession with designer shoes in your main author bio, but if you’re writing an article for a shopping magazine, those readers would find interest in your unhealthy Manolo Blahnik collection.

You can find a variety of templates and advice that dives into specifics based on your genre and audience around the web.

Finally, have a few honest friends and colleagues review your bio. Aside from being able to benefit from a final proofread, you may realize you left out an important factoid or gone on for too long about Jingles and Meriwether.

Author Bio Examples

Short: Maggie the Cat is the author of Don’t Scratch the Carpet and Other Advice to Ignore . She blogs at CatOnaColdTinRoof.wordpress.com. (20 words)

Medium: Maggie the Cat was adopted in 1996 and has since written volumes about domestic cat life. She is the founder and an annual keynote speaker of the Sleep in the Sunshine summit in Atlanta and hosts a variety of call-in internet radio shows about cat happiness, exercise, and interacting with human counterparts. Her other books include Bookshelves, Bathtubs, and Laundry Baskets: Hiding from Human Toddlers and Napping the Good Nap: How to Let Go of the Guilt and Enjoy Your “Me-ow” Time. She lives in Raleigh, NC, where she blogs at CatOnaColdTinRoof.wordpress.com and definitely does not scratch the carpet. (97 words)

Thanks for the Great stuff. I always follow your blog because of the type of information you provide.

Thanks you this helped me a lot!

Thank you for sharing this information.

Thank you so much! For a new author like me, this has been incredibly helpful.

thank you inspiring me to create author about me then

May I simply just say what a comfort to uncover an individual who actually knows what they’re discussing on the net. You certainly know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. A lot more people ought to check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you aren’t more popular because you certainly have the gift.

I don’t have an author bio on my work. I would much rather it speak for itself. I imagine this method hasn’t been too bad to me considering my book’s digital copy retails for $7.99 and has cracked the top 10,000 and continues to climb. I actually don’t have an author biography available anywhere because I don’t think who I am as a person should factor into how well my work is received.

Maggie the cat has an interesting bio. You did a great job of taking subject matter that is needed and relaying it through humor. Being veterinarians, and sometimes authors, we will keep a reference to Maggie’s bio as an example of how-to-do-it for our doctors

@drh – Thanks for the comment. Do you have animal-related books on Lulu? If so, feel free to share the link to your book here for other authors to reference.

Thanks for always sharing great information to help us writers along… GD

@GD – Thanks for always leaving such thoughtful comments for us, both here and on Facebook. We love your feedback.

Love the bio. Maggie the Cat sounds rather interesting. Thanks for the great tips. I think it’s time I revise my bio too.

@Capri – Thanks for the nice comment. Love, Maggie the Cat 🙂

A most interesting and informative article. Thank you for posting it.

Keep Reading

First Time Author Bio Writing Examples and Guidelines

by Gatekeeper Press | Jul 17, 2020 | Blog , Writing

You have sailed through your first manuscript, nailing each benchmark of the self-publishing formatting process while writing a truly captivating story. Suddenly, though, you hit stop when you arrive at that last step: writing your author bio.

Facing this final step in the writing process can leave a first-time author shuddering as they wonder, “How do I write an author bio with no experience in writing?”

Penning an unpublished author bio is not as difficult as it might initially appear. After all, an author has to start somewhere! Think about it—all great authors had to write their first book at some point, meaning they were faced with the same problem of how to write an author bio with no experience.

These great writers undoubtedly struggled to solve the dilemma, too, but managed to push through and establish amazing literary careers—as will you.

First Time Publishing? Here’s What to Include in Your Author Bio

Think of your author bio as an opportunity to connect with your readers, versus a staid resume outlining your professional accomplishments.

The author bio should cultivate a sense of relationship with prospective readers; to entice them just enough to buy your book. Even as a first-time author, you can craft an interesting synopsis, including who you are, what you write, and why someone should read your book.

When grappling with the challenge of writing your first author bio, it helps to know that there is a general format to follow. These guidelines can assist you in assembling the important aspects of your first author bio, providing the kinds of information about you that the reader will enjoy knowing.

Author bio guidelines include:

1. Keep it brief.

Instead of attempting to list every facet of your career or all your hobbies, it is always best to keep the bio under 300 words.

2. Use a third-person voice.

Author bios come across as more professional when using the third person point of view, versus the first person.

3. Start with a one-liner.

Write an interesting opening line that incorporates your name, your profession (generally relevant for non-fiction titles), and the title of your book.

4. Sell yourself.

An author’s bio is akin to an elevator pitch, an interesting summary of your life, and how it relates to the book you wrote. Everything mentioned should be relevant to the book’s theme. For example, if you are a pediatric psychotherapist by trade and have decided to write a non-fiction book about parenting, that connection will increase your credibility.

5. List achievements sparingly.

Noting your college alma mater and degree is fine, but resist the temptation to list every career achievement ever accomplished, as doing so may come across as somewhat boastful and unnecessary.

6. Include some personal tidbits.

Adding a few personal hobbies or interests helps the reader feel a sense of familiarity with the author. Be selective and include those interests that further complement the theme of the book or that target your reader persona.

7. Use a professional photo.

Include a high-quality photo that does not have a distracting background. An unprofessional headshot will appear amateurish.

The primary difference between a first-time author’s bio and a seasoned professional’s is that the latter will be able to include other titles he or she has written in their bio. In addition, a career writer can include in the bio their “best-seller” status and any awards they have won, if these accomplishments were achieved.    

4 First Time Author Bio Examples that Rock

Figuring out exactly how to write an author bio with no former experience may feel like a daunting task. Sure, you can locate bio templates online, but templates only provide the framework. It is up to you to pen something catchy and engaging that shines the most flattering light on your background, sans prior authorship. Here are some first-time author bio examples to hopefully inspire you:

1. Hannah Lee, author of Bloom Where You’re Planted

Hannah Lee was born and raised outside the city of Charleston, in the beautiful mountain state of West Virginia. Hannah considers her faith and family to be most important to her. If she isn’t spending time with her friends and family, you can almost always find her around her sweet yellow Labrador retriever, Tupelo. Bloom Where You’re Planted is Hannah’s first children’s book.

Note: Hannah Lee paints a picture of a person who values her loved ones in her short, succinct bio. This gives the reader a comforting sense that the writer is compassionate, which is an attractive trait in a children’s book author.

2. Dan DalMonte, author of The Realm of Possibility

Dan DalMonte was born in 1984 in San Francisco, California. Growing up, he was fascinated with baseball, and this interest led to some early exposure to reading since he was drawn to stories related to baseball. Later, Mr. DalMonte, who now teaches philosophy at the college level, developed a passion for ideas. In The Realm of Possibility, Dan explores the issue of how past events are unchangeable by introducing an ability to manipulate past events. The Realm of Possibility is Mr. DalMonte’s first book.

Note: Dan DalMonte describes the trajectory of his background that culminates in his passion for ideas. He piques the curiosity of the reader as to how exactly one can manipulate past events.

3. Victoria Lee, author of The Fever King

Victoria Lee grew up in Durham, North Carolina, where she spent twelve ascetic years as a vegetarian before discovering spicy chicken wings are, in fact, a delicacy. She’s been a state finalist competitive pianist, a hitchhiker, a pizza connoisseur, an EMT, an ex-pat in China and Sweden, and a science doctoral student. She’s also a bit of a snob about fancy whiskey. Victoria writes early in the morning, then spends the rest of the day trying to impress her Border collie puppy and make her experiments work.

Note: Victoria Lee conjures up an eclectic, even eccentric image through the diverse collection of endeavors she has experienced in her young life and delivers these with humor. Quirky is what you might expect from an author of a dystopian novel, which inspires the reader to go check out her book.

4. Bruce Clarke, author of Death by Grand Jury

Bruce Clarke practiced criminal law as a defense attorney in Washington, D.C., as a partner in the firm Clarke & Graae and as a staff attorney with the Public Defender Service (PDS) for the District of Columbia. He later worked at the Federal Judicial Center, where he served as Director of its Education Division. While on sabbatical from the law, Clarke studied script analysis in New York with Stella Adler and began writing plays. His plays Bluesman and Fifteen Rounds with Jackson Pollock have been produced in D.C. and regionally. He is the recipient of a playwrighting grant from the D. C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, a playwrighting residency at the Edward Albee Foundation, and the Larry Neal Award for Dramatic writing.

Note: Bruce Clarke lays the foundation for his book by describing his vast experience in the field of law. Readers of his bio will quickly grasp by his background that he has the inside scoop, allowing him to create some intriguing short stories centering on Washington D.C.

Ready to Make Your Name Known?

Even the above author bio examples for first-time authors may not be enough to help you create your eloquent bio. Worry not, when you sign up for one of our editing packages, the editorial team at Gatekeeper Press will review your bio, and help you to create a captivating author bio. Contact us today!

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Marketing | Popular Posts | Submitting

How to write a terrific author bio.

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.

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

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 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 and keep them on file so that you have them ready when you need them.
• Trade author bios with a writer friend and help each other make them interesting.

Rachelle Gardner

269 comments.

I like the authors who mention their pets, especially their dogs in their bios. I’m a dog person, and somehow it makes the authors seem more personable when they mention their dogs as well as their family members because they view their pets as family.

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Firstly, thank-you for writing this. I wish I’d seen it before publishing my first book! It’s funny how strange and awkward it can feel writing about yourself and your work. I recently wrote a press release for my book and struggled more than I’d have expected. Although I’m so glad I did it. It’s nice to focus on the reasons you and your book are worth writing about!!

Also, thank-you for inviting us to share our own bios! This is the one that appears on the back of my book.There are things I’d tweak, but I still like it because it truly does represent me.

“Tsara Shelton is a writer of musings, sipper of coffee, and addict of anything story. Having learned life while exploring the edges of society, it’s through storytelling she finds her footing in the world-as a mom, wife, daughter, and citizen. Tsara, her husband, and their four children live in both Texas and California.”

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Jim Rudnick – Bio

Enthralled by the golden age of Science Fiction, Jim has been a reader of same and counts among his SciFi author gods names like Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Dick, Serling, Ellison and Chandler.

And it was this love of SciFi that turned Jim into a new hard-SF short-story writer who has won awards for his work in the past and has recently turned him into a SciFi novelist too.

Over the past 40 years of Jim’s writing career, he has published 6 non fiction books as well as being a blogger for more than five years but claiming to have written ad copy might be a mistake so we won’t mention his 20+ years of that here.

Married,with 3 wonderful children, 2 grandsons and a dog named Harley, Jim lives in Canada and owns a gold-plated snow shovel…yes, Jim is truly a Canuck, eh!

Jane Doe is a Paralegal, freelance writer and author from New York City. The former girlfriend and confidant of a notorious Bonanno Crime Family Underboss, BOUND is Ms. Doe’s personal account of the secret life inside three of New York’s organized crime families.

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Introduction Cover inside jacket for upcoming book, Good Grieving

S. L. Northey, a graduate from Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. She has worked a career in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, and Long Term Care and Rehabilitation. As an RN she has worked extensively in Neurosurgery, Emergency Rooms in some of the most prestigious hospitals in the United States.

Help! I am ready to send my first book off but I’m stuck on this bio…ugh. I don’t have much to add as far as credits. I’ve taken writing classes, wrote and produced several plays, movie but that’s about it. Thanks for your input

Anyone have advice for Author bios for those using pen names (writing memoir or literary non fiction) ?

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Yvonne Taylor, born with eleven fingers, often asked her mom why she had the extra one removed, as it could have helped her type faster and, possibly, made her all the more efficient in the kitchen. Despite the removal of the extra finger, she went on to pursue her lifelong passion for writing and pours her creativity into short stories, poems, songs and creating tantalizing dishes. She enjoys writing Christian romance, children’s and young adult literature, and futuristic crime stories.

She was born and raised in Arkansas and educated at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she majored in Criminal Justice and Psychology, with coursework in creating writing and techniques of writing. She began writing her first novel, Inseparable, while working as a life skill counselor for mentally challenged adults and children.

Her first published work is Inseparable, a Christian romance novel, and her first published cookbook is the Madd Batter. Yvonne is a member of Scribophile, Writer’s Digest, Authonomy and Writer’s Café. She is a homeschool mom and a dedicated Christian, who feels that nothing in her life is worthy without Christ.

Thanks Rachelle! I’ve been trying to get started on my bio, and now I know how to make it a good one.

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Great Information, thank you for this post. My first novel releases in Sept, I just recorded a spot for ABC East coast late night talk show, have some radio spots coming and they all want a bio. I want it to be truthful and exciting. I lived a life of crime until the U.S. Marshals and FBI arrested me for armed robbery of casinos in Vegas.

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How can an biography can be copyrighted !! And is it possible to publish by online?

And again, is this helps http://www.lithasa.com/ ?? They said they’ve found the best publishing model. What is it? I am asking everyone !

WRITING BIO SEEMS TO BE EASY BUT IS NOT. Usually I do not know when to stop! http://avloka.com

James Scott was born in the city of Buffalo New York, 1966. Having been brought up as a product of his environment, he ran the streets and experienced things that most people his age wouldn’t have been able to endure. After spending an enormous amount of time in prison, the result of the life that he chose to live, he decided to make a change in his life. He enrolled into ITT Technical School and set out to make a difference in his life. He resides in Atlanta Georgia writing about his ups and downs.

I wish you all the best with your writing and in life generally, James. Well done for keeping your head up! x

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I.V.N. Vaibhav Reddy has been living in India since his birth. He is a freelance writer. He has no previous publications. He has written his first book “Idam Red and The Purdin Shampkare” inspired by his own experiences in his school.

This is the bio from my promotional flier: “Amy Floyd has a degree in sociology from Ouachita Baptist University. She and her husband of fifteen years, Mike, live in Conway, Arkansas. There they raise their four sons, ranging in age from toddler to teen. From inspiring an individual to consider his or her purpose to uncovering the value of a flea market find, Amy is most excited when she is surrounded by the images of God’s restorative heart.” The book jacket bio is, “Amy Floyd has a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Ouachita Baptist University. She and her husband, Mike, live in Conway, Arkansas with their four boys.” This first-timer welcomes pointers!

I’m puzzled as to how to write a bio for a crime novel when all my extensive publishing credits are nonfiction. How is the following? Margaret Piton has been a journalist, English teacher and university lecturer in journalism and political science. Russia and crime fiction are among her passions. When not writing, she can be found reading the novels of Martin Cruz Smith and the early work of John Le Carre.

I am not author in the traditional sense, like all you amazing people. But I work for a tech company that wants to evolve into a creative agency with a hardware value prop (today we are known solely as a hardware provider). So, i now blog an write fun eBooks for the company. My boss SAYS he wants to evolve, but continually forces us back into the DRY. Here is my bio. Please provide feedback. Also, i put htis on page 2, right before the main content begins – my boss thinks it should be at the end. Lastly, here is a link to read (and see) the whole thing:

http://web.horizondisplay.com/Portals/204021/docs/white%20paper%20-%20finding%20the%20perfect%20touch%20screen.pdf

Trading in his specialist hat for that of a generalist, Stephen Gladden has become Horizon’s modern marketing pundit. Notably known to walk into a meeting with nothing more than a box of magic markers, he drafts Horizon Display’s integrated multi-channel marketing strategies – or Gladdy- O-Grams as they have come to be known. Wading waist deep in touch technology for 5 years, he also serves the role as leader of Horizon’s creative services and software offerings – we let him call that Studio 5.

I appreciate your candor and support!

I like the sense of humor and plays on words you use in your bio. It’s the editor in me but I think it can be pared down and more punchy. I took the liberty of doing so below. Feel free to use, or not. And if you wouldn’t mind giving me feedback on mine, I’d appreciate it!

Stephen Gladden is Horizon’s modern marketing pundit — known to walk into a meeting with nothing more than a box of magic markers to draft “Gladdy-O-Grams” — Horizon Display’s integrated multi-channel marketing strategies. Wading waist deep in touch technology for the last five years, he also leads Horizon’s creative services and software teams – we let him call that Studio 5.

I just finished my first memoir about my journey with my Mom’s death 1.5 years ago from Ovarian cancer. I think I may have been looking at my bio far too long. After reading many of the posts here, this is what I’ve drafted. I do wonder whether it is still too boring. Thank you for your feedback.

Jennifer is a recovering “political hack” who spent decades getting others elected and winning environmental protection laws. Now she is a voice over actor and sometimes stand-up comedian whose last show “Hot Chicks with Brains” received rave reviews – from the people who attended (mostly her friends and family). When I Die, Take My Panties is Jennifer’s first memoir recounting her journey with her Mom’s eventual death from Ovarian Cancer in 2011. Never bitter but certainly biting Jennifer integrates her experience leading personal growth and development seminars over the last decade with her authentic style of humor, and her own momentous life changes.

I’m not really pursuing a career as a writer but I created this for one of the websites I upload my stories on.

“I am a stay-at-home mom who enjoys writing in her spare time. I write about a variety of topics but my personal favorite is fantasy. I love expressing myself through creative means such as writing, singing, and drawing. When I’m not composing any self-proclaimed masterpieces, I enjoy spending time with my cat, playing video games or getting some much needed sleep.”

I like it but I feel like it could be better. English isn’t my first language and I constantly feel like I write things wrong. Anyway, feedback is very appreciated.

Thanks for the advice, Rachelle. It’s good to know we don’t need to include that we’ve been writing since kindergarten! Tis is my author bio for “What, No Sushi?” – a kids fiction book about the Japanese-American internment:

“In addition to the Solar-Powered Time Machine series and her hands-on unit studies for homeschoolers, Alana has published A Boy Named Silas: The First Five Years, the true story of her second son’s complicated medical history. She also writes Christian fiction and was recently named a finalist in the Women of Faith’s writing contest.   Like Lake, Benson, and O’Malley’s mother, Alana is half-Japanese. She can’t make sushi as well as her grandmother, but she sure loves to eat it!”

Hi, I’m hoping that this thread is still active, because otherwise my post will never be read. This makes me sad! Anyway, here is my author bio. I would appreciate all comments.

Although, no negative ones, please. That would also make me sad…

David Young and Daniel Park are authors from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. During a chance meeting aboard the 8.05 to Leeds (calling at Outwood), the inevitable delays led both to a mutual desire to inflict their wicked sense of humour on the world and an ever-increasing word-count. Daniel has had articles published in the PCS internal magazine and David was a local correspondent for the Wakefield Express.

Oh, I’m so very glad I discovered this site. After a young professional friend in his twenties gave his honest opinion regarding my website, I decided to scratch the whole thing and start over. I’ve agonized over a bio for the new and improved web presence, and discovered some great ideas here. My life has been a bit eclectic and it’s difficult to know what might be appropriate and what is of interest to no one but me. Your posts have been very helpful. Hopefully, the website will be up and running again soon, although I still hold firm with my original opinion that Go Daddy’s ‘Website Tonight’ is a gross misnomer…to the computer inept like myself, ‘Website Eventually’ would work much better. Thanks to all of you…especially you, Rachelle.

Carol J. Martin is a veteran blogger and inspirational writer/speaker. She resides in Arkansas City, KS, with her husband, Steve, and five very spoiled cats. Her blog, Female in Motion, can be found at http://www.fim-carol.blogspot.com .

Hello – thanks for the opportunity to submit a BIO for my book and website. I’m publishing my first book of travel adventures and stories that my husband and I have experienced. The stories and heartfelt and often entertaining, but also provide helpful travel tips and ideas for traveling on a budget. Here is my sample bio:

Like most writers, Sandy McMillen leads a triple life. By day she is a training development manager for a large telecommunications company, by night a wife and companion to her husband Tom, the mother of four grown children, and the grandmother of the most exceptionally beautiful little girl on the planet. At night and on the weekends, she writes stories chronicling the many travel adventures she and her husband Tom have experienced. Her stories are genuine and heartfelt, as she captures the touching, informative and humorous perspectives of traveling throughout the world.

Sandy was raised in Colorado where she and Tom still live today. She holds a Masters Degree in Adult Education from Colorado Christian University and has always enjoyed authoring short stories, poems, travel essay collections and articles and personal journals. She and Tom love to travel the world, experiencing new places and meeting new friends wherever they go. As soon as one trip is over, they are immediately planning and researching their next destination, looking forward to experiencing yet another extraordinary adventure. Extraordinary Travels of an Ordinary Couple is her first publication.

I really like the 2nd paragraph. I’m not an expert by any means, but I wonder if that paragraph is simply enough for the bio?

Hello there I am so happy I found your webpage, I really found you by error, while I was researching on Askjeeve for something else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a incredible post and a all round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the awesome work.

Thank you so much for this informative blog! I am a novice when it comes to writing, and I’m finding it very intimidating. My novel is a fiction based on my life, I don’t want to offend my family by writing it as an autobio so I’m changing names and embellishing some memories. Any thought on my bio would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

*Amber Miller lives in Southeast Ohio with her husband and their three children. They attend a small church in a small town in the country, where they worship and glorify The Lord. When she’s not writing or taking care of her family, Amber is sings on the worship team of their church and is an avid photographer. God and her family are the most important people in her life. She wrote “Restoring Lily” to help other survivors of child sexual abuse face their past and become the person God made them to be.

Thanks for the useful post Rachelle!I’ve been following your blog since quite a while, and it helped me understand the entire publishing process. This bio is for Romance fiction, I’m a first timer. Please share your thoughts! Thanks!

Ayesha Sadaf Kamal is a software engineer turned copywriter. She is a Space Cadet, a dreamer and proud mother of one. Freelancing as a copywriter for a living, she is a hopeless romantic at heart. She puts her passion, love, joys and sorrows into her words and hopes that her readers feel the same joy that she does when writing romance.

This is a great bio! Good luck with all you do!

Hello, this is for a 50-100 word biography for a writing competition. Thanks for your feedback 🙂

Philippa Joy Okeke is passionate about communicating with children. When she isn’t teaching, tutoring or being a mum, she uses her remaining few minutes to write rhyming picture books, poems and educational materials. This year she hopes to learn to drive and create a website. She is looking forward to the day her first story is printed.

In a cover/query letter how does one handle a pseudonym? Assuming it’s for fiction the bio could be as false as the pen name.

Wonderful post. Thank you for sharing…I remember how hard it was to write my contributors notes for a literary journal I am being published in. I could have written a new short story in the time I spent mulling over my bio.

Joshua Ratcliffe woke up one day in a sunny northern state of Australia and decided to become a chef, he was successful for ten years until he got bored. He calls a spade a spade, which is not always conducive to life or relationship preservation when he stomping about in the jungles of Papua New Guinea for a multinational corporation, wearing cowboy boots and looking for some sort of edge on life. This melange of life choices and ideas strangely is supported by a wife and young son. Not concerned with staving off the onset of DVT he has been known to put fingers to keyboard during those long slow hours aboard the one hundred plus flights per year, in an attempt to show who ever will listen what it is really like to run head first down a path so rarely travelled.

Hello, I have a quick bio that needs some review. I am just one chapter in a collaborative book and wrote my own bio. Any feedback would be great as this will be published this month and I have never written one before. Maximum 120 words. Thanks.

Stephanie lives in Hood River where she enjoys to mountain and road bike, ski, swim, practice yoga, hike, and paddle. She loves to cook, enjoy wine and microbrews, indulging in the tasty gifts of mother nature. By her side is her sweet dog, Hannah Bear, an amazing group of friends, and a supportive family. She is an advocate for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and community health and believes in physical and food-based healing. Currently, she is chasing the dream of becoming a prominent physical therapist, working towards the incorporation of movement into treatment plans for neurological conditions. In the meantime, she is an active community member holding movement workshops on the Pilates method and raising money to support non-profits. If you have any questions or comments for Stephanie and her work, you may contact her at [email protected] .

I have a question about writing an Author Bio. I’m writing (mostly finishing and tweeking) my first novel, which is a modern day supernatural/fantasy, and am having trouble in what to put into the bio. I’m not an accomplished writer, or even a member of any groups. (although i am a winner for this year’s NANOWRIMO with the novel i’m finishing.)

I’m a 25 year old college graduate who is going back to school for something other than writing. I want to catch my potential readers and publishers attention, without sounding too boring or dry. I’m thinking of writing something like this:

Carla Feller was born in Western New York and has had a passion for writing and reading since high school. A 2012 National Novel Writing Month (NANOWRIMO) winner, and college graduate, Carla is making her first appearance as an author.

When author JoAnn Smith Ainsworth carried wood as a pre-teen so her Great Aunt Martha could stoke up the iron stove to prepare dinner, she wasn’t thinking, “I could use this in a novel someday.” Yet, the skills she learned from her horse-and-buggy ancestors translate into backdrops for her historical romance and paranormal suspense novels. Believing it’s never too late to create your dream, she resurrected a desire to write when in retirement. Her debut medieval romantic suspense novels, MATILDA’S SONG and OUT OF THE DARK, received 4 stars from RT Book Reviews. She recently sold two historical western romance manuscripts to Whiskey Creek Press, Casper, WY. The novels will be released next summer. JoAnn’s agent is currently marketing a paranormal suspense series.

Among JoAnn’s achievements are: Chief Clerk of a U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee; a 3 1/2 -mo. trip around the world; B.A. English/Social Science, M.A.T. English/ESL and M.B A. studies; and database administrator for an international law firm. But she’s most proud of becoming an author as a senior citizen.

Visit her website at http://www.joannsmithainsworth.com . Follow her on Facebook. Peek in on her life as an author via Twitter.

I wrote an example what I may write for my Author Bio for a book that I am about to publish soon. The book is a drama by the way. I haven’t figured out what to write and still working on it.

I’m a Chemist that loves to write dramatic stories with a hint of humor. What truly got me into writing are my imagination and my interest in the medical field. Instead of being the doctor that I dreamed about, I wrote it. For more info about me and my work, you may go to my website at: (Still working on it.)

My name is Nadine Lalonde, a single mother of two teenagers. I felt the urge to write after losing a friend on 9-11. I conveyed my emotion in a letter to the editor of the Toronto Star and it was published. Since then, I have dabbled in writing plays and technical documents. After being diagnosed with a chronic illness that required a drastic decrease in social activity, I decided that I could either spend my free time watching TV, reading a book that someone else wrote, or use my own imagination and write my own book. My imagination took over…

How does this sound for a mini bio to go to a publisher?

Kat Buck is a lover of words and the art of storytelling. She is the writer of popular travel blog “The Amazing Adventures of Travelling Kat” which aims to give her readers an eventful and inspiring back seat trip around the world.

She is her Granddaddy’s girl; a happy adventurer with an ambition to see as many countries as she can. Kat laughs her way around the globe looking for inspiration and gets in a whole heap of trouble along the way.

Oh, and she once walked the Great Wall of China in a pair of high heels. Don’t ask!

This website was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Appreciate it!

I am a new author about to publish my first scifi/fantasy novel. Here is the first draft of my author bio… feedback would be appreciated!

Johnny Helmstetler was born in Roswell, NM (yes, where the aliens crashed… allegedly) which has inspired the tall tales of his imagination since childhood. He has a 15 year old son, Isaac, who is both the joy of his life and the thorn in his side.

Norlita Brown, a Detroit native, holds a BA in English from Georgia State University. She is the co-founder of Brown Essence, Inc., a small publishing company that has set out to put a realistic face on the problems in the African American community. With six authors and eight books within three years, they are hoping to become a household name in the literary industry.

Brown is the co-author of Stages, a self-motivational book filled with inspirational words of wisdom; Saying Nothing, Writing Everything and The Minds’ Chaotic Episodes, collections of poetry where the many emotions of life are captured. She has also released two novels, Somebody Else’s Vows which poses the question of whether or not marriage vows come with a turn off valve for other attractions and its sequel Sexual Suicide which explores the consequences that come from not adhering to the turn off valve. In April, 2012, Brown has now unleashed her purpose as she has obediently released a work that God ordained. Destroying the Mask is a collection of short stories that explores the detriments parents often bring to their children through abuse and neglect. Brown has now penned her first short story to be included in an anthology brought together by Kendra Norman-Bellamy entitled, Love Said Not So with an expected release date of July 2012.

With much to say, Brown plans to continue writing, with the hope that through her work readers may find something entertaining, enlightening or purposeful. “It doesn’t matter which,” she admits as she believes her writing is much more than just words on paper.

Brown served as the first Vice-President and founding member of a faith based writer’s group, M-PACT (Motivated Pens and Creative Thoughts) founded and led by national best-selling author, Kendra Norman-Bellamy. She is also a member of the National Association of Professional Women.

For more information on Norlita Brown and her products please visit, brownessence.com.

Good tip. Keeping it simple can apply to pretty much anything and still have favorable results.

Was going to post my bio here but after reading a few of these and then re-reading mine, I think I may have to work on it some more.

Thank you to all who have posted theirs and for the feed back they received. Gives great insight for someone who needs to work on their own bio.

[…] the end of the journal, so think about what you’d like listed at the back. You can read some sample bios here, or look at some journals to see what other writers have to say about […]

Here’s a bio I used recently for a literary and visual arts review (hence it focused more on my artistic abilities than writing for cred). I’m not crazy about it and would love suggestions to change it to more of a writer’s bio. It’s also too long, I think.

Kat Collins is a writer, blogger at http://www.kat-collins.com , and visual artist with a B.A. in Fine Arts from Mt. Vernon Nazarene University. Her paintings have been included in several exhibitions across the East Coast. Commissioned by the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Kat hand-painted a life-size fiberglass mule for a public art project called Miles of Mules. Subsequently, the artwork and commentary was published in a coffee table book. Kat is currently working on an illustrated commemorative history book for a hospital’s 100th Anniversary and writing a memoir.

Bio for a book on Effective Communication:

Ingrid Figueroa studied chemical engineering and worked for more than a decade with “machines and numbers”. For several years she changed her career for her mother role, to raise a son and a daughter. She never stopped searching for an option that would allow her to do that and feel fulfilled as a professional. Through her search she started an intense process of self development, and the benefits were so many, that she wanted to share this experience with others and do something she would feel passionate about. Ingrid is an author, an executive coach and a trainer in Latin America, and helps business owners and leaders improve their communication skills to get better results. It starts by realizing that everything happens through communication: human activities like building relationships, setting goals, coordinating actions, to name a few, are developed through language.

Ok, here’s what I thought would go inside the cover of my first novel (if it ever gets published)

Richard grew up in the 80’s wanting to be a rock star – so he studied Geology at the University of Birmingham. After completing a gruelling three years of undergraduate study, he went on to further his knowledge and experience, gaining a Masters in Procrastination from the University of Life. During this time he entertained English students in Northern China with songs and silly stories of his own creation. He now lives in a sleepy suburb of Stourbridge, on the edge of the fabled Black Country, where he practices martial arts, enjoys drinking tea and teaches the guitar. Occasionally he does some writing and is currently working on his second novel.

Hey Richard, don’t say if it ever gets published, make it happen! 😉

I will. Haha. Thanks. 🙂

Non-Ficion Memoir about contracting in Afghanistan.

I served 13 years in the US Military. After the US invasion of Iraq, I was contacted by KBR for a position in Afghanistan as a property technician at Bagram Airfield. That was September of 2003. I spent two years with KBR. I left my position with KBR to work as a Property Book Team Chief with Mantech. In that position, I sat at meetings with the Commanders of Task Force Phoenix and CJTF-180 at Bagram. As such, I was privy to all of the inner workings of military during Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2007, I was hired to mentor the Afghan National Police. I was primarily a logistics mentor. I saw first hand the corruption, cronyism and nepotism that is endemic to the Afghan National Security Forces. I mentored and befriended key figures in the Western Region (herat) of Afghanistan. One such figure was Major General al Hajj Akrummuddin who was the Commander of the West Region. As such, he was one of the two or three most powerful figures in Herat Region. I left that position in February of 2010. One year later, I was back as a Senior Mentor (Logistics) at the Kabul Military Training Center.

“I always knew you should have been a writer. You always wrote such beautiful poems,” was her mother’s response when Marianne Cushing left her successful 20+ year advertising career to become a novelist in 2010. “Are you crazy, we have a kid in college?” was her husband’s. Marianne’s first manuscript has yet to be published, but in the meantime, she has found a way to make a living at writing as the copy director for a national women’s intimate apparel chain.

Angela Hooks is a literary artist painting pictures as a writer, speaker and workshop leader. When Angela is not in her bat cave writing or reading, she’s lecturing about writing. Some students have nicknamed her “psycho-path” and call her classes “boot-camp.” While others have taken refuge under her wing and called her “an inspiration.” What Angela teaches in workshops and college classrooms, she does: write, read, revise, write again, read some more, revise, revise, and revise. She admits her students of all ages, in and out of the classroom, have taught her to laugh at herself. She takes herself too seriously, sometimes. Her boot camp strategies helped her transform a journal into published pages The Other Side Of Motherhood, Mercy On The Journey. Then she authored WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? As a freelance journalist, her writings appeared in Gannett Poughkeepsie Journal, Hudson Valley Parent & Hudson Valley Life, Dutchess Magazine, and Upscale Magazine to name a few. Angela juggled these gigs as a mompreneur, otherwise known as the work-at-home-mom, where she offered editorial and graphic design services to non-profit organizations, and small businesses such as Town of Greenburgh’s Arts and Culture Department, Westchester Nurses Assoc., State Beauty Culture Assoc. of NY, Xerox, and Sonic Waves. These skills she acquired from Mercy College, where she earned a BS in Management/Marketing in 1989.

In addition to managing a home business and writing, Angela founded and facilitated The Art of Journaling workshops throughout the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and the Bronx in community centers, women’s conferences, churches, colleges, beauty salons, and women and youth retreats.

However, years after she began her endeavor as a self-taught writer, and several publications under her belt, Angela earned her MA in Creative Writing from Manhattanville College to formalize her writing. The results personal essays anthologized in Contemporary American Women: On Defining Passages, The Truth about the Fact: International Journal of Literary Nonfiction, and Cup of Comfort for Christians.

After graduate school, to Angela’s surprise she interviewed at the Taconic Press for the job as reporter, and left as a newspaper editor for two newspapers: Millbrook RoundTable and Voice Ledger. In the newsroom, her writing and design skills increased readership and subscriptions.

Angela’s not limited to writing and speaking; she was nicknamed Speedy Gonzalez while working in her mother’s beauty salon at 17.

This place of gossip, hair, women and faith enhanced her fourth grade dream to live in a log cabin and write stories. She met characters, overheard rumors, witnessed affairs, experienced romance and redemption. All this opened her eyes and ears to the power of character driven stories. Click here and read her in-process novel excerpts from Wellspring Women: The Unveiling or The Secret Among Us.

Nice article, but would be nice to see some examples 🙂

[…] An author bio and picture must be available on your site. Many writers struggle with this. Too modest, too confident, too bland. Give it a punch with something fun about you, something that readers will remember, and something that makes you stand above the pack. You author image should be professional (but it doesn’t have to be professionally taken) and reflect the tone of your writing. Here is a great blog post from Rachelle Gardner about ‘How To Write A Terrific Author Bio.’ […]

I’m not sure how to do a bio for a pen name, and my credits are mainly academic, so boringly irrelevant for a fiction writer. If I include them, they won’t be searchable under the pen name. But without them, I may not be saying enough concrete things about myself.

“By day, Jacques Antoine is a professor at St. John’s College, New Mexico, by night he writes action-adventure stories. Originally he wrote “kung fu” tales just for his daughter, when she was a little ninja studying karate. As she grew up, the tales also evolved, becoming full-length novels focusing on the dilemmas of young adults, but always set against the background of martial arts adventures.

When he’s not writing or teaching, he enjoys walking his dogs in the high desert mountains around Santa Fe.”

I have always worked with words, in both my education and my career. I have a B.A. in English, a Master’s Degree in Communication and am ABD for a Ph.D. in. I taught business and technical writing in the university for eight years, and now work as a corporate trainer/instructional designer. My short play, Every Boat’s for Sale, is being performed in a local theatre, and I placed in contemporary fiction in the Cleveland Rocks 2012 writing contest (the first I ever entered). This story was inspired by my fascination with boats and my involvement in the wooden boat culture of Grand Lake, Oklahoma. In fact, a significant portion of the book was written on a boat. I blog about my writing at http://mysticwyngarden.blogspot.com/ , tweet about it as @MysticWyngarden (over 800 followers), and maintain a Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/mysticwyngarden (725 friends)

le portail tagswords.com vous facilite votre vie au quotidien en vous faisant profiter de nombreux bons plans et bonnes affaires. Vous trouverez de nombreux plans pour vos habits vos chaussures hommes, femmes, enfants, le linge de maison de nombreuses forfaits téléphonie vous pourrez également rencontrer des hommes et des femmes de votre région, trouver un(e) voyant(e), tout ce qu’il faut pour avoir plus de moyens financiers au quotidien.

Visiter les bons plans du net

Hi, I am a first time author and I was working with someone who has written and published books with other writers. This is the Bio that he recommended. From the first glance it’s long but I would welcome your feedback and direction. —- Yvette Schmitter is fast becoming the woman that savvy females nationwide are turning to for business advice, lessons in leadership and the secrets of bringing balance to dating and relationships. Yvette has made it her passion and goal to redefine what it truly means to “BE YOUR OWN BOSS.” As a successful entrepreneur and former management consultant, she has made a name for herself at Deloitte as well as Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. In the business world Yvette has focused her talents on the health care industry, specifically on the issues impacting minorities, especially women of color. Ms. Schmitter has adapted her acclaimed approach to the skills of management and leadership into a foolproof plan for all aspects of a person’s life. She is currently in the process of writing her first book detailing her journey and discovery in becoming a real life “BOSS LADY.”

The New Jersey Assembly recognized her commitment to public service and named her Outstanding Young Woman Leader. While working toward her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Tufts University, she was voted “Leader of the Future” by her senior classmates. In graduate school, the President of New York University awarded her the “President’s Award” in recognition of her continued commitment to public service at the university; during convocation, Dean Robert Berne bestowed upon her the “Dean’s Award” for outstanding leadership.

While working as a senior consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst and Young, Yvette partnered with MAC Cosmetics and a local beauty parlor, Chez George to create a very special event to empower local battered women. The event, “New Year, New Do and a New You”, allowed the women to receive new hair styles and professionally done makeovers conducted by the MAC Cosmetics make-up artists. This combination of outreach and inspiration is exactly the kind of forward giving momentum that Yvette has dedicated her life’s work to…

She is also a writer and regular contributor and commentator to nationally acclaimed websites and television networks such as BETTER TV.

She lives in New York City with a very special boy named Chance.

I am a first time writer and her is my bio. I would look your comments.

Samina Younis was born and raised in England. She is a first time writer who has never written a book but started off writing as a way of therapy for herself to overcome her tragic past but felt she had to tell her true story to inspire other women to break free from their family controlled lives. She has a passion for helping other people who may be in the same situation as she once was and she would like to inspire other women to follow their heart.

On a typical day you may find her working out at her local gymnasium. She enjoys reading and going to the cinema. She loves Italian food, cooking and belly laughter.

Is this format the same for screenwriters?

Because I’ve been ask for an “Industry biography of the writer” as a new screenwriter I am unsure what the format is.

[…] Rachelle Gardner outlines how to write an author bio and what the differences should be between a bio in a query letter and the bio in the back of a book. We’ll let her make her own points, all we have to add: the majority of your query letter […]

Need some feedback:

‘James Andrew “J. A.” George is an amateur novelist and student of Creative Writing. His first published work, Camp Aconyte, is a short story written originally in 2004, revised and published in 2008. George is a strong anti-bullying activist, having begun posting chapters of a comedy-drama micro-series, “The Club”, to raise bullying awareness on Facebook.’

Here are two slightly varied bios for my memoir Dog-Ma, the Zen of Slobber. I would love input. Thanks! Barbara grew up in rural Lancaster, Pennsylvania where there were always plenty of dogs underfoot. Meeting her husband in Washington DC, they continued together on a journey as self-proclaimed dog addicts. In the ensuing thirty-two years, she founded three successful businesses, moved seventeen times and adopted nine orphaned dogs giving her a unique and humorous perspective on life. She and her husband currently live in Southwest Florida with their two dogs and copious amounts of dog fur and slobber.

Barbara grew up in rural Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her parents, sister and always a dog, or two or three. Meeting her husband in Washington, DC, they continued together on a journey as self-proclaimed dog addicts. In the ensuing years, she founded three successful businesses in the Pacific Northwest, moved thirty-two times and adopted nine orphaned dogs. She and her husband currently live in Southwest Florida with two dogs and copious amounts of dog fur.

OK, I am posting my bio. Be as ruthless as you must. I am thick-skinned.

William Anthony Lavelle is an author and publisher with Gallantry Group Press. Better known as “Tony,” he dedicated much of his adult life as a career military officer. After his service, Tony moved on to teach college as an adjunct professor of criminal justice, while also working as a local law enforcement supervisor. He has over 25 years training and teaching experience. His present-day mission is to guide (or drag) boys into manhood by developing training and testing curriculum to prepare boys to become men. Tony’s first book, The Manhood Test, he offers up a provocative theory on the causes of our young adult men failing to achieve adulthood. More significantly, Tony lays out a robust solution to resolve the problem.

Read Tony’s frank and at times controversial blog at http://www.tonylavelle.com . You can contact him directly at: [email protected]

Of course I’m behind on this week’s posts but glad I caught up with this one! Another keeper and excellent for sharing. Thanks, Rachelle!

Wow, this has been so helpful. I’m a total newbie with only a high school diploma, no degrees in anything, a love of writing and a desire to publish my e-book to help people stay on their diet. I’m hesitant to use the word schmucks but I’m just being forthright :-).

Lynn is a ‘twice fired’ and ‘tired’ administrative assitant who decided to finally do the thing she loves instead of working for a bunch of schmucks.

She is an indie writer who has published her first e-book with 101 tips n’ tricks to help you stay on your diet. Lynn began studying nutrition and dieting after the birth of her Daughter and she loves sharing her knowledge of how to stay on a diet with others.

When not writing, Lynn is an artist and thrift store junkie always on the lookout for buried treasures and vintage finds; she says it’s her therapy. She also spends her spare time fighting the urge to nag her daughter into buying a house and making her a Grandma.

How about this? Your website really helped! This is for my first story coloring book. Miranda Sullivan’s life made her feel like a kid at a hometown carnival choosing what ride she wanted to go on when she learned that she could make positive choices with her thoughts, feelings and actions. One of her passions in life had been working with kids, and when the two emerged, she came up with idea of The Adventures of Positive Penni. Then a new passion was in her heart; she wanted to share these nuggets of gold, in her writing, music and work. She is busy as a beaver working on lyrics and music for the full color version with children’s music, The Adventures of Positive Penni 1st Edition. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of The Positive Penni Foundation helping families create happy homes for themselves and their children.

Regina M. Geither was raised on stories of legends, curses, and mystical lands. Today, she is a teacher, writer, and published author of the middle grade short story, SWAMP STALLION, part of McGraw-Hill’s Imagine It! reading series. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators as well as Skyline Writers Critique Group. Her most recent publication is the young adult paranormal fantasy novel, ISLAND OF TORY, a tale of Celtic myth and Irish curses. Regina holds a Bachelor of Arts in education from Baldwin Wallace College and a Master of Education from John Carroll University. When not analyzing the teenage psyche, Regina teaches novel writing to adults at Polaris Career Center. She resides in northern Ohio and is currently working on the sequel to ISLAND OF TORY, CURSING STONE. Find out more at http://www.reginamgeither.com .

Looking for feedback on a query letter for short fiction publishers. The name is obviously not my own! Thanks!

John Doe is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction and has been involved for many years in a richly creative life. With a Master’s Degree in Education from Temple University, he has had experience as a freelance writer and English tutor. He has also appeared on stage in community theater (his favorite roles being Oz, Screwtape and Elvis) and has exhibited his photography at various venues including the Soweto Arts Festival. His 20 years of work in the field of psychology has honed his ability to write simple engaging stories about the human experience. His biggest challenge at the moment is keeping his cats off of his keyboard.

Great article! Thank you!

HELP!!!!! 🙂 Trying to write a bio (for myself) for the back cover of my self published children’s book. It’s more difficult than I would’ve ever thought.

———————–

Antonee Boykin is a picture book author from Mobile, AL. “Alex and Tony Help Stop Bullying” is her second published book with “Alex and Tony Learn to be Gentlemen” being the first. She credits her twin boys with inspiring the topics for each story, and hopes that her books will entertain as well as encourage healthy dialogue amongst adults and children.

Describing writing as her passion, she and her family reside in Birmingham, AL.

“As a child I always wrote short stories and mock books, so to have my work published is a dream come true. I hope that Alex and Tony become household favorites, and are inspirations to children everywhere.” ~Antonee Boykin

I am helping my husband work on a book proposal. He has no prior publications, and isn’t a member of any writer’s organization. He’s a blue collar working man, with no formal education but a real passion for art. I’m not really sure how we should word his bio. I really want to keep the bio relevant to the book, without sounding too formal. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!

Rebecca Hogan, now eighteen, grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick, and is currently studying Marine Biology at the University of Saint John. Rebecca has a published essay in Rothesay; the place to be, a magazine by the Telegraph Journal in 2010 having successfully won a contest held throughout high schools of the surrounding area. Having put six long years into her first novel, Killer Set Free, Rebecca incorporates a personal side into her novel by placing pieces of her personalities into each of her characters.

Amy Romine has always wanted to be one of the good guys. From playing ‘Charlie’s Angels’ in the backyard of her Allentown, PA home as a child, to the pages of her most recent series, The Soul Mate Chronicles, Amy has always dreamt of adventure and romance. Her need to make characters truly deserve their happiness takes us on many a twisted journey. From serial killers to demons, Amy holds nothing back in the name of true enduring love. A wife, mother of three, full-time corporate employee and now the author of two compellingly addictive series and finishing a third, her entrance onto the stage of romantic suspense has been an enthralling adventure all it’s own. Amy started writing in high school but didn’t take the professional plunge until three years ago when a little voice told her she was meant to be doing something more… Since her premier release of Serenity Lost in October 2010 with Extasy Books, Amy has become the Prime Time Editor for BellaOnline, and regular contributing author to the Amazon Subscription Blog, ‘Red Lipstick Journals’. Amy is also an active eBook Author supporter lending her voice to encouraging new and indie eBook authors in striding toward their visions. Her own goal is to be a self sustaining author by 2014. Amy currently resides in Arlington, Texas with her husband, and three children.

What do ya think??

I’m very uncertain how to write my bio. I as of yet am not published, I do not belong to any writer’s groups, I have not won any awards for non-published works. My current bio on my Facebook page listed above looks like this: I am a full time husband, father, and nuclear professional. I am currently trying to break into the fiction writing market. This doesn’t seem like much of a bio to me. I am fully aware that things will change once published, or if I win awards. Any ideas how I can improve this?

Blurb for my book: The Mom’s Guide to Surviving West Point:

Lisa has been a surviving mom for nearly 25 years. When she isn’t stalking her 3 sons on Facebook, she helps moderate a group that currently boasts over 1000 West Point moms. By day, Lisa attempts to teach 8th graders to read, write, and think. she and her husband Steve live in the Atlanta metro area.

Love it, Lisa!! I love your tone and can already tell your book would be entertaining. The bio alone makes me want to buy it before I’ve even read what the book is about! 🙂 Kudos to you!

Thanks! The book came out in June…we’ve done well w/ our sales (I co wrote w/ another mom). I hope to publish in a traditional route one day, but for a book w/ limited market appeal, it seemed like self-publishing was the way to go. Sales over 500 so far, which is more than 10% of the enrollment for the academy. =)

I’m Adeyinka Damilola Samuel 21 years old.. I started breathing on the 20th day of January, 1991… I am an impending theater art student in University of Lagos as I have just sat my post utme. I fell in love with writing some two years ago and I started writing articles and later I moved on to write for church magazine; best known as ‘SUCCESS HINT’ and now I am compiling my first book which is still under vet. I am a Nigerian. Black, an average height and has an athletic body. A savvy Nigerian populace, an avid reader and voracious consumer of any book, especially Motivational Piece. I love writing, and I love listening to country and classical music, I am more of an extrovert.

how will i get ur reply?

Laurie Buchanan is a holistic health practitioner and transformational coach. Working with the whole person, she helps people turn intention into action; taking them from where they are, to where they want to be—body, mind, and spirit.

Being respectful of the earth and its natural resources, her goal is to leave the slightest footprint possible on the planet, while at the same time, making an uplifting impression on its inhabitants. Both a teacher and a student of purposeful living, Laurie respects all spiritual paths and traditions.

A few of her favorite pastimes include writing, bicycling, photography and travel. She lives in Illinois with her husband and two dogs: a Standard Poodle and an Irish Wolfhound. A voracious reader, she and her husband haven’t had a television in their home for over 32 years. Now that’s bliss!

I just want to tell you that I’m new to blogs and truly enjoyed you’re blog site. Probably I’m going to bookmark your site . You actually come with outstanding writings. Cheers for sharing your blog site.

Dorothy Thompson is a freelance writer, children’s ebook author, and editor of The Writer’s Life. She writes for many online publications, as well as AuthorsDen and Stories.com. Her children’s ebook, No More Gooseberry Pie!, is published by Writers-Exchange E-Publishing. Her latest project is a soul mate anthology she is compiling that will be published next year.

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Hello; I know I’m coming to this topic late, but I just recently considered the idea of writing a book. Some of my blog followers have suggested it, and I’m in the finding out what i don’t know phase. Maxwell is a third generation carnival owner who grew up only wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps. After his dad’s passing, he realized that owning a show wasn’t going to work out and started helping people sell their surplus amusement, concessions, and confections equipment. He lives with his mother Patsy, brother Patrick, nephew seth, and crazy dog penny near Houston, Texas. He welcomes questions about the amusement industry.

Good web site! I really love how it is easy on my eyes and the data are well written

The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod’s. It works well, but isn’t as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that’s not an issue, but if you’re planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod’s larger screen and better browser may be important.

Unsure if anyone is still responding to comments made to this blog but I’ll post one anyway. This is a bio for my query letter. The novel is titled, The Pirate’s Daughter and a King’s Ransom.

Ten years spent performing, nearly every weekend, in pirate festivals, renaissance fairs or on “the ranch”, it’s no wonder that I chose to write a historical fiction. But, my love for the genre began long before that when, in elementary school, I was forced in to reading the Sid Fleischman novel, Ghost in the Noonday Sun. Thank God for required reading.

I forgot to add I’m an avid participant at Critique Circle. 😛

Awesome practice. here is mine:

Catrina Barton is a licensed Kung Fu Instructor of the Black Dragon style and draws on that experience to make her fight scenes both realistic and action packed. She enjoys being surrounded by the stark beauty of mother nature. Whether it’s a moon lit starry sky, or a picnic by a peaceful waterfall cascading from the mountain side.

Growing up no matter where she was physically she spent nearly every free moment lost in a book. It’s only natural that as she grew up, her passion for reading grew into an even stronger passion for writing Paranormal Romances.

Merlyn Fuller knew from the sound of her mother’s typewriter clicking away while she was napping as a child, that she was raised to be a writer. She has been published in such varied forums as: “Mother Earth News” to an independent poetry publication as “Olivetrees”. She has also essays published at Cayuga Community College’s “Collegian” newspaper and “Snappin’ Cowboy: A Poetry Journal”. She was also an advice column writer for Syracuse Newspaper’s “Partners In Parenting” for years.

Merlyn has written songs as a Renaissance faire musician and has been involved in Online writer’s groups, such as “Magpie Tales” and “The Pagan Blog Project”. She has also written progressive Pirate stories with other fellow pirates. She currently has 2 blogs of her own with over 250 essays and poems published on it ranging from minstrel tales from her real musical life to magical daily happenings to essays on Mythology. She has a following readership of 130 folks on any given day and more if you count Facebook.

She hopes to publish one of the several books she’s writing on music, poetry, her memoir or pirate fiction, and will, if she would ever just stop being a pirate musician and sit down and do it.

I seldom leave a response, however i did a few searching and wound up here How to Write a Terrific Author Bio | Rachelle Gardner. And I do have 2 questions for you if you usually do not mind. Is it just me or does it give the impression like some of the responses come across as if they are written by brain dead visitors? 😛 And, if you are posting at other sites, I would like to keep up with everything new you have to post. Could you list of the complete urls of your public sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?

The following is the Author Bio for the children’s book I am writing:

Sally Lee Baker, storyteller, author and illustrator wrote her first alliterative story using the letter “B” in a “Writing for Juveniles” class in college. After marrying, raising two girls and then reading to grandchildren she was inspired to write alliterative stories using each letter of the alphabet.

Not knowing where to turn for a good illustrator, Sally attempted some drawings herself. After several efforts she surprised herself at being able to draw characters which she could scan on to her computer to color and manipulate through a drawing program.

As library clerk at her local public school she has many opportunities to read to students and note which books are well received and which are not.

Sally lives with her husband, Ted, and near her grandchildren in Faro, Yukon Territory of Canada, where they serve as missionaries with Send International.

Thanks for a great article. Does anyone like my new bio?

Mitchell Miller was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in 1986 that was discovered in 1997. He wrote 200 articles about traumatic brain injuries, Bear Grylls and the New York Giants on his blog, “Where Did My Brain Go?” from 2007-2010.

Mitchell supports himself writing software in Lexington, Kentucky. In his spare time, he walks around town and writes his second novel.

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This is hugely helpful. I’m writing a bio for my book about selling artwork online.

When not birthing butterflies, wrangling hens, or sitting with cat on lap, Heidi is busy making art from her nature photographs, and teaching others, through her workshops and books, how to make art from the magic in their own lives. Heidi sells her decorative and useful art and craft creations in person at the Pinole Art Center and at her Open Studios. After a few exhausting years on the art fair circuit (pack, haul, unpack, setup, sell, reverse …), Heidi, an unapologetic homebody, prefers to sell her mixed media art online from the comfort of her office (cat on lap, remember?). Heidi sells her work directly through her website, Etsy and Artfire, and is crazy in love with putting her images and designs on Keds shoes, neckties and other useful and decorative products in her Zazzle.com shop.

Bio for children’s book submission…about the various “monsters” that children have to deal with. From bullies to child preditors to the ones that rattle in the night. The book also covers what may have caused someone to become a monster and what that person might secretly be feeling…and if a monster can change.

Jennifer Elaine Sorge worked and taught in early childhood education for over 30 years after graduating in 1987 from an Palomar College with honors. Through the years of being known as Miss Jenny, her compassion for children grew as she witnessed how bullying in schools and abuse within families was increasing. In addition, growing up in a Navy family that moved almost every year, she found herself always being the new kid on the block and subsequently often exposing her first hand to bullying. Jennifer has been a Minneapolis Child Development Examiner for the Examiner.com and is presently working on a curriculum and book for home schooling families.

I really like this, Jennifer. Your work is very important! 🙂

Helped me so much!

This information is really very useful for me. Thank you nery much for such important information.

FOR BEST INFORMATION ABOUT RESUME FORMAT.

Online Article……

[…]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available […]……

You should take part in a contest for among the finest blogs on the web. I’ll suggest this site!

[…] what are your thoughts on first person vs. third person? I found this article, this one and also this one. I need to rewrite my bio. It’s rather boring. David Hopkins is a regular contributor to D […]

Following my own exploration, thousands of persons all over the world get the loan from various banks. So, there is a good chance to receive a collateral loan in all countries.

Oh, sorry that’s for a humorous devotional book.

Am I too late for this game?

Deborah spent her childhood writing stories that made people laugh. Distracted by life the next few decades, it wasn’t until recently that she picked up her pen and got back in the saddle. A barefoot Bohemian, world traveler and beatnik poet, Deborah hangs her hat in her native soil of northeastern Wisconsin with her family. She’s married to her best friend; together they raised four children and spoil two grandchildren. She enjoys camping, hiking, scrapbooking and hanging out with God.

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Regards for sharing How to Write a Terrific Author Bio | Rachelle Gardner with us keep update bro love your article about How to Write a Terrific Author Bio | Rachelle Gardner .

No matter how much I work on this, it still sounds boring to me.

“Joylene Nowell Butler, Métis Canadian, has been writing for 28 years. A retired emergency responder, she was born in Manitoba, moved to Maple Ridge, B.C. as a child, attended Douglas College and Simon Fraser University. She and her husband moved to Pr. George in 1979 with their five sons. In 1992, with their own hands, they built their dream home on Cluculz Lake. In her spare time, Joylene teaches Tai Chi and practices Yoga.”

I think your bio is good! The only thing I would reduce is your moving history. Where is Manitoba, btw? Building your dream home with your own hands was interesting to me! It’s also cool that you’re a retired emergency responder, and I enjoyed hearing you have five sons. I think I got a little lost in the middle with all the places you lived. I’m not sure either, whether you need to include the universities you attended. That’s just my humble opinion! But well done!

Sites we Like……

[…] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose […]……

[…] Agent Rachelle Gardner talks about professional bios for query letters (includes feedback to some examples in the comments). […]

I’m so glad to hear that other people have agonized over the bio. I’ve logged several hours here in starbucks coming up with a few sentences for this thing. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Growing up in the comfortable suburbs of Houston, Texas, Carrie and her family now live in a Chinese city of 9 million people. Living there for almost 7 years, she enjoys eating noodles for breakfast and getting her picture taken by every cell phone sold to a Chinese person. While navigating webs of street vendors and tripping through the Chinese language, she has found grace in unlikely places. “Life Over Here” is her first book.

[…] Rachel Gardner talks about Writing a Terrific Author Bio. Like all her advice, this is pure […]

[…] places you can find specific information such as how to write a strong pitch for your book, or how to write an author bio. Here are the basics. Queries should include the following three […]

Just got word that Opium Magazine will be publishing a 7-line story I sent them a few months ago. They asked for a 50-word bio… glad I keep up with your blog. This post was a big help.

Thanks, Rachelle!

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Thanks, Rachelle! It Is realy hard job – writing an author bio.

Thanks, Rachelle! It IS hard writing an author bio. Here’s my stab at it:

Kristin Weber is a comedian who delights audiences at comedy clubs, conferences, and churches all over the country with her sharp wit and stories about going from a sheltered homeschooler to living in Sodom and Gomorrah (AKA Hollywood). Kristin contributes a monthly column to Susie Magazine, blogs about homeschooling for Heritage Builders, and is a speaker with Apologia Live. You can view stand up clips, articles, and see her performance/speaking schedule at http://www.funnykristin.com

Great bios. And great tips!

Couldn’t resist throwing mine in the mix.

Jo Ann Fore is an inspirational author, speaker, and fun friend. She is passionate about making a difference in the lives of others. Most noted for her authentic vulnerability, Jo Ann captivates her audience with faith-filled messages caramelized with a powerful promise of hope.

Visit Jo Ann at http://www.JoAnnFore.com or http://www.soyouwanttowrite.org .

Great tips, thank you for sharing.

A weird, spastic 12 year old, Luciana is often seen wasting her youth yelling at people via internet or some other strangeness. Every once in a while she writes to escape the daily abuse life foists upon her.

Agh, my age is most certainly not helping me >.> And whatever advantage I might have is quickly disappearing

I have a 100-word bio, but depending on what I’m using it for, I leave segments out of it.

Unless it’s a query letter, I always end with:

‘Jon can usually be found hunched over the computer in his basement office. One day he hopes to figure out how to switch it on.’

I love this! :-))

Thanks, Karen 🙂

My bio changes depending on where I am published. I have funny and serious bios. Some list my publishing credits, some (like the following) don’t.

It is my favorite, however, because it shows the “real” me. I use it for articles published as my local stay-home mom Examiner, on Examiner (dot) com.

Kelly Combs is an over-caffeinated and under-compensated stay home mom who can frequently be found singing at the top of her lungs in her minivan; much to the embarrassment of her 2 daughters.

New to this site and everything about writing a memoir! Sorry to have missed this post yesterday and hope I’m not too late.

Rachelle, I sincerely appreciate the info you share and the opportunity to test the waters and get constructive feedback. Thanks!

Connie, a mom aka The Family Powerbroker, authored daily posts to Caring Bridge.org when her husband, Mike, was instantly paralyzed in a diving accident at Hatteras. Chronicling our journey from quadriplegic to his first three steps and beyond provided an insider view into spinal cord injuries for concerned family and friends and spelled survival from my ringing phone.

Journal entries best read starting with oldest. As recovery progressed Mike used Dragon Speak software to post newest entries.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelburris

Rachelle, Thanks for an informative post. A little preface to what I’ll copy/paste below. This comes from the bio I typically put in a query to an agent for my memoir about how losing my brother led me deeper into Judaism. I’d love to know what you and others think. I tweaked it some – and added two possible paragraphs.

Here it goes:

A veteran journalist, I am The Boston Globe’s former education editor. During my nearly 25-year career as a newspaper reporter and editor, I also worked for The Dallas Morning News and The Orlando Sentinel. I have published several essays related to my memoir, including Sunday magazine pieces in the Globe and the Sentinel.

In 2009, I took a buyout from the Globe to pursue finishing the memoir. I continue to write for several publications, including the Globe’s Sunday magazine, The Writer and The Forward, a national Jewish newspaper. I also am building an audience for my book on my blog, Jewish Muse, A Writer’s Blog on Faith and Family.

[I usually stop with the mention of my blog, and am wondering if I should add the grafs below. I like to keep a query to one page. This would push the limit!]

POSSIBLE ADDS:

National Jewish organizations as well as Tiferet, a spiritual journal, have featured my blog posts, which range from tongue-in-cheek entries about passing along Judaism to my toddler to serious pieces about my journey from grief to faith.

This past year, as a sidelight, I taught public speaking at a state university. I also taught a class on networking at writers’ conferences for Boston’s Grub Street organization, where I occasionally take classes.

**** Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Linda Ps. And thanks to Randy Susan Meyer for tweeting about this. Wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.

This is the one I’ve been using for my current queries for an historical novel. I’m moving from police procedurals to American historicals in the late 19th century and early 20th.

My first historical, a novella PLACING OUT, that follows a boy from New York sent to Nebraska on the Orphan Train who runs away to Hollywood, was published in April of this year. My first novel, L.A. HEAT was published by Alyson Books in 2006 and republished by MLR Press, along with 3 sequels to date, L.A. BONEYARD, L.A. BYTES and BERMUDA HEAT in 2011. Late last year I attended an intensive writing workshop given by best selling author James N. Frey of How to Write a Damn Good Thriller and other writing books. I hope to attend another of Frey’s workshops in the fall. I belong to the Historical Novel Society and attend conferences frequently.

Should it be 50 words or less? Whoops.

Nevermind, I have a different version IN queries. This is a separate bio.

Just a shot at my short bio (unpub – 50 words, right?) – please forgive it, the coffee wasn’t made when I got into the office!! I know, right?! …

Jaime resides in the hills of Wisconsin. She’s wife to a rock climbing youth pastor, mom to a little monkey, and a long-term youth leader. She believes coffee is not just a drink, but a way of life, reinforced by fellow members of ACFW of which she is a member.

Jaime, I think that’s a great bio. The only thing that I found a little odd was the phrase “resides in the hills of”. It gave me a mental picture of you wandering homeless in the hills like an outlaw. Maybe that’s what you intended! 😉

Kristi Belcamino is a writer, photographer, and artist who also bakes a tasty biscotti.

In her former life, as a crime reporter at newspapers in California, she flew over Big Sur in an FA-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca, watched autopsies, and conversed with serial killers.

During her decade covering crime, Belcamino wrote and reported about many high-profile cases including the Laci Peterson murder and Chandra Levy’s disappearance. And because of her police sources, she was one of the first reporters in the country to learn that the passengers on Flight 93 had fought back on 9/11. She has appeared on Inside Edition and local cable television shows. Her work has appeared in such prominent publications as the Miami Herald, San Jose Mercury News, and Chicago Tribune. Belcamino has won numerous awards for her writing from such organizations as the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the East Bay Press Club.

She recently finished writing her first novel, inspired by her life as a Bay Area newspaper reporter. Her perfect day involves spending time with her family while dining alfresco with lots of food, wine, and laughter. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and children.

Alright. Here’s my working bio…

Brittany grew up in the tiny town of Early, Texas (And yes, early, on time, late—she’s heard just about every pun imaginable). She graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Theatre. In college, she spent her time getting very little sleep, making friends while making theatre, traveling, and realizing that maybe playwriting wasn’t the best career path if she only wanted to write about characters with supernatural abilities. It was during her time backpacking in Europe that her dabbling in playwriting became dabbling in fiction, and one weekend in Istanbul, The Keeper was born.

This is far too long and I guess I could stand still a minute and let total strangers have a whack at cutting it down. I should probably squeeze in there somewhere that I’m a 2011 Genesis Finalist and that I am prepared to send sinfully good, warm cinnamon rolls with my manuscript to the next Pub Board meeting, but I suspect this bio already borders on being a novel in itself.

= = = = = = =

Camille has a PhD in Learning Stuff the Hard Way. She’s acquainted with dysfunction, despair, surrender, and the incredible hope that comes from knowing Christ. A cynic saved by grace, Camille sometimes remembers to turn that amazing grace around and use it on others.

Obsessed with the craft of writing, Camille is a member of the Oregon Christian Writers and the American Christian Fiction Writers. Camille has attended several large and local writing conferences. She belongs to critique groups and Christian writing communities that cultivate literary excellence.

Camille lives in Oregon with her hero and two of their three college-aged kids. By day she’s a church office manager. When she’s not pounding the keyboard, they let her play bass guitar and sing in the worship band. While she loves Harleys, Classic Rock, muscle cars and action flicks, she is also a closet romantic and passable Jane Austen fan.

I like the first line of your first paragraph. Camille has a PhD in Learning Stuff the Hard Way.

I would add that to your third paragraph and cut the second paragraph.Or just shorten the second paragraph to say, Camille is a member of Oregon Christian Writers and ACFW.

Congrats on being a finalist! That’s a huge accomplishment.

Good call, Melissa. Where should I send the cinnamon rolls? 😀

Now I might have to go bake a batch. lol

I love cinnamon rolls, better add an extra mile to my run. Glad I could help. 🙂

This is just a little bio I whipped up when my crit partner asked me for one to put on our website. I’m not published (yet–waiting on editor/agent responses on requested fulls, so fingers crossed)so I don’t have as much to say as I would like to. Here it is:

Sister, daughter, cousin, mother Single, white, female, other Waitress, student, writer, reader Sarcastic, funny, part-time leader Arachnophobic soldier of one Se moi, es fin, and now I’m done

I know this is longer than it ought to be, but don’t know what should be cut. Ah, well… here goes:

For the past decade I’ve freelanced for various Canadian magazines while writing my novels. Three of my articles have been finalists in the Surrey International Conference writing contests. In addition to being a member of the Federation of BC Writers, the Langley Writers’ Guild and the Golden Ears Writers’ Critique, I am a pastor’s wife and retired schoolteacher. I am active in the sport of purebred dogs as a breeder, exhibitor and professional dog show superintendent. I was also the canine consultant for the movie, “Best In Show”. My experience in the purebred dog fancy is reflected in most of my novels.

Nikole Hahn lives in Northern Arizona and is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers. She is a book reviewer, avid blogger, and coffee addict.

I wish I had time to comment on more of these – I really loved reading them. Thanks to everyone who participated!

I’ll give it a whirl. Non-fiction bio. 🙂

Jenny Lee Sulpizio, M.S. is a wife, business owner, published children’s author, and mother of three residing in Boise, Idaho. Originally stuck in a secular world, Jenny has emerged to find her rightful place in Christianity with the whole-hearted desire to spread its message with the world, one woman at a time. It is through her experiences as a small group teacher, seminar leader, charitable fundraising fanatic, and slightly crazed (and definitely outnumbered) mom that Jenny has come to gain the necessary insight and willingness to share her journey into Christianity.

Jenny is not Joyce Meyer, nor is she even remotely related to Beth Moore, but she is real, tangible, and able to effectively communicate her message with other women in a fun and humorous manner. In her free time (yeah, right), Jenny loves to scrapbook, craft and use the right side of her brain whenever possible. You can find out more about her and her upcoming projects at http://www.jennysulpizio.com

Okay…here’s mine. I’d love some feedback:

Layla Fiske, a graduate of San Diego State University, lives on the beautiful California Coast. As a young girl, she would sit at her grandmother’s knee and hear many heartfelt tales about life in the Middle East. Inspired by those stories, she has taken a pinch of fact and a cup of fiction to weave a tapestry of love, hope, pain and redemption in her debut novel, THE FIG ORCHARD.

When she’s not writing, Layla can be found walking on the beach in Del Mar with her soul mate and husband of thirty-six years.

This is the most useful thing I’ve read all day. =)

Great advice! I am your newest follower. I will need to know how to do this when I publish my first book.

This is fun. This is my bio on Twitter and blogger.

Melissa K. Norris is a Christian fiction romance author, blogger, clearance rack fashionista, cattle owner, pickling machine and quilter. Her newspaper column, Pioneering Today, bridges the past to now.

This is a GREAT post. I will definitely use it as a checklist in the future!

This is what I’ve got on my blog right now, and assumes that anybody who stumbles across it won’t have any idea who I am. It’s obvious many details would be shortened were this to appear on a book jacket, or even on my website were I more well-known. It’s definitely a draft:

“I write. I also work full-time in an academic library while studying for my Master’s in that field. As a result, when it comes to writing, I’m concentrating right now on perfecting my craft before trying for the limelight. Most of my stories are science fiction or fantasy or some strange combination of the two. Life is busy. I intend to balance it all anyway.

That all sounds so serious business! It’s a bit goofier inside my head, although it can take a while to come out around new people. Besides writing and SFF, I really love dolphins, dinosaurs, penguins, sewing, the ocean and the stars, and studying ancient religions. I’m a dog person with a black panther of a kitten, eight million types of tea, and enough books and movies to make moving not very fun, though I’m trying to minimalize.”

This is excellent advice. Thank you so much for posting it. I’m going to work on a “professional” bio and then I’ll post it. May I feature this post on my blog and link back to you?

The Write Soil

What a great idea! Thanks for the opportunity to hone this part of my query, Rachel.

For my latest novel, a YA paranormal murder mystery with a mermaid element, I shortened my bio from the one I used for my earlier works (legal thrillers) to this:

I’m a lawyer, struggling to overcome that handicap. I’ve represented lots of kids caught in the juvenile justice system, too many. My publishing credits to date are all non-fiction, limited to the legal field. The topics, ranging from the corpus delicti of murder to trial procedure and lawyer ethical dilemmas, creep into my fiction. I began adult life in graduate school in comparative literature, where I helped edit an international literary journal. I’ve also been editor-in-chief of a regional lawyer publication, and I’m a frequent speaker at lawyer groups. I live, read, paint and write by the sea.

Still too much?

I appreciate any and all insight.

@hiccupcricket

Okay, let me have it….lol

Now a little bit about me. My name is (@#^&%$#). I’m forty five years old and I spend most of my time running heavy machinery. I have won two poetry contests and I have written numerous short stories. In the past nine months I have found the time to write two novels. While I have always had a reputation for being a unique storyteller, this is only my second foray into the world of full length manuscripts. I have never submitted any short stories for publication, but I have featured some of them on my blog. (www.wizardofotin.blogspot.com)

I have always written for me. The thought of going through the publication process had never really crossed my mind until recently. With so many blog followers urging me to do so, I had to try. I decided to put blogging on hold to pursue novel writing.

My bio is a bit bland. It could use some personality.

Lisa Jordan has been writing for over a decade, taking a hiatus to earn her degree in early childhood education. By day, she operates an in-home family childcare business. By night, she writes contemporary Christian romances. Being a wife to her real-life hero and mother to two young adult men overflow her cup of blessings. In her spare time, she loves reading, knitting, and hanging out with family and friends. Learn more about her at http://www.lisajordanbooks.com

Great post, Rachelle!

I personally love your bio. I think it has tons of personality! I love the “being a wife to a real-life hero.” Makes me wonder if there is a story there. 🙂

Great pointers, Rachelle. Thanks!

I tend to tweak my bio depending on where it goes, but it usually includes some of the same information across the board. Here’s what I have posted on my group blog:

Sarah Forgrave writes lighthearted romance with Amish flavor. Drawing from her experience as a seasoned “road apple” avoider and a waitress at the Buggy Wheel Restaurant, she likes to relate stories about modern people living in Amish-centric settings.

She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and was a runner-up in the 2010 Genesis contest. She’s also a regular contributor to the webzine Ungrind and maintains a blog on her website, where she hosts monthly giveaways. When she’s not in front of the computer writing, she enjoys being a stay-at-home mom to her two young children and cheering on Colts football with her husband in their Midwest home.

Sarah, I love the bit about avoiding “rode apples.” It shows your humor.

This is such an important topic. Thanks for highlighting it 🙂

Another smartass reporting for duty. Here’s the author bio from my website:

Lucy writes sharp, contemporary fiction, usually with a liberal splatter of filth. She is also a publishing intern.

She lives at a pub in England, which may or may not explain her perverse sense of humor. When not torturing her characters, she dabbles in the dark arts of baking and dancing. She is still trying to kick her dirty Pepsi habit.

Initially, Lucy thought that talking about herself in the third person would seem pretentious, but finds she is DRUNK ON THE POWER.

She will now be going for a lie down.

Barbara Jean Byrem is a self proclaimed word junkie, who loves the sound of her own voice. Don’t let her near an open mike or blank piece of paper. After brief engagements in many of the United States, she is making her way around the world a few years at a time. Currently her residence is in the Caribbean with the love of her life and a laptop.

Regina Sokas’ articles have appeared in newspapers across the country, from the Portland Oregonian to the Staten Island Advance and the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The latter is particularly wonderful to say aloud. Most recently, her slightly skewed love poems were published in the April 2011 anthology Life In Me Like Grass On Fire. She is a Johns Hopkins-trained psychotherapist. (One word. Not two.) This is her first novel.

I don’t even know what the book is about and this makes me want to read it! We could be kindred spirits in appearing in newspapers and anthologies. I, however, am not a psychotherapist (whether one word or two).

I’ve been asked to provide different bios: magazine, website, nonfiction book, fiction book, book proposal, speaker bio . . . I’ve started saving them in a file. Here’s my most recent take on a professional bio:

Beth K. Vogt’s book Baby Changes Everything: Embracing and Preparing for Motherhood after 35 offers practical advice for late-in-life moms. Beth edits Connections, Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) International’s leadership magazine. She writes a bimonthly column for MOMSnext, an e-zine for moms of school-age children. She’s published in a variety of magazines, as well as Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Tribute to Moms and The Mommy Diaries. Beth and her husband Rob treasure their four children and son- and daughter-in-love.

I like the bio! I would consider adding commas before and after the book title. I had to read that line a couple times. Otherwise I really like it! 🙂

I’ve used a basic, pretty dry bio for my freelance writing for a long time. It didn’t occur to me that I could have a little fun with it!

Sarah Thomas is a poet, freelance writer and novelist with a degree in English, a beloved husband and a dog named Thistle. She has published in several literary journals and is a regular contributor to Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine.

Okay, not crazy fun, but a LITTLE more interesting!

Noticing a theme as I read all these – I seem to be a huge sucker for bios that mention dogs (like this one!), family life, or gardens.

Wonder if similar “points of contact” resonate with certain audiences? Maybe writing a successful bio needs to take audience into acct as well? Ie, maybe a romance writer might want to mention (lightly! with humor!) an anecdote re relationships?

I’ve always wondered just what should go into a bio, because each one seems so diverse. But for what it is worth, here is mine:

Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town more densely populated with cows than people. Taking the words and stories God has placed on her heart and putting them on paper is one of her highest passions in life. Casey is a member of ACFW. You can connect with her through her personal blog, Writing for Christ and her writing related group blog, The Writer’s Alley

Thanks for posting about this. I’m often baffled when expected to include a bio when I haven’t been published yet. I’m looking forward to reading what everyone else is commenting.

I have had trouble with this. I’m getting ready to query a novel which I wrote, but there is historical input by my husband, Eric. This is how our bio appears on my blog, but I will change it to first person in the query letter.

By Loree Huebner with Eric Huebner

Loree has had a love affair with American history all of her life. She writes historical fiction and inspirational romance, mainly Civil War era. She shares this passion for history and writing along with her husband, Eric. Together, they have made the Civil War period a personal study and hobby. Loree and Eric are both active Union Civil War re-enactors with the 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Company E, and the 21st Indiana Light Artillery.

Loree and Eric Huebner are published in the Indiana Historical Society’s Spring 2011 issue/June 2011 – of the IHS’s quarterly magazine, Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. The ten page Civil War article is titled, The Bravest Of The Brave, The Battle History Of The 9th Indiana.

Here’s another, a short paragraph for use in query letters:

As an appellate attorney, I write persuasive prose for a living. I have had one law review article published in two publications (in an online law review, and as the featured article in our state bar association’s monthly magazine). I have been addicted to reading since approximately age seven.

Question: if I’m querying re a science fiction novel, should I add something to the last sentence about reading SF specifically?

Karen, I like the line about writing persuasive prose given that you’re an attorney, but unless you’re writing legal thrillers, I’d probably leave out the article publications.

Do you have any short story or contest wins you could include instead? It would reinforce your SF connection.

Ref: book jacket bio Nice. You sound approachable and interesting.

I’m a smartass. So here’s my bio:

Michael Offutt is a writer of epic fantasy. Depending on when you catch him, he may also be an aspiring writer of science-fiction, young adult fiction, or a daily non-sequitur. He has one brother, no pets, and a few roots that keep his tree of life sufficiently watered.

Mr. Offutt’s mother is a four-foot tall Japanese woman and his father is a six-foot tall white man from Texas with a thick southern drawl. She loves city life and sushi. He loves small towns with run-down pick-up trucks and fried chicken.

When he asked his mother how they got together, she happily responded that when she was working in the United States Air Force back in the ’50’s, she used her spare time as an office clerk at the Air Force Base to look over personnel records for a husband. He remarks that peculiar behavior like this must have been how people met each other prior to the influence of Facebook and Twitter. It puzzles him whenever he thinks about it, so he chooses instead to just love his stalker mother who speaks quite fondly of the family to the fictional people that live in the basement.

Things you may want to know about the author:

1) Mr. Offutt’s day job is working for the State of Utah. In his own words, he says, “I help people get computers for their home and school that could otherwise not afford them. I also install environmental control units, voice-activated devices, and work with computers and electronics. Generally, I fix stuff when something goes wrong with it.”

2) He enjoys writing, reading, and keeps a blog to regale scores of followers with his wit.

3) He feels like he has an unhealthy preoccupation with caffeine.

4) If the world were to be scientifically verified to end tomorrow, Mr. Offutt would eat chocolate cake until he passed out. That way he wouldn’t have to worry about fitting into his pants the next day.

There’s some great material here, but this is LONG. For book jackets, query letters, or a publisher’s publicity campaign, you’d need shorter versions, I believe.

This is a fun bio that would be good on your blog – but nowhere else, please!

My novels contain a lot of humor, so I felt my bio should be mildly amusing:

“Darlene Marshall is an award-winning author of historical romance featuring pirates, privateers, smugglers and the occasional possum. She loves working at a job where business attire is shorts and a shirt festooned with pink flamingos. Her books have been published in English, German, and Estonian. Seriously.”

Darlene, I love it! Opposums–grin

See? That’s exactly the response I hope for. I want you to be intrigued enough to say, “Hmmm..her books have pirates and humor, and probably a tropical setting because she wears flamingo shirts and shorts while writing.”

The other key concepts I try to get across are that I’ve won awards for my work (true) and that publishers find me enough of a valuable commodity that they publish me in foreign editions. I want to give readers some assurance that I’m not a lightweight amateur, but someone whose work they can buy with confidence of a light but entertaining read.

Thanks for the feedback!

This is extremely useful information. Thank you.

I’ve not added a bio to my query (I’ve only sent a few out) because I have no writing credits. Following are two I wrote after reading your post and would love constructive feedback. I write southern fiction with a healthy dose of humor. The book I am currently querying is based in Nashville.

3rd PERSON BIO (48 words) A born and bred Southern belle with a passion for writing, Kay lives in Nashville with her husband, her stepson, and her imagination. She blogs three times a week at Kay Elam Writes, and is a member of MWA, SinC, and the critique group Step by Step.

QUERY LETTER BIO (47 words) I’ve lived in the south my entire life and in Nashville long enough to consider it my hometown. I’ve blogged three times a week for almost a year and am a member of MWA, SinC, the Nashville Writers MeetUp Group, and the critique group Step by Step.

Thanks in advance for Query feedback ☺ Great post!

Here’s the basic one I tweak for various things – would love suggestions!

Audrey Wilde is pretty sure she was born to tell stories, but keeps getting distracted. She was pleased to discover recently that drafts of short fiction may be penned during boring work conferences, and editing can occur amidst the daily chaos she calls her life. With no shortage of boring work conferences, she hopes to be submitting many more stories in the future. She lives in the Southeastern United States with one husband, one daughter, one son, and one imperious cat.

Very entertaining. I like it. -Elizabeth

Thanks for the opportunity, Rachel. I’m not sure what type of bio this is, but it could be for the back flap.

Zan Marie Steadham is the author of two devotionals— An Easter Walk and A Christmas Walk , and was nominated in 2009 for the Georgia Author of the Year Award for An Easter Walk . She is a member of ACW and two critique groups—Carrollton Creative Writing Club and the Book and Writers Forum. Currently, she is writing a contemporary novel about a retired teacher and an abused foster child. Her other works in progress include a SF trilogy and a devotional titled The Valley Walk .

I think this bio works beautifully for most any venue. Well done.

Thanks, that’s good to know. Did you notice our names are almost alike, but in reverse order? ; )

Author bio for near future query – looking forward to constructive critiques.

As an unpublished novelist, I wrote what I know (advice I’ve heard repeatedly) and researched the rest. I spent hours with a Suffolk County Homicide Detective to assure procedures and details were accurate and realistic. I’m the newsletter editor and a board member for the Long Island Authors Group. Professional memberships include: Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. I graduated CUNY Queens College with a BA in English Literature. My professional website is in place, and I have a written business plan. My blog, Facebook page, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts are all in various stages of construction.

Here are some comments I hope help. 🙂

>>As an unpublished novelist, I wrote what I know (advice I’ve heard repeatedly) and researched the rest. I spent hours with a Suffolk County Homicide Detective to assure procedures and details were accurate and realistic. –I think you can leave this all out. Presumably an agent would know to write what you know. Marking out that you did the research you needed I think may have the opposite effect of what you intended, making you look more “green” than “professional”. It’s better, I think, that research be invisible than have attention drawn to it. Similarly I think a lot of agents will assume you’re unpublished unless you say otherwise so you may not have to start with pointing it out. Try to find something more entertaining or unique (in the good way) to start out with. You may be able to tie the research you did into that.

>>I’m the newsletter editor and a board member for the Long Island Authors Group. Professional memberships include: Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. I graduated CUNY Queens College with a BA in English Literature. –Sounds fine to me.

>>My professional website is in place, and I have a written business plan. My blog, Facebook page, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts are all in various stages of construction. –I would be careful with this. Include the link to your professional website with your other contact information. I’m not sure a written business plan is the best thing an author can point out (so many things in this business are out of your control) but maybe some or many agents would feel differently. I would strongly advise you don’t point out things that are “in various stages of construction.” Most social media is a work in progress. If it’s not something “ready” for an agent to see you may want to work on it a little more before querying.

Hope that’s been constructive for you. 🙂

I couldn’t resist writing two bios- one fun and the other serious.

For young adults: Elizabeth ran from the family writing curse for almost 25 years. One day she took a look back, stumbled and fell, and was swallowed whole. The curse drove her to choose a favorite pen and glue it to her hand, to become a member of the ACFW, and to become the Birmingham Gluten Free Examiner for Examiner.com. When she’s not thinking about writing fairy tales, she’s thinking about bacteria and whether or not to trust college kids with Bunsen burners.

Serious: Elizabeth is a professional staff member at a beautiful southern university. She is a member of ACFW and is the Birmingham Gluten Free Examiner for Examiner.com.

Love it! Great voice! -LJ

I really love your first one. It had personality and I think many people (other than young adults) would find it funny and quirky. It still has the perfect amount seriousness and information though! GREAT JOB!!

Great advice. Wish I had read this last week. Love it so much I linked this to Twitter.

Darrell B Nelson is a former Securities Broker and Insurance Agent who decided to use the total meltdown of his former industry as an opportunity to pursue a writing career.

Love it. And love he topic

This is the only “bio” that I have needed to write: http://chaoticmusing.wordpress.com/about/

I’m still new to some of this, and my bio wasn’t very good. I wrote a new one. Any feedback is appreciated:

Like most writers, John Waverly lives a triple-life. By day he is a software designer for Fortune 500 companies. By evening he is a coach/taxi driver/chef/referee/maid/psychologist to four wonderful children and tries to complete something off his honey-do list every once in awhile. At night, he writes modern stories full of action and magic.

Thanks Rachelle and Maril for your positive feedback. I updated my bio in several places to use this one.

I really did like this one.

Thanks for the tips! I try to customize my bio for different things.

Christine Rains is a geek, writer and stay-at-home mom. She has four degrees which help not at all with motherhood, but all that knowledge makes her a great Jeopardy player. She has ten short stories published and four forthcoming. You can see her complete bibliography on her website.

This is nice!

I like it very much. Do you biography or bibliography?

A good post with great tips. And i hope that everyone had a great July 4. Richard from the Amish settlement of Lebanon,Pa

I customize my bios according to venue, but this is the one I like the best.

Maria Zannini used to save the world from bad advertising, but now she spends her time wrangling chickens, and fighting for a piece of the bed against dogs of epic proportions. Occasionally, she writes novels.

I like! (Would I be correct in assuming that your novels are not gloomy and angst-ridden?)

You would be very much correct. 🙂

“dogs of epic proportions” – I almost hurt myself laughing at that. I can so relate.

Think I had bio and CV mixed up in my head. Plan to enjoy making myself sound a lot more interesting!

I am a former journalist, but my current day job is in information security for a regional bank. Or, as my son could say even at age three, “Daddy keeps people’s money safe.” I have written three books, all released by small publishers: “Haunting Valley,” a collection of fictional ghost stories centered around my home town; “Scrappy Business Contingency Planning,” which teaches corporate BCP professionals how to prepare for bad things; and “Scrappy Information Security,” which teaches us all how to keep the cyber-criminals away. Other than that, I spend my spare time rasslin’ with three young’uns.

I like the level of detail, and I’m intrigued by the books you’ve published! I do wonder why you’re mentioning that your books were all published by “small publishers.”

Karen, I do that to head off the question, “Are they self-published?” My assumption (perhaps incorrect) is that if you’ve been published by one of the majors, then you already have representation, rather than are seeking it.

If the consensus is that I should not even open that can of worms, then consider your comment to be advice well taken.

Regards, Michael

I like that you included “small publishers” which suggests that maybe those books weren’t self-published so at least I get a better sense of your publishing history. I think it’s probably unnecessary to include all three titles. Perhaps include your best one, and then say “and two additional novels.” Under your signature, you can include a link that says, “See Michael’s books on Amazon.”

Okay, I’ll play, but I will have to work on this and come back later.

20 or 30 things I am willing to share about myself? Gag. This may take awhile, even knowing I will be able to delete most of them in the polish.

I’ll have to really think about that author bio. I’d use a nom de plume. I’m a private person. That’s what’s great about ghostwriting. Someone else’s name gets Googled, and it’s not mine. 🙂

Here is the bio from my first book, a memoir – Deep Country; Five Years in the Welsh Hills. (Written by my editor, not by me.) ‘Neil Ansell now lives in Brighton but still regularly visits the cottage at Penlan in Wales. Since the years he spent there, he has become an award-winning journalist with the BBC.’

This works really well.

Aimee L. Salter heralds from the Pacific Northwest, but has been sighted in such exotic locations as New Zealand and Mongolia. A self-proclaimed coffee officianado, she channels the excess energy to wrangle her young son – and write books she hopes his girlfriend will read when he’s in high school.

I really liked this bio — the tone, the scope, the humor and the ambition! A couple of technical points: I believe “hails” may be what you meant by “heralds”, and “aficionado” is spelled, well, “aficionado.”

Aimee-LOVE the bio and your sense of humor. 🙂 Great job.

Mary Aris was born in Miami, Florida and raised in New Jersey. She has written over a thousand poems. Two in particular, ‘Phoenix Rising’ and ‘Fire in the Sky’,in memory of the victims of the World Trade Centre were published in the local papers, ‘The Jersey Journal’ and ‘The West New York Reporter’. Melodies of the Heart is Mary’s first published book featuring twenty-nine of her best poems on the subject of love. Mary worked as a Library Assistant at the West New York Public Library for twenty years. She lives in England with her husband, Alexander.

One of Rona Go’s favorite phrases is from a study of Dostoevsky’s work by William Hamilton — Banished from the land of unity — inspiring her ideas of a protagonist as one who is heroic and dark at the same time and her preference for a villain as your regular villain but with a heart.

With a strong background in Philosophy and Theology, Rona Go envisions her writing career positioned in the general market with the elements of her Christian faith experience as her potent trademark.

“My novel moved to the second round at Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award 2011. The novel is also written as a Musical with great original melodic songs. My education includes a PhD from NYU and I’m a nice man”

That’s what I put in the section of “author bio” at the end of my query. It’s definetly not terrific, but my education, experience and work have nothing to do with my debut commercial novel.

Based on some discussion on this point at the Southern Kentucky Writers’ Conference, I’d recommend against mentioning the ABNA second round. Those familiar with the ABNA competition will know that making the second round is about your pitch, rather than your partial or full MS. But I’d be interested in hearing contrary views (including whether it’d be worth mentioning having made it to the 3rd level, based on partials, but no further…).

Thanks Karen, and you are right that moving to the second round is based on the pitch only. I almost moved to the third based on the excerpt (got good reviews), but one reviewer didn’t understand to where the storyline is going (which you can’t know without reading also the pitch). I changed the end of chapter 1 to solve this confusion. Personally, I don’t think that moving to the second round at ABNA is a big accomplishment, but that’s is the only thing I have to put that is relevant for fiction writing. Best wishes with your novel.

I have a pretty standard one I tend to use for most things… I don’t think it’s particularly ‘wow’, but it says stuff about me.

‘Kate Larkindale is a currently Wellington based writer, cinema manager, film reviewer and mother to two boys. She’s constantly amazed she has any time to write, but doesn’t sleep much. As a result, she can usually be found with a cup of strong espresso in her hand’.

Consider removing this part of this sentence. “She’s constantly amazed she has any time to write, but”.

Instead replace it with “Kate doesn’t sleep much. …”

I found myself stumbling over the sentence as is–I think because it was referencing two different actions. Changing it to “Kate doesn’t sleep much.” it flows more naturally to the next sentence.

I am a full-time HR Business Analyst and a part-time writer; a Canadian currently living in Washington state with my husband and our two doted-upon Yorkshire Terriers. I’m working on a memoir about my journey as an adoptee to find healing from deep and unrecognized grief. My story is one of loss and reunion; secrecy and truth; and ultimately faith and redemption. I nourish my muse with caramel frappuchinos and Yankee Candles and when I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time back in Canada with my husband, our children, and our two brilliant grandchildren.

Question. I’ve done a lot of querying online, and so my bio, such as it is, is in the email. My one publishing credit is with an online literary journal. So, when I put the site of journal in the email, I could set it to link to that journal. Should I? On the one hand, that seems presumptuous and why would they bother to go see it? I mean, they might, but seems unlikely. But on the other hand, in this digital age, links seems the norm. I mean, if they wanted to check my credential, isn’t that simpler?

Of course, I’ve got only one credit. Putting the link also struck me as a bit over the top. LOOK! SEE! I’VE GOT A CREDIT!

Anyway, I’ve no read guideline about this at all.

Sure, include the link. It’s helpful, if they do want to go check it out.

As a publisher, I ALWAYS check out any writing that has been cited in a query letter. A link is helpful, but if it is not there, I will google it — and find out much more about the author along the way. I check the popularity of an author’s previous work. (Often the author overstates; I am impressed when an author is fully honest even if a previous book has not set any records.) Remember, anything about you on the Internet is available to a potential publisher. Be careful what you put out that, and assume that anything you write in a cover letter or query will be checked out by an astute publisher. (I am probably one of the few editors who will actually provide critical feedback to new writers, including what I found out online where there is a discrepancy.)

Thank you for the reply. I didn’t mean to suggest I wouldn’t be truthful. I teach and I google student papers often to check for plagiarism and things. I don’t know why anyone would lie in the cover/query letter. It’s wrong and you get caught.

I just wondered if it is seen as a help to put the link in my email to make a publishers job easier, or is that seen as pushy?

I can only speak for myself. I don’t consider it pushy; I consider it informative and helpful. (Obviously, most people do not lie in their queries; however, some will say or imply that they have had a “successful” book published — or not note that the book that was published was actually self-published — wherein they define “success” as 25-100 copies sold. Just saying…)

For cover copy on non-fiction book on minerals in everyday life:

Richard I. Gibson is a consulting geologist and historian. After four years analyzing the mineralogy of kidney stones, he entered the oil exploration business as a geophysicist, a professional career that spans more than 35 years. As a geological educator, he has informed audiences ranging from elementary school children to State Geologists of the United States. He’s been a geological Study Leader on Smithsonian Journeys and the Education Director at the World Museum of Mining. Gibson taught college field geology for 14 summers, and explains history, geology, and current events on tours in and around his home town, Butte, Montana.

I really struggle with this one….Kristen Lamb has some interesting and helpful tips for writing a bio. Keli Gwyn wrote an awesome post about bio writing recently as well. Here’s the link if anybody wants to check it out: http://keligwyn.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/improving-your-author-bio/

Here’s the bio I sent to my publisher:

Katie Ganshert graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in education. She was born and raised in the Midwest, where she lives with her husband, their young son, and their goofy black lab, Bubba. She’s thankful God gave her a husband who suffers through romantic movies, loves talking with her girlfriends about God, life, and books, and is often spotted around town walking her dog, pushing a stroller, and reading all at the same time. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner with Wordserve Literary and blogs at: http://www.katieganshert.blogspot.com

You know, I don’t like it anymore. At least not the first line. Who cares where I graduated? Wonder if it’s too late to change….

Katie, I hate to tell you this and it might be too late, but it sounds like your husband enjoys talking to your girlfriends . . . might want to work on that sentence. I love the info you’ve included, though.

But I LOVE your website. Please tell me who designed that for you. Thanks!

Well at least he’s talking to them about God. That should make it a little easier to bear.

I agree that the bio should fit the style of the book. For example, if the book is humorous or quirky, then a serious bio seems out of place. And if you’re researching Greek history, then mentioning your love of Sci-Fi is a bit odd. I enjoy the quirky bios most, but that’s just my preference. 🙂

Lucille is a counselor and an affiliate faculty member at Colorado Christian University. She has a passion for helping hurting people and is currently working on a book about self-care. On a typical day you may find her walking her son’s dog Chipotle, reading, writing, grading, and seeing clients. She loves good coffee, fly-fishing, Honey Nut Cheerios, and belly laughter.

Hi. I would consider changing “helping hurting people” to helping hurt people or wounded people or something else. I found that I stumbled the two h—ing words together.

One counselor to another… 🙂

Gillian Marchenko holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications with an emphasis on writing from Moody Bible Institute. Her work has appeared in “Mom Sense Magazine”, “EFCA Today” and The Four Cornered Universe, a digital literary magazine. She is a Chicago Special Needs Parent Examiner for Examiner.com and has contributed on-line to Chicago Moms Blog and Grown in My Heart, an adoption network. Currently, Gillian is finishing a memoir entitled “KRASATA, A Memoir of Motherhood, Down syndrome and Unexpected Beauty” about giving birth to her daughter Polly and her diagnosis of Down syndrome in the former Soviet Union.

“holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications with an emphasis on writing from Moody Bible Institute.”

You might change the modifier, as this could be read to imply that you “write from” the Moody Bible Institute. Maybe put “with an emphasis on writing” in parentheses in order to make clear that it is the degree that is from Moody. Or put the “emphasis on writing” after Moody.

For a picture book query letter: “My previous work includes the picture book KA’IMI’S FIRST ROUND-UP (Island Heritage, 2008), as well as an adult nonfiction book, also with Island Heritage, for which I won the Hawaii Literary Arts Council’s Elliott Cades award in 2007, considered the state’s top literary honor. I’m also an award-winning journalist, working as a staff writer for The Maui News for the past 10 years, and have freelanced for local and national magazines.”

Thanks for any feedback!

I like this. It’s to the point and speaks specifically to the genre you write.

I might delete this part “working as a staff writer” because it sounds redundant, but other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing.

“for which I won the Hawaii Literary Arts Council’s Elliott Cades award in 2007, considered the state’s top literary honor.”

I would suggest dropping the “considered”, as it weakens the phrase and might come off as defensive explanation.

For a book jacket for a science fiction novel: “Karen Wyle has been reading science fiction nonstop for some decades. The day she met her husband, they spent two hours talking about Robert Heinlein. Eventually, inevitably, she ended up writing science fiction. Karen is also a photographer, writes picture books, follows politics obsessively, and practices law. She has two daughters who are also writers and artists.”

This is my favorite out of all the ones posted so far. I like the way you’ve personalized it with the detail of how you and husband first met. This is intriguing, different, creative and still manages to tell me that you are a kickbutt sci-fi writer. (now im going to run off and tweak my own bio since Ive been inspired by yours! Thank you for sharing it.)

This author bio seemed a little personal to me. In my opinion it should be more about hobbies, awards, and education than your husband and how many boooks you have read.

Not everyone has awards and education to add. Just because you are published does not mean you spent x years in school earning x, y, or z degree. I like this style because the reader will remember it. I could care less how many letters a writer has after their name unless I am reading a medical book.

Agreed. If it is nonfiction, I wannna know you have some credentials to teach me or sway my opinion. If it’s fiction, I just want to know that you’ll tell me a great story.

Boby—go home. I think your pants need to be changed

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What to include in the author bio for your book.

Back Cover Bio

There’s not much space on the back cover so every word counts there. Keep a cover bio short and sweet and related to the book. Avoid wasting space on mundane details like where you live or how many animals you have, unless it’s relevant to the subject matter of the book. This is the place to mention your qualifications for writing the book and also to include a website address. This is a big missed opportunity I see too often! If you have a website, list it on the back cover of your book!

About the Author Bio

For the “About the Author” section at the back of the book, anything goes. Of course it should be interesting to read so you don’t want to write a mini-memoir, but you can expand on details. Here are items to consider including in your bio:

• Professional background
• Current business or profession
• Achievements or awards
• Previous publishing experience
• Personal details (family, city of residence, personal interests, etc.)
• Contact information (you want readers to reach out to you, right? Include your website URL and optionally include an e-mail address and phone number.)
• Professional photo (please, please, please don’t crop yourself out of a group photo or use something that looks unprofessional!)

Lastly, consider adding a call to action. If your book relates to your business, use the final pages to mention your products and services or make a special offer for readers. This is prime real estate and a chance for you to generate more business as a result.

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Back Cover Copy Includes the Book Summary and Author Bio

Once you wow your potential readers with an excellent front cover , the next part of your book that’ll hook them is your back cover copy, which is publishing speak for the information that appears on the back cover. This information usually falls into one of three parts: the sales handle (a one-sentence “Buy me!” piece at the top of the page), a couple paragraphs—usually similar to a book summary—and a shortened version of your author bio.

The goal of your back cover is to turn a book browser into a book buyer. That means you have a limited amount of space to tell a potential reader why your book is worth their time and money. Think that most people buy books online, so they won’t ever see your back cover? The same copy is often used by online retailers when your book is listed on their sites.

Even though you don’t have to write a lot, each word is vital. Back cover copy is sales copy, which means it has to be written with different considerations in mind than what you might put in a quick book summary. Because you’re so close to your book, it’s difficult to know what to include—and what to leave out. That’s why an objective party who’s read your book is the best person to write your back cover copy.

How your back cover copy is written depends on whether you write fiction or nonfiction.

Fiction Back Cover Copy

For fiction, this is your opportunity to introduce characters, setting, plot, and the overarching themes of the book, usually framed around the main character’s driving goal throughout the story. Although it should give a broad overview of the story, it should never contain spoilers for the book. Think of your back cover copy like a movie trailer, giving enough details to interest readers, but not so much to spoil their fun.

Fiction Example

Below are a few examples of back cover copy for fiction. The third example shows how part of the back cover copy (the author bio, in this case) can show up on the inside flap of a hard cover book.

Nonfiction Back Cover Copy

For nonfiction, establishing yourself as an expert and differentiating your book from the others written about the same topic will help sell your book. Your back cover copy should answer “Why should I read this book instead of that other one on the same subject?”

If you’re a professor on the subject you’ve written about, for example, your job establishes you as an expert. If you’ve authored another book or won awards, these are also selling points. But establishing you’re worth listening to is only half of the back cover copy: you also have to show why your book is the book to read on your topic.

Remember, almost every potential reader will see your back cover—whether in person or online—so both your back cover copy and author biography need to fit together to really draw in your audience.

Nonfiction Example

Below are a few examples of back cover copy for nonfiction.

How Mill City Press Helps

Mill City Press knows how difficult it can be to write effective back cover copy—and how important it can be to your book’s success. Our experienced team can craft a back cover copy for you , saving you the hassle and headache while giving you a head start in the race toward sales.

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• Jul 25, 2020

Tips for Writing a Great Book Blurb & Author Bio

One of the biggest mistakes I have seen authors do is focus on the front cover and book while dismissing the back cover. If you lack detail when it comes to the book blurb, it will show up. One may ask what the blurb is. A blurb is the copy/text that appears on the back cover of a book. Your back-cover blurb is the second thing a potential buyer looks at after your front cover. You can write a ‘description blurb’ of your book yourself (in the third person) or have a ‘review blurb’ written by someone else in which praises for your book are mentioned. The 150 to 200 words you’ll choose to place on your book’s back cover might just be the most important part of your entire book project.

Think of your favorite books in your personal library. Aside from the titles and authors, what usually comes to your mind? All those beautiful covers? The most memorable images provide visual cues about what’s inside the pages, setting the mood, or giving some clues about the story. Some covers tell a story in and of themselves. So what about the other side of the book? The book’s back cover. Anything?

I’m pretty sure that nobody remembers what’s on the back cover of their favorite books. And yet I believe this is the most important – and most overlooked – book marketing real estate for self-published authors.

Authors spend a great deal of energy writing the book – of course. Next is choosing a title and helping create an eye-catching cover. But when it comes to the back cover of their printed book, many new authors skimp or are unconcerned with what goes on the back cover. And that’s a huge mistake. Here are some basic do’s and don’ts.

WHAT TO DO!

Limit the amount of content on the back cover. Unless it’s an oversized coffee table book, you’ll have room for – at best – 150 to 200 words. Put too much content and it will overwhelm your potential buyer. You’ll have to make the font size so small that people will need a magnifying glass to read it.

See what other authors in your genre are doing with their back covers. Before writing your own back-cover copy, examine the backs of other books in your genre for examples of what is working for other authors.

Write a short summary of what your book is about. Again keep it tight – write only a paragraph or two. If it’s a novel, you must include the story’s most engaging plot points. For a non-fiction book, authors should make a bullet point list of the book’s main features and actually put that list on the back cover. Use three to five bullet points only (odd numbers are best, marketing research shows), and tell what the book will do for the reader, or what the reader is going to learn from your book.

Add your picture to the back cover. Have a professional headshot created for you. This should be a clear, close-up photo of your face. Just you. No significant others, kids, or pets.

Include a brief bio. For non-fiction authors, you should include two or three points to establish that you are an expert with the training and/or experience that qualifies you to write about your topic.

Put endorsements on it. They should be short and powerful statements – preferably by someone well-known in your genre (if you’re a novelist) or your field (if you write non-fiction).

WHAT NOT TO DO

Make yourself the focus of your book’s back cover. Your focus needs to be on your readers and why they should be interested and/or trust in what you have to say. It’s all about tapping into your readers’ need for your book. Unless you make that connection, those potential readers will choose another book, no matter how good your writing and content might be.

Write clichés such as “a must-read” or “This book will change your life.” The back-cover copy is not a book review. Make sure the tone is understated. People know you wrote this ad for the book. If you write about it in superlatives, it makes you look bad – either arrogant or desperate or exaggerating, depending on people’s perception. Write confidently but humbly, stating facts about the book and telling its benefits, rather than writing adjectives and adverbs of self-praise. This will win your trust rather than reap your derision.

Get just anyone to write an endorsement for you. You have minimal space, so your endorsement must be a recognized name in your genre or field. Better to forego endorsements than to look like you tried – and failed — to find someone talented to recommend your book.

Forget to proofread and grammar-check your back cover copy. These are the most painful goofs and typos! It’s a sure sign to prospective readers that the pages inside the book contain the same kind of careless errors.

While you might not remember the back cover content of the last book you read, it undoubtedly played a major part in your buying decision. The words you place on your back cover are crucial to your book’s success – or lack thereof. Give your back-cover copy the time and attention required so that it can close the sale!

A robust and insightful blurb is one of the most important and powerful selling tools for your book because it serves as your sales pitch. Once your book’s title and cover have drawn the reader in, the blurb will make the difference between a missed opportunity and a sale. You have one shot at introducing your book to your reader ‒ make it count.

While the cover design creates interest, even intrigue, the blurb will convince readers to buy your book. A book blurb is there to entice a purchase, not demonstrate your writing skills; therefore, it should be short and to the point.

Blurbs for non-fiction books are very different from those for fiction, in that they convey a message and the benefits the reader will receive from reading the book. Do not think of the blurb as an afterthought!

A non-fiction book blurb should give a quick indication of the author's credentials, which readers it is written for, and why they need it. On the other hand, a fiction book blurb should convey the atmosphere, specify its genre, and indicate what kind of book it is (mass-market or literary fiction). Quotes are extremely valuable to both fiction and non-fiction blurbs as they accurately describe the expectations the reader should have of the content.

It’s imperative to match the words to the product. Do not make a romantic novel sound like classical literature: you will put off both potential markets. Try to use your genre keywords too – they’re great for SEO ‘findability’ and to help classify your book on the shelves.

Book Blurb Essentials

Blurbs for non-fiction books need to address the fact that the reader has turned to you, the author, for information rather than entertainment. Instead of creating suspense or drama in the blurb, you’ll want to reveal a little more about the content and its significance. Here’s how:

1. Determine your target market

Indicate who the book is for. This could be phrased as ‘For people who want…’ It could describe the primary problem your target market has. Followed by what they’ll get from the content, or how you will help them solve the problem and why they should make buy your book and read it now. Keep this concise.

It’s highly likely that other authors have already covered any subject you've written about, so you’ll want to look at similar books and their blurbs. Where does your book fit in? What’s unique about you? What’s your story? How do you differentiate your book? Perhaps you can identify a niche market or highlight a unique perspective that you bring to the content.

Is there a hook you can use that will attract readers in a particular niche market? Naturally, others will read (and hopefully) love your book too. Readers will feel that you really ‘get them’ will be those who can sympathize, empathize, admire or identify with you. Your blurb will persuade them to pick up your book, read it and recommend it to others ‒ if it lives up to expectations.

2. Make your opening line count

First impressions count. And when writing a blurb, your opening line is your first impression. Short, pithy, surprising sentences or valuable information will grab the reader’s attention. And it’s not a bad idea to lead with the most outrageous claim, alarming insight, startling reveal, etc. that you have. It’s not suggesting you make something up or be deceptive, but a clever use of words to create a need-to-know urgency in your reader never hurts.

3. Sell the benefits

Why should someone read your book? What’s in it for them? What will they learn? How will it change them? These are just some of the questions that you can answer by stating the benefits of reading your book. For the most part, non-fiction is about learning, teaching and training to varying degrees. Approach the copy of your back-cover blurb with the mindset of ‘what’s in it for the reader.'

You could structure sentences along the lines of, ‘What you’ll learn when you read this book:’ or ‘When you’ve read this book, you will know/understand/be able to:’ then follow this with three to five bullet points of benefits of the content. This is your chance to make your promises about the value the book will deliver and paraphrase the best bits from your Table of Contents to entice the reader.

4. Showcase your knowledge

Offer some of your insight and learnings in your blurb. Don’t give it all away, but you need to show your authority and relevant experience to build credibility. Demonstrate that you know something valuable which will help your readers. Mention something significant about the content that makes the book worth picking up, promising that there will be more of that useful information inside.

5. Write in your own voice

This is paramount. Your blurb should be written in the same voice as your book. It might sound obvious, but so many writers don’t do this. A potential reader looks at the blurb the same way they would look at the book itself. In a non-fiction book, you are selling your knowledge, experience, writing, and yourself, so if the blurb doesn’t represent the common language you use in your book, the reader will feel a disconnect. Besides, it will only make your words more authentic and impactful.

6. Keep it short

Most blurbs are only between 100 and 150 words long, excluding the author's biography. Keep your blurb within these limits if you want it to make an impact. Your last sentence should wrap it up – primarily coming full circle back to the first sentence. You can use bullet points and questions. The book blurb should arouse curiosity, rather than provide answers. You want them to think, ‘That’s what I need to know!’ or ‘That sounds just like me …’

7. Use a cliffhanger

The aim of your blurb is to leave readers curious and wanting more ‒ so much so that they would actually buy the book. For non-fiction books, your cliffhanger should promise a strategy or a solution to address a problem the reader has, or a situation they want to understand, or information that they are seeking, and so on.

8. Get testimonials

Testimonials are a powerful way for you and your book to have credibility and ‘social proof’, making your book more appealing to potential buyers. Powerful testimonials from notable, credible people in your related field are the goal.

The praise on your book cover should clarify, in one brief sentence (include a maximum of three short quotes), why someone should read your book. The quote should be from someone whose name the reader recognizes or whose title shows they know what they’re talking about ‒ if not, it might be ineffective. Acquiring testimonials and endorsements is something you’ll need to start working on early, often before you’ve finished writing your book.

9. Author biography

Keep this short and focused on why you, the author, are uniquely qualified to write this book and what motivated you to do it. Three sentences should cover it (you can put a more extended Author Biography inside your book). List your key credentials and qualifications but don’t write a CV or present irrelevant details – align this with the tone and subject matter of the content. Readers want to know the person offering the information they’re spending their time and money on is genuine.

10. Author photo

A professionally photographed headshot of you adds character and illustration to all the words on your back cover; it also helps your readers connect with you. It can be in color or black and white but should show you looking friendly, likable, approachable and trustworthy.

Make sure these elements are concise and well laid out (a back cover covered in text with not enough ‘white space’ is unappealing to the reader) and your back cover will be doing a great job selling your non-fiction book. Your book blurb can also be used in pitch letters to reviewers and journalists, and as background information for anyone wishing to interview you about your book. The book blurb is a vital communication aid when promoting your book, so invest plenty of time and effort to ensure you get it right.

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Looking for more in Writing and Authors or Getting published: submitting to a publisher ?

How to write an author bio

An author bio provides a quick and concise overview of you and your writing, so it's an essential part of your toolkit.

You're likely to need an author bio when you submit to an agent, publish a story in a magazine or even receive an award, so it's well worth taking the time to craft a good one. Here are some tips to help you along the way.

What is an author bio?

An author bio is a short and sweet biography that lists your professional accomplishments. It is a multipurpose peice of text that might be used in query letters to agents or publishers or run alongside your name when you have short fiction or poems published. If you are appearing at a live event or show, there's a good chance the organiser will ask for an author bio to both advertise in advance and to introduce you on stage. Your author biography may be the first thing someone sees about you, so make sure it's a good one.

How to write a great author bio

Not all author bios will be the same, there's definitely space for creativity!, but here are some top tips for making sure yours shines.

Write in the third person

Even though you're the one writing this short biography, it's best written in third person so that it can easily be displayed (or read out) elsewhere. It also makes your bio sound more professional – and even more trustworthy. So rather than, ‘I’ve published stories in…’ go for ‘Adora Book has published stories…’

Skip your extended life story

It’s great to start with a little bit of context – where you’re from, where you live, what other jobs you do – but the most important thing here is to talk about yourself as a writer. Keep your background brief, one or two lines at most, then get into details about what you’ve been up to, writing wise. Don’t be worried if you’re just starting out, just put the focus on how much you enjoy writing in the space you’ll later be listing your publications.

Don’t be shy about your achievements

This is a place for you to let people know what you’ve been up to – so don’t let yourself be shy. List publications, prizes and projects and anything you’ve been doing that potential readers or publishers might be interested in.

Update your author bio often

Be sure to come back to your bio every once in a while, so you can update your writing achievements and take out anything that isn't relevant anymore. You want your author profil to be an accurate representation of your work.

Go for long, short and shorter

There is no catch-all standard length for an author bio. Be sure to write an extended version, around 150 words, a shorter one, 100 words, and an even shorter one, 50 words. That way, you should have something to fit the bill no matter what.

Add your own spin or hook

The best bios make readers want to find out more about the writer, so think about what makes you unique and add it in. Maybe you once had a job as a horse tamer or you’ve broken the world knitting record. That said, one or two hooks are enough – don’t be tempted to overdo it. 

Only add information you're comfortable with

Never include any information that you might one day come to regret sharing - you’re entitled to privacy! If you’d rather not disclose where you live, how many children you have or whether you are married you can be vague: for example, instead of saying ‘She lives in Thurso with two daughters’ you could write ‘She lives with her family in the north of Scotland’.

Avoid accidentally dating your copy

Try not to use phrases that could quickly become outdated. For example, try 'In 2019, she visited Cove Park' rather than 'she recently paid a visit to Cove Park'.

Include any online profiles

If you've got an X (formerly known as Twitter) profile, a website or somewhere else people can find you online, be sure to add the details at the end of your author biography.

• Inspiration
• Book covers

Biography book covers

Show off your book's personality with a custom biography cover designed just for you by a professional designer. Need ideas? We’ve collected some amazing examples of biography book covers from our global community of designers. Get inspired and start planning the perfect biography book cover today.

Kallelsen book cover

The book is about Brother Andrew (1928 – 2022) who were a Dutch Christian missionary and founder of the Christian organization Open Doors. He was known for smuggling Bibles and other Christian literature into communist countries during the Cold War and, because of his activities, he was nicknamed "God's Smuggler"

Edgy Book Cover

non-fiction, self-help book cover

Behind the Mask of the Stranger

A biography of serial killer.

Cover Design for a book about being an Entrepreneur.

The contest holder had an idea in mind regarding the style and visuals they wanted for the cover. I tried to come up with a concept that was modern, but not a typical business-style layout. I was looking for the fresh approach. I found imagery that related to the restaurant in question and was able to blend together the idea into a design that was uncluttered and direct.

Book cover for "Brother You Are Not The Devil"

This cover is available for purchase. If you're interested, please send me a message. :-)

Book cover for "Fragments"

Book cover - A Life Without Regret

Hakaras Hatov

Simple, clean and minimalist design, with an elegant approach.

Artsy cover concept for a memoir about nursing

I am very interested in this book as I have also been a Registered Nurse for many years! I wanted it to not look like a "business book", so to speak; to look more INTERESTING and intriguing. This very artistic cover accomplishes that. This design is available and unused if you'd like to see it adapted for your book. Save yourself the contest fees; shoot me a message and we'll open up a 1:1!

A book cover illustrating the journey of an international student from Africa to America

Inspired Book Cover about making dreams come true

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE, with additional adjustments, through 1 to 1 project.

Walking Alway from Childhood

Personal experiences provided by the client help me to design the winner concept,

Show me what you got

Out in the open

A book that portrays the author's life trajectory and overcoming. The entire concept was conducted by the author.

''Diary of a military brat'' book cover

The book is called "Diary of a Military Brat" and is a collection of actual diary entries written by an 11-13 year-old girl. I am looking for a book cover that captures the essence of an American child living in Japan. The American child is part of a military (Air Force!) family. Ideally, cartoon or anime style "drawing" for an ebook. This book will be distributed as both an ebook and hard copy. Ideally, simple but creative is what I'm looking for. And note that although this is based on an American's story, the audience is international.

GRANDMA'S HOUSE

a memoir depicting the childhood life of a little girl growing up in Norfolk Virginia during World War II

Requested: "eye catching book cover for a introverted self help coach"

This cover illustrates in a very graphic way two things; how it feels behind a wall looking to come into a country, and how it feels as an introvert; as you often feel like you are looking on at others. The effect is stark and dramatic. This design is available and unused if you'd like to see it adapted (with a different person behind the wall) for your book. Save yourself the contest fees; shoot me a message and we'll open up a 1:1!

The Reign of Queen Victoria

Cover for a biographical book about one of the greatest figures in British history, Queen Victoria.

Book Cover Design for Famous Australian Dingo Story

Blue Butterfly

A biography whose creative process was developed in partnership with the author.

Murdering My Youth Book Cover

Book cover designs for a memoir by actress Cady McClain featuring a self-portrait.

Railway to the front

Journal from a WW1 Soldier

Book Cover for a martial art legends!

Exploring the beauty of Japanese art concept and combine it with the author's picture.

A Farm Girl Forever Book Cover

This cover uses the bright bold colors of the outdoors, with green grass and blue sky to convey the idea of life on a farm. The side of the barn is focused into the cover and a "painted on" sign look is created for the title of the book.

Little Big steps book cover

This cover is a biographical inspirational story. The idea expressed in the title of Little Big Steps is illustrated in the photograph of a hand holding a stack of photographs. These photos represent the "steps" or little accomplishments along the journey that have added up to the inspirational confident person that is in the top photo. The title is in contrasting thick and thin fonts, with the thin being sophisticated and geometric, the thick font on big as a little rough edge and is in a teal taken from the background of the photograph.

Growing up with RC book cover

Nostalgic cover of a story about growing up with a father who is a great theologian and being surrounded by books and learning. Cover uses a casual image of a young boy in rolled up jeans, with a Bible in his lap and sitting on a foundation of many books. Blurry and textured images give the feeling of the past.

Soulcation: Design a Life You Don't Need a Vacation From

Design a book cover for a self-help-meets-memoir book

In my book, I want to share my journey from a gnome to a goliath. Each chapter starts with a real-life case study of a successful person, whom I have used as an influencer. Then, I share a personal narrative illustrating a stage in my journey and how I approached it. Finally, I distill my success into several tips per section, usually tapping the wisdom of other books, people, or experience and I define the pillars for self-organizing life. I also have a cheat card with the most important take-aways at the end which readers can tear and put somewhere for inspiration (or snap with their phones and get back to it if needed).

Of operas, bombs, school and love: An adolescence in Hamburg 1943-1949

Book cover for Goebbels.

The client wanted a cover for a book about the World War II and the history of the Holocaust. So I used a series of Public Domain images to create a composite image. I used simple, classic fonts because they fit the style and time period without looking retro or dated.

My Sweet Lady

Biography Book Cover

Typographic cover design for an inspiring memoir

The author of TSB suffered a serious sporting accident which left him a paraplegic. The book relates his long journey to recovery and his challenges and observations along the way. I chose to make the cover design primarily typographic as I wanted to highlight the unique and very personal title given to the book, and bring it to life visually. The crutches and boots refer to the author's accident and eventual return to his feet, while the lemon was added into the subtitle, and as an image, to help convey the author's sense of humour. Neutral greys are contrasted with bright yellows in order to suggest the seriousness of the subject matter on the one hand, whilst emphasising the 'sunny', often very positive tone, taken by the author on the other. This is a cover that would stand out on the book shelves and intrigue potential buyers.

Create an intelligent, thought provoking cover for my new book, "First Train Out of Denver"

At the surface this is a true story about a former army ranger medic who saw heavy combat in Iraq and Afghanistan selling everything he owns and traveling the world (28 countries on 5 continents). The journey begins with him stowing away on and old coal train. There is parallel character analogy being told of the story of Icarus (The kid who flew too close to the sun on makeshift wings, they melted and he fell into the sea and drown) The protagonist struggles with isolation and alcoholism, while attempting to find his place in the world. This work has the free spirited travel element of Kerouac's "On the Road" mixed with similar isolation and minimalist philosophies of Thoreau's "Walden" written in the style of my last book, "On Assimilation" (which deals entirely with the issues veterans face when they return from combat)

The Red Lollipop - Biography Book cover design

Biography book cover design with a minimal design.

E-book cover

Non-fiction. From the brief: "Book description: She was married to a stranger for 21 years, then betrayal and divorce offered an exciting do-over. Target audience: 75 percent women, 25 percent men. Ages 30-55. Married and/or divorced. Primarily college educated Caucasians living in urban and suburban areas who've been hurt in intimate relationships. Mood: provocative, fiery, playful. Imagery having to do with a happy response to being betrayed...

Little Big Steps

Little Big Steps is the story of the pivotal moments, interactions, and breakthroughs following the injury that turned the author's life upside down. Each chapter explores the experiences, challenges, and discoveries that have inspired him to work towards those accomplishments he was told were impossible. There are moments of immense frustration and grief, and moments of surreal hilariousness and unparalleled joy as he remain on the path to get back on his feet. The story culminates with proof that motivation, determination, and unwavering commitment can lead to incredible achievements.

Treading Water

A compilation of different experiences in the author's life, that took her from a scared, broken, 26 year old mother, thinking of taking her own life, to a pretty well established mother, grandma, and great grandma. Through these experiences, she is able to share some of her life adventures with her readers, and laugh and cry with them along the way.

Life's Great Adventure

My initial idea was a lot different than this one. Although the client liked my initial design however he wanted a design which contains a desert and a mountain. It's a pretty simple design with modern typography and creative use of images made this design very pleasant to look at. Great collaboration is always the key and CH was very keen on making this design as perfect as it can be. Here is the full cover http://bit.ly/2w5HHRJ

Our Little Secret

The Alpha Way

Design available for purchase. I can change the photo, color theme, title, subtitle, author name. Invite me 1 to 1 project (I'll give you special price, and unlimited revision) package : Full cover (front, back and spine), mock up, pdf file

Biography book cover for cathy broomfield

Biography book cover for jake beaty

Rebel Devil

The true story of an american fighter pilot & Southern Gentalman -> Retro/Vintage feel -> Memories

Book Racing Hearts And Burning Cars

Inspirational soccer stories for kids

Inspirational soccer stories for kids: Lionel Messi biography book for kids. The main theme and purpose of the book is to inspire and entertain children with the amazing story of Lionel Messi, one of the best soccer players in history.

Biography Cover

book cover & ebook cover design

Biography book cover for Toby sveelnis

Book Cover Proposal

Book Cover Proposal. Do you want a design like this? Just contact me through 1-to-1 projects, here at 99D.

Who Is Charles Levine?

Biography book on Navy officer

What the fuck was I thinking?

Biography book

Book Design for Dog lovers

True stories about living with an Australian Shepherd

Book cover "Sor Juana my beloved"

Biography book to encourage young adults

This life story came from brave young man who had through his difficult times and soaring to his better self. Eagle is his personification image that fit with his book.

This is a book about a journey of a person who was successful in life, but had no freedom. This is a story about the process of becoming a free person.

Book Cover Sail Free

The book is a biography of business coach Steve Long from Canada, the book contains his story as a business person, a boat builder, world sailor. The photo used was provided by Steve Long . The boat appears that it was built by him . Then added a layer with a map and the title on the horizon, an invitation to adventure and to read the book .

Book Cover for Biographic Book

Book cover idea for EL LUIYI

Man with big dreams. Dreams are leading the way in the life. Falling star we see is the luck in your life and then dreams come true.

Based on a true story Charles Levine was a real person. In this historical novel, as an old man of 94 years of age, he tells his 11 year old granddaughter the story of his life. He claims to be a successful businessman, a record breaking aviatior, and a hero--helping Jewish refugees escape Nazi Germany during WW2. His tales include associations with Babe Ruth, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt and Bill Donovan. His chief antagonist is Charles Lindbergh, who is portrayed as an evil Nazi sympathizer. There is doubt whether his stories and associations are true or just the musings of a vivid imagination.

Book cover design for fictionalized biographical novel

Cover design for fictionalized biographical novel based on a woman in NYC during the 1950s/60s

Book Cover Design - A Monarch in Winter

THE DESIGN IS AVAILABLE FOR SALE. Fiction book, Biography, Literary fiction, Short story, Romance, Poetry

A biographical Book

Book Cover, war, madness, delta force "Simple Machines"

Learning to Love the Turbulence

AVAILABLE FOR SALE | $180 USD -Message me for details -Includes Ebook and Print files -Girl image NOT INCLUDED * Book covers listed for available sale will only be sold once. If a book cover is sold or unavailable, it will be posted in the description.

Reflections on an interesting life

A collection of essays reflecting on a life well lived. Some are humorous. Some are somber. Some are reflective of interesting and humorous bits that make up a life.

Generational Abuse Biography. Book cover

Create a fun ebook cover for a lighthearted ocean sailing memoir

A book recounting travel memoir based on the blog http://www.burnettsahoy.com, about sailing a juiced catamaran around the fairy-Atlantic world. I created a silhouetted view of the authors of this book, Greg and Mel, staring at their boat. The client wanted the book's shades of beautiful aqua blue and pink. So I made a gradient on the sky.

Book cover design in modern minimal illustrated style for a biographic book about life experiences, family, university, travels, achievements and reflections on living.

The immunotheraphy revolution cover book

The client wants a revamp of his previous book design

Self organizing book cover

Book Cover Design

THE DESIGN IS AVAILABLE FOR SALE.

Cray, Cray by Kristine Medea

Book Cover for Therapist who was Institutionalized as a Child

Voittoja Pitkassa Juoksussa

This is a life story of Mr. Tenho Lauri, who has lived an extraordinary life. He has born in 1945, started with nothing working as a elevator boy at age 15, moving on to several promotions to own sales business in his 20s. Had a wife and baby, Then started to drink booze heavily for the next 10 years and lost everything. Quit drinking at age of 30 and started from scratch again. Built up 2 succesfull construction companies, new family, sold companies at age of 50. Started to invest in real estate and stocks. Is a millionaire since 20+ years. Biggest passion since 50, is running marathons. He has run a marathon in 85 different countries, and still runs 15-20 marathons per year. He is ranked in world top ten in how many different countries person has run a full marathon.

Blue line like the way in your life. the line starts with the title and "60 anos" and continue without end.

Living on three spoons

book cover design

Cover for “The Self-Actualization of Ayn Rand” by Roman Gelperin

Das ist ein Wunder“ sagte mein Arzt

Ich habe in meinem Buch meine Erfolgsgeschichte erzählt. Mein Arzt sagte, dass keine Therapie mehr bei mir möglich ist. Trotzdem hatte ich nicht aufgegeben und nach ca. 4-5 Jahren habe ich wieder all meine Haare zurückbekommen, so dass mir mein neuer Arzt sagte: Das ist ein Wunder. In mein Buch erzähle ich sowohl meine eigene Heilungsgeschichte als auch, was man konkret machen soll, falls man unter derselben Krankheit oder Haarausfall leidet.

Book cover "Cinderella Lives in a Bomb Shelter"

Emotional Appeals a book cover for a True Story of a Daughter's Search For Love by Mariel Martin - "Cinderella Lives in a Bomb Shelter"

Book cover for major new royal biography

Book cover design about a biography of US Presidential Candidate.

book cover bohunk redemption

handdrawn illustration book cover

Homeless Footsteps - My Submission To The Contest For Its Book Cover

A WWII true Story

Saving the children of the Holocaust book story sets during World War Two. A woman in a 1940’s attire with two children in a war torn city , all black and white with a subtle hint of red color. A typewriter font requested. Using Ai to generate images then blending them together was the best way for a "unique image" created especially for this book cover. But it has not been chosen as a ´winning entry" 😔

Elegant Woman Pondering her Future

Cover Biography

"A Different Kind of Same"

A collection of short stories and memories of the author, focusing on the author's perspective and how similar humanity can be, despite differing backgrounds and experiences.

More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows book cover

The idea was to use a retro playful typeface, and some kind of warm-colored imagery signifying journey.

Cover Book - Biography

Biography book covers not a good fit? Try something else:

How to create your biography book cover design.

If you want an amazing biography book cover that stands out from the competition, work with a professional designer. Find and hire a designer to make your vision come to life, or host a design contest and get ideas from designers around the world.

Start a contest

Designers from around the world pitch you ideas. You provide feedback, hone your favorites and choose a winner.

Start a project

Find the perfect designer to match your style and budget. Then collaborate one-on-one to create a custom book cover.

4.9 average from 747 book or magazine cover design customer reviews

What makes a good biography book cover?

A great book cover tells a story, makes people look twice, and helps your new book jump off the shelves. Book covers achieve all of that through color, typography and other design elements. Learn how to make your biography book cover stand out from the crowd.

How to design a book cover Creating a book cover is an art form. This guide will walk you through the process of designing a book cover step-by-step… Keep reading

Book cover design trends Discover stunning book cover design trends and find out what's new in the world of book design… Keep reading

Best book cover designers Discover the best freelance book cover designers for hire and let their work inspire you… Keep reading

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The 103 Best Book Covers of 2022

As chosen by our favorite book cover designers.

For what is now the seventh time in a row, I am pleased to present the best book covers of the year—as chosen by some of the industry’s best book cover designers.

This year, I asked 31 designers to share their favorite covers of the year, and they came back with a grand total of 103 covers, representing work by 62 different designers for 54 different imprints. Their choices, and their comments, are below.

But first . . . the stats.

The best of the best book covers:

First place (tie, six mentions each):

Elias Canetti, I Want to Keep Smashing Myself Until I Am Whole design by Alex Merto , illustration by Ian Woods (Picador, September 27)

Tess Gunty, The Rabbit Hutch design by Linda Huang (Knopf, August 2)

Second place (three-way tie, five mentions each):

Fernando A. Flores, Valleyesque design and illustration by Na Kim (MCD x FSG Originals, May 3)

Charles Simic, No Land in Sight design by John Gall (Knopf, August 9)

Lidia Yuknavitch, Thrust design by Lauren Peters-Collaer (Riverhead, June 28)

Third place (nine-way tie (!), four mentions each):

Michael Cunningham/Virginia Woolf, The Hours/Mrs. Dalloway design by Pablo Delcan (Picador, May 3)

Katherine J. Chen,  Joan design by Holly Ovenden (Hodder & Stoughton, July 5)

Missouri Williams, The Doloriad design by Luke Bird (Dead Ink, March 3)

Jem Calder, Reward System design by Alex Merto (FSG, July 19)

Yiyun Li, The Book of Goose design by Na Kim (FSG, September 20)

Maayan Eitan, Love design by Stephanie Ross (Penguin Press, March 8)

Gwen E. Kirby, Shit Cassandra Saw design and illustration by Lydia Ortiz (Penguin Books, January 11)

Sheila Heti, Pure Colour design by Na Kim (FSG, February 13)

Ling Ma, Bliss Montage design by Rodrigo Corral (FSG, September 13)

The presses with the most covers on the list:

First Place (13 mentions): FSG

Second Place (11 mentions):  Knopf

Third Place (8 mentions):  New Directions

The designers with the most different covers on the list:

First Place (7 covers): Janet Hansen

Second Place (6 covers): Na Kim

Third Place (5 covers): Alex Merto

The best month for book covers:

First Place (tie, 12 covers each): May, September

Second Place (11 covers): June

Third Place (10 covers): April

The full list:

I can’t stop looking at this eye-bending collage. Love how the hectic, unsettled type complements the art, channels the title really well, and manages to get quite a lot of copy onto the cover. Neon orange is a great touch.

– Jamie Stafford-Hill

This is such a fun cover. I love the brain-like cutout and the playful, head-smashing type treatment.

– June Park

This cover looks like its title; smashed yet whole.

– Stephanie Ross

How? What? It’s insane. I love it.

Alex has somehow woven together two images with a shape that isn’t exactly conventional and set the type playfully without making the whole thing look like a messy plate of spaghetti. He is in complete control of his craft.

– Linda Huang

Alex! I want to keep staring at your collage to see how you did this.

– Mark Abrams

When I first saw this I was blown away by Linda’s use of color, texture, negative space, and the delicately balanced typography and illustration. The jacket is printed on a lithofoil stock that gives it that extra special sheen. Not only did the author win the NBA for fiction, but she was also given one of the most beautiful covers of the year.

– Emily Mahon

These bright colors suck me in when viewed in RGB, and the design gets “even better” when experienced IRL, printed on that lovely metallic paper.

– Zoe Norvell

I am instantly pulled in by the bright colors and symbolic design. I want this as an art print on my wall.

– Sarah Brody

It’s always nice to see special effects being used thoughtfully. That gradient plus shimmer is beautiful.

– Joan Wong

“Shot through the heart and you’re to blame” taken literally.

– Erik Carter

This cover just stands out so much online and on the shelf. The bold composition + foil + soft touch, it’s a stunner.

Na is such a talent in both design and illustration. This cover really shows how skilled she is in both worlds.

Valleyesque received a well deserved gasp from me. With a palette and style that connects you to some of the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch and in a similar fashion, begs you to look closer at the tiny details and intrigues you to want to learn more.

– Nicole Caputo

If I could dictate the visual language of my dreams, this is what I would choose every single time (complete with banner-wielding poodles).

– Alison Forner

I truly cannot get over this surreal, incredible art.

– Lauren Peters-Collaer

Every element in this dreamlike painting is treated with such balance and thought, creating deep intrigue.

Thrust is perfection. Each collaged detail feels like it belongs exactly where it is. The combination of textures, styles, the two contrasting typefaces sent me marching to the store.

This design is bonkers in the best way possible. Every moment here, from the image to the typography, is fresh and unexpected.

I have no idea what is happening and I love it.

– Grace Han

Such a fun and intriguing collage with a ton of upward momentum. Somehow the clashing typography adds to that sense of kinetic energy too.

– Vivian Lopez Rowe

I love how the upside down balloons look like raindrops or tears. Really fantastic cover design made to look really easy.

– Jamie Keenan

Such wonderful simplicity. Each time I look at it I can sense my brain processing it all—everything clicking into place with delight. As an aside, I highly recommend everyone watch a hot air balloon inflate at least once in their life. They are like dinosaurs roaming the sky.

– Lauren Harms

Effortlessly beautiful and dreamlike.

The simple move of turning an image upside down is so powerful here, especially paired with the title.

Great design, though I spotted a printer error; the photo is upside down. Awkward.

Such a beauty! The pressed flowers with the gold foil type is so sweet and lovely. A true object to treasure.

– Kelly Winton

Simply beautiful.

These made me shriek. Exquisitely executed, ethereal, and clever, they exist in the realm of fine art. Pablo makes everyone jealous.

Printed on uncoated stock with deboss on the type, I want this book just for the beautiful jacket. Holly is an amazing designer and illustrator, and this is my favorite cover of the year from the UK.

This stunning cover reimagines the subject of Joan of Arc in such a powerful way. The type and colors are so unexpected and pack such a bold punch.

– Kimberly Glyder

Ah the colours…they are glorious. It’s very satisfying when type works as an image within a cover; it’s such a pleasing composition, a real beauty, as are all of Holly’s designs.

– Anna Morrison

The colors are stunning—feels energizing to just look at! It captures the spirit of Joan of Arc in such a fresh and dynamic way.

I couldn’t work out if it was a contemporary artwork or an old painting, whether the person is unhinged or if it is just the crop playing tricks on me. It’s so engrossing, and sets the tone for what sounds like a mad book without giving anything away.

– Tom Etherington

The reviews of this book all use words like “bizarre”, “unsettling”, “disturbing” or “challenging”—they could be reviewing the cover too. “Brilliant.”

The power of a great crop! It’s so effectively unsettling and compelling.

The cropping and lettering is perfection.

– Jaya Miceli

The simplicity in this is striking. Perfect example of less is more.

So simple, elegant, and perfect.

Stephanie takes what would otherwise be a clichéd icon and subverts it with that slight grimace. The placement in the mass of negative space and the choice of a rough-hewn serif elicit in me a feeling of mono no aware , something design rarely does.

Looking easy is very hard.

– Gregg Kulick

You can almost smell this cover. Amazing.

So vibrant! This cover hits all the senses! (Get your hands on a copy for the glowing color, glossy finish, and raised type!)

– Ann Kirchner

Just so brilliantly executed.

– Luke Bird

The distorted type is perfect. It feels like you’re suffocating in a bag of oranges and need to get out.

Simple. Clever. Ominous.

Just the sight of that spinning wheel makes me feel slightly anxious (it seems to move now and again, too). This is such a simple cover, but with such a lot going on.

I just stare at it waiting for the cover to load… Well played…

– David Litman

There is always a tension you have to interrogate as to how you want to communicate the title of a book. What Na Kim did with this cover was take one of the most direct routes possible while still leaving room for ambiguity with the shape and placement of Ellsworth Kelly’s art. No small feat for a title this simple.

The simplicity and minimalism of this design is so satisfying.

I love the way the green blob almost seems like a monster overtaking the title, and the way it just barely overlaps with the “L” in “NOVEL” is perfection.

– Colleen Reinhart

It’s so elegantly done. Ellsworth Kelly’s Green crowding out the text on the cover somehow feels exactly like the book does; a crowded petri dish of emotions.

Euurgh its just SO beautiful. Perfection. But what else would you expect from Na Kim? I don’t just want to read it… I want it on my wall too.

Love how all the elements interact with each other.

Na is great at creating simple yet emotive covers. The mix of the Audubon-esque art and the graphic sun gives this cover a nice contemporary yet elegant look.

Gorgeous. There’s something about a goose neck.

I can’t imagine what those burning eyes saw. The type on fire and mouth slightly open seals the deal for this one.

– Stephen Brayda

Crazy! Love it.

Frantic to the max and I just love looking at this. Its also worth nothing that getting this to print so vibrantly was no small challenge.

I was so relieved to realize this beautiful book was published in early January, and that I could include it on this list! It was an instant favorite of mine—the balance of pattern, color, and texture is just perfect. The elements work well on their own and come together in a wonderful whole.

LPC does it again! Everything about this cover is incredible: the colors, the collage of imagery, the typography! It’s nuanced and packs a punch at the same time.

– Laywan Kwan

I think this one took everyone’s breath away when it came out—the colors, the type, it all works beautifully together.

The solo tear drop is a perfect device to hold the requisite “memoir” type, elevating this simple biography cover to something double-take worthy.

Mean Baby just keeps creeping into my mind. A fantastic crop of the image and combination of photo, title and that subtitle placement! Simple, eye catching and jumped off screens and shelves and is memorable.

Designing celebrity books can be hard, and making something that stands out is even harder. There are so many parts that are involved and getting to a place that is so elegant and interesting is a feat.

Beautiful arrangement of type and imagery. The design has an ethereal quality and love how the structured grid interacts with the gradient watercolors.

Immediately draws you in! I love everything about this, the way the type seemingly moves through the squares, the holographic quality, the various water textures.

So much energy and movement captured within a grid—I could puzzle over these tiles for hours.

Such a simple design, yet so incredibly unnerving—it’s a design you can almost hear. Perfectly captures a break with reality.

So elegantly illustrates a book about those who occupy the “psychic hinterlands, the outer edges of human experience, where language tends to fail.”

Deceptively simple, really effective.

Love how Linda utilizes the type here, the way the bold flat title sits against the textural photographic background. I find myself wanting to “look around” to see what’s hiding behind it. The bits of aliasing on the title is a lovely cherry on the top touch.

The title stretched into the black shapes is brilliant.

– Jenny Carrow

I’m a sucker for letters as shapes and in this case it really works with the title.

UK publishers seem to have had a crisis of confidence recently, a lot of books seem to have three endorsements on the front cover now and all type at 72pts. Sometimes it feels like on this side of the Atlantic we have forgotten that books are physical objects that people covet, rather than a jpeg that needs to shout louder than everything else around it. When I first saw Brother Alive in a bookshop it stood out against the other books because of its bold, understated cover design.

So bloody simple and ambiguous—I have no idea what it is about, but that cover is just drawing me in. I love how Jo has pulled everything back to an abstract image, and the type is perfectly balanced. Jo is one of my favourite cover designers, she just nails it every time.

Love the allusion to sheet music and the consistency of the line weight throughout. The art really works here; haunting and unexpected.

Ethereal mushrooms floating through the air against a scale that seamlessly integrate with the type: 😘

Another Janet cover, Sedating Elaine must be mentioned. You can tell the inside will be darkly comedic and a wild ride and I even love the combination of the quote typeface combined with the roughly hand-lettering across the banana.

Every year, Janet’s work stands out for its beautiful simplicity. She takes something familiar, like lettering on a piece of fruit, and somehow makes it look better than ever.

This ominous and frankly sad painting paired with the electric blue text feels both classic and edgy.

Unsettling and striking image with brilliant type.

A gorgeous and thoughtful design. The collage so elegantly captures the power of language and communication.

There’s a satisfying simplicity to this cover; all the elements are arranged so elegantly.

The illustration with this title packs so much emotion.

I love the gestural quality and simplicity of the illustration. The thin, italicized type is such an excellent choice in mimicking the slender, linear feel of the art.

Love the drama happening here. Beautiful type and illustration. As off-beat as the classic Geek Love jacket while doing its own thing entirely.

It’s no easy feat to make a long title like this work so elegantly, but this cover pulls it off. The silhouetted hand is simple at first glance, but the nail illustrations and hand position (hitting the author’s name ever so slightly), bring a beautiful complexity.

A hand cover, but a fantastic hand cover. Adore the little scenes painted on fingernails.

Such a bright and fresh look! The colors are stunning—super saturated and bold, both on screen and in print. And the line quality of the illustration has a beautiful personality. I especially love the bits of color bleed and overprinting.

Nostalgic but with a really modern, vibrant palette. Balanced beautifully. Looks even better in the flesh that it does on screen.

This cover doesn’t even need the title to convey disorientation. The waffle-wrapped-hot dog is such a weird and especially disorienting touch.

Brilliant design—so much movement and energy that come across using just type as image.

Mind-bending in the best possible way.

Beautiful and rich, and very clever in its layers of illusion.

– Allison Saltzman

Beautiful execution of this concept. And upside down type! and it works! Give Derek a big hand (sorry).

I love the creative usage of all the different fonts on this cover. It really taps into my inner child of the ’80s!

So playful and well done.

The type on this is mesmerizing. The stacked, repeating type with the rainbow gradient fits perfectly with the title.

I wasn’t quite sure what to think when I saw this for the first time, but it stayed with me. Now that I caught up with it, I love it!

Outer space salami statue.

I don’t know what this book is about, other than being darkly comic and featuring a diabolical nun, but the cover makes me want to read it.

There’s something so unsettling about the reduced palette and diseased looking dots combined with the loaded religious imagery. It really pulls you in, without resorting to anything heavy-handed or “easy.”

I love the saturated color palette and the dimensionality of the type. This design gives such a sense of place. And the title font choice is amazing!

I honestly can not stop looking at this because every element works so perfectly together to create such a specific atmosphere and setting, it’s a really well-crafted cover!

Exquisite typography and execution. Having the candy beautifully photographed really takes this to the next level.

While the image does clearly depict the title (which could work against a designer), the inverted photo and silhouetted head, the limited palette, and the gorgeous hand lettering make this cover so appealing.

The tactile, handmade quality of the cover and the domestic scene contrasts beautifully with the “cold people” evoked in the title.

I love the unique perspective here—it feels as if you’re flying with the figure, diving head-first into that neighborhood. I had an almost visceral response to this illustration; I felt connected to the character without even opening the book.

I’ve long admired the work of both Gabriele and Cecilia so to see a collaboration on the always thoughtfully designed poetry society chapbooks was a treat. This one is my favorite.

This type creates within me a sort of effervescent joy.

Smart and succinct pairing of subject and graphics.

Surreal, simple and smart, and the stones are the perfect subtle addition.

Very clever.

I’m getting nuanced, Lisa Frank vibes and that is high praise.

Op-art! Very satisfying.

Perfect match of art and lettering, inventive layout, great use of color.

There are a lot of things that I love about this cover, but I’ll just say this: We rarely see book covers that embrace the color purple and this one does it oh, so well!

Less is more with Teenager . My eye travels down the highway right to the sun, the perfectly placed eye of the teenage face.

A refreshingly light approach to historical fiction.

This is a standout for me. I would notice it from across the room. A very original layout with a unique color palette, and those thick, black lines holding it all together.

Powerful, elegant, and haunting.

Am drawn immediately into this cover, an eerie porthole into fraying world.

Kudos to Amanda for taking something that is so reviled (yuck, pimples!) and for displaying them in such a cute way. This design is so inviting.

Books about music have to look authentic and this does such a good job.

The best “torn paper cover” ever. Clever concept. I know the designer worked with physical pieces of paper and scanned them in, and it really shows.

A complicated and abstract subject—care—visualized in an equally abstract but simple form.

Something about the strange, soft, almost tactile illustration draws and holds the eye. Just lovely to look at, perfectly balanced with interesting but understated type, and I love how the arm wraps around onto the spine.

It takes a mind like Pablo’s and an open-minded publisher/art director to marry Jon Han’s incredible style with a nonfiction book and it works so so well.

The pairing of this typography with the artwork by Hollie Chastain is perfect and elegant.

Succinct and clever, which is hard to do. I love the simplicity of the design and how it interacts perfectly with the title.

This cover achieves a monumental, iconic feel with such economy—it’s magic.

Love how all of the elements are tied together with the blue circles. It has a big book look, but is also very artistic and elegant.

Maybe it’s the amount of time I’ve spent with the words “bestselling author” talking, but this is hilarious and inspired.

This retro cover is as eye-catching as the title, it will stand out on any bookshelf.

Bold colours, small type, unusual composition and Vivian Maier photographs. What’s not to love about these covers?

I love the color and the texture and that it sets a mood.

The illustration on this cover is so interesting. From a distance, it looks like an abstract cover of lines and color, but upon closer inspection you can see all the different scenes and couples!

This cover contains so much elegance, power and dignity, for a subject matter that could be difficult to illustrate. Michael Salu has created such a moving cover with the simplest of designs.

The type frame is so effective here. Everything just comes together perfectly.

When I first saw this cover it stopped me in my tracks—so intriguing. I love the textures, composition, colours; the eye just draws you in. The author line going up the side is genius, so unexpected. To create such an atmosphere within such a small space is a real gift.

One of the blurbers calls this book “ an ingenious pocket universe ,” which could describe the cover itself: a small package that locks you in its orbit—you can’t help but trace that fascinating lettering round and round!

I love the noise and fuzziness of the image, especially on the print edition where it’s amplified by lithofoil. The texture gives a sense of static and uncertainty before you even begin to read. A beautiful example of a darker image, and smaller type, standing out on shelves.

You would think seeing raw meat on a book cover would be offputting… but it really works here: meat as type! I love it.

Such a perfect—and totally intriguing—marriage of art, type, and title.

Oliver Munday summons up the spirit of Henryk Tomaszewski in this cover. Love it.

I adore Simone Noronha’s playful illustration and the way title treatment really lets the artwork shine.

This is such a powerful and direct image. The modern type beautifully frames the scene but doesn’t distract. I love that it’s all in black and white—the starkness and her gaze say so much.

With its pitch-perfect palette and bold, confident shapes, this cover just about leapt from the display table!

There’s just something magical about this beautiful blend of type, image, and idea.

This is my cover of the year—it literally sings in the bookshop, so striking! The illustration grabs your attention. The rest of the book is beautifully designed too, the end papers are gorgeous. I love it, just wonderful.

Love the simple line quality of this illustration and all its crooked crumbling pieces on the perfectly selected uncoated stock.

Amazing optical illusion created by beautifully set type, on rainbow holographic foil. Really nice.

Beautiful and restrained use of collaging to deliver a power image.

Such an ingenious way of integrating a woman’s profile into the scene.

Nobody Gets Out Alive looks straightforward, but again the small thoughtful details within the illustration, that are hidden so well by the gradient, are a smart, provocative but subtle easter egg for the viewer.

The usage of panels, color, and collage is so playful on this cover! Who knew you could make history look so fun and interesting?

Such a funny, crude doodle that looks like something Willem de Kooning would have sketched. I love that this illustration was printed on a commercial book cover.

Somehow the title and illustration don’t feel like they are competing, instead they work together seamlessly in this instantly iconic package.

A cross-stitch that’s unlike any other cross-stitch I’ve seen.

So punchy and eye-catching! The pink dripping dot gives the cover an intriguing sinister edge.

This design and golf vibes!

The plane and clouds float effortlessly against a wall of type that’s barely standing. So much energy packed into a small space—it feels like it’s vibrating and barely contained.

I want to run around inside this cover—the movement and dynamism are masterful.

I love the use of color, and yes! more cleverly incorporated profiles!

What a lovely way to work in the fifty-five panels. The diver makes you feel like you could dip in and out of these stories at any time.

Always envious when a designer can get away with so little, especially when the cover relies on so few bells and whistles: a strong yet refined typeface and unconventional spacing. This would be strong even without the empty circle. Pure graphic design.

Would like to come up with something wise here but I fear it might in truth boil down to “lolz I like ostriches.” In any case, one of best ostrich covers I have ever seen.

Love the balance and symmetry.

This feels very LA. I love the clever mix of typography and how the clear division on the strip mall sign implies the themes of the book in a really graceful and attention grabbing way.

What’s not to love?!

This cover is perhaps not as sophisticated as some of its more highbrow colleagues from the world of letters, but it communicates its startling content with admirable zest.

Emily Temple

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More From Forbes

30 great biographies to bury yourself in.

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Jonathan Eig's "King: A Life," a biography of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., was ... [+] recognized as one of the best books of 2023.

Biographies offer a chance to explore the decision-making and circumstances around some of history’s most fascinating events. The best biography books offer fresh insights into familiar situations that you may have learned about in history class but never explored in-depth. You can learn the unexpected reasoning behind why a president went with option A instead of option B, or how a scientist’s early failures led to a groundbreaking discovery. Biographies often chronicle the lives of famous people, but sometimes they focus on people who never attained celebrity status despite doing extraordinary things. This list of the top biographies includes people of all backgrounds who can teach us things about life, passion, perseverance and more.

Top Biography Books

Biographies are different from autobiographies. A biography is an account of someone’s life written by someone else. An autobiography is an account of someone’s life that they write themselves. For instance, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was written by the Founding Father. But more than two centuries later, Walter Isaacson wrote a biography of Benjamin Franklin.

Some of the most popular and well-known biographies include Isaacson’s recent book about Elon Musk, Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton , which inspired the musical about the former Secretary of the Treasury, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, about a woman who changed the course of modern medicine. The biographies on this list were selected based on critical acclaim, sales and impact on popular culture.

Cincinnati Reds great Pete Rose is the subject of one of the best biographies, a new one called ... [+] "Charlie Hustle."

30. Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball by Keith O'Brien (2024)

Whatsapp brand new iphone feature just launched that s much easier to use, apple’s iphone ai plans confirmed with new software upgrade, packers complete safety overhaul with georgia’s javon bullard.

The newest book on the list, this New York Times bestseller chronicles the highs and lows of baseball’s all-time hits leader, who was banned from the Hall of Fame for betting on baseball. Keith O’Brien looks at FBI records and press coverage to build a comprehensive portrait of the former Cincinnati Reds star.

This book is best for sports fans who want to go beyond Xs and Os. Keith O’Brien’s Charlie Hustle is available from Penguin Random House .

29. The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore (2021)

Kate Moore ( Radium Girls ) uncovers the story of Elizabeth Packard, a woman confined to a mental asylum in the 19 th century for daring to have opinions and push back against social norms by giving a voice to other women like herself. It earned a GoodReads Choice nomination for Best History & Biography.

This book is best for history buffs looking for lesser-known stories. Kate Moore’s The Woman They Could Not Silence is available from Sourcebooks .

28. The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine by Janice P. Nimura (2021)

Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female physician in the United States in 1849—and perhaps more remarkably, her sister, Emily, soon became the second. This New York Times bestseller traces their journeys and the founding of the famed New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, the first U.S. hospital run by women.

This book is best for anyone interested in medical history, science pioneers or sibling rivarly. Janice P. Nimura ’s The Doctors Blackwell is available from W.W. Norton .

27. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005)

There have been many biographies of the 16 th president, but this stands out for presenting his story based around his cabinet, which (as the title suggests) he stacked with his political enemies. Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin presents the story, which inspired Steven Spielberg ’s Oscar-winning movie Lincoln , like a fast-paced novel.

This book is best for those who enjoy the psychology of rivalries. Doris Kearns Goodwin ’s Team of Rivals is available from Simon & Schuster .

Author Doris Kearns Goodwin's Abraham Lincoln biography is one of the best reads about the 16th ... [+] president.

26. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera (2002)

Arguably the most famous Mexican woman of her (or any) generation, Frida Kahlo has inspired many with her art. This biography in turn explores her own inspirations and influences, adding greater depth to her well-known romance with Diego Rivera and other stories. The San Francisco Chronicle said the book made Kahlo “fully human.”

This book is best for those who appreciate art or want to learn more about Mexican history. Hayden Herrera ’s Frida is available from HarperCollins .

25. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (2001)

Young mother Henrietta Lacks died of cancer in 1951, but her “immortal cells” live on today, fueling countless medical advances. Yet her family didn’t learn of her contributions until two decades later and didn’t profit from them. Journalist Rebecca Skloot uncovers the racism and disturbing history of discrimination within medicine while telling a human story.

This book is best for anyone who watched the Oprah Winfrey film about Lacks on HBO and wants to learn more. Rebecca Skloot ’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is available from Penguin Random House .

A painting of Henrietta Lacks hangs in the entryway of the Henrietta Lacks Community Center at Lyon ... [+] Homes in the Turner Station neighborhood of Baltimore. She is the subject of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," one of the best biographies.

24. Becoming Dr. Seuss by Brian Jay Jones (2019)

Rhyming isn’t easy, but Dr. Seuss made it look breezy. In this comprehensive look at the former advertising man’s life, Brian Jay Jones traces Theodor Geisel’s career trajectory to political cartoonist and author, as well as discussing some of the views that have received criticism in recent years.

This book is best for anyone who ever read a Dr. Seuss book, which is everyone. Brian Jay Jones ’ Becoming Dr. Seuss is available from Penguin Random House .

23. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (2011)

From his extreme diets to his trademark black turtlenecks, Steve Jobs was a man like none other, for better or worse. Esteemed biographer Walter Isaacson captures the nuance of his personality and the genius that drove him to create companies that made things people feel passionately about. The bestselling book became a 2015 movie.

This book is best for anyone who loves or hates Apple products. Walter Isaacson ’s Steve Jobs is available from Simon & Schuster .

Late Apple CEO Steve Jobs is the subject of an acclaimed biography by Walter Isaacson.

22. All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days by Rebecca Donner (2021)

This National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography made the best books of the year list for Time , The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times . It pulls back the curtain on the women who led the largest resistance groups against the Nazis in Germany, including the author’s great-great aunt.

This book is best for those looking for a new perspective on World War II. Rebecca Donner ’s All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days is available from Little, Brown & Co .

21. Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni, illustrated by Thibault Balahy (2020)

At what price does commercial success come? That question haunted musicians Pat and Lolly Vegas, Native American brothers who influenced stars like Jimi Hendrix and the Doors, as they rose to fame with the Redbone hit “Come and Get Your Love.” But they later shifted their focus to the American Indian Movement.

This book is best for fans of the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack and those looking for a different take on Native American history. Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni ’s Redbone is available from Penguin Random House .

20. The Vice President's Black Wife: The Untold Life of Julia Chinn by Amrita Chakrabarti Myers (2023)

Richard Mentor Johnson, vice president under Martin Van Buren, married enslaved Black woman Julia Ann Chinn. Though he refused to give her freedom, he did give her power on his estate. The relationship, which was likely not consensual, ultimately cost him his political career, and this book details how.

This book is best for fans of presidential history looking for untold stories. Amrita Chakrabarti Myers ’ The Vice President’s Black Wife is available from University of North Carolina Press .

19. Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff (2011)

Cleopatra may be the most famous woman in history, but her notoriety has overshadowed her incredible life and accomplishments. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff adds depth to her story through a thoroughly researched history that also dispels misogynistic myths about the queen of Egypt.

This book is best for anyone curious about Egyptian history or who loves the classics . Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra is available from Little, Brown & Co .

Stacy Schiff wrote an outstanding biography of Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

18. All That She Carried by Tiya Miles (2021)

This National Book Award winner and New York Times bestseller chronicles a bag passed down from an enslaved woman to future generations, which becomes the starting point for this poignant and well-researched book about the generational impact of slavery.

This book is best for everyone and should be required reading to humanize topics too often glossed over in political debates. Tiya Miles ’ All That She Carried is available from Simon & Schuster .

17. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S. C. Gwynne (2011)

Quanah Parker, the biracial son of a pioneer woman who became the last Comanche chief, battled white settlers over land in the American West for decades. The book traces both his personal story (he was undefeated in battle) and the greater implications of the stealing of tribal lands.

This book is best for those looking for new stories about the Old West. S.C. Gwynne ’s Empire of the Summer Moon is available from Simon & Schuster .

16. Becoming Nicole: The inspiring story of transgender actor-activist Nicole Maines and her extraordinary family by Amy Ellis Nutt (2016)

Nicole Maines rose to fame when she became the first transgender woman to play a superhero on TV. Chronicling her journey from adoption to getting the job on Supergirl , this Amazon Editors Pick and New York Times bestseller also shows how her family changed their views on gender identity and the impact on their community.

This book is best for fans of comic books. Amy Ellis Nutt ’s Becoming Nicole is available from Penguin Random House .

Actress Nicole Maines speaks at a "Supergirl" presentation at Comic-Con International. She's the ... [+] subject of a heralded biography.

15. Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia Baird (2016)

The Victoria depicted in history books is way too dry. An Esquire and New York Times pick for best book of 2016, Victoria illuminates how the future monarch went from fifth in line for the crown to a teenage queen to a mother of nine who somehow survived eight attempts on her life.

This book is best for anyone who’s ever struggled with work-life balance. Julia Baird’s Victoria is available from Penguin Random House .

14. The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs (2021)

This remarkable book draws a line between the mothers of three of the most important Black men in American history, celebrating Black motherhood and shining a light on how they resisted Jim Crow while bringing up their sons. It was named one of Amazon's Best Biographies and Memoirs of 2021.

This book is best for parents and anyone interested in civil rights. Anna Malaika Tubbs ’ The Three Mothers is available from Macmillan .

13. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (2004)

Lin-Manuel Miranda was so inspired by this Founding Father biography that he famously wrote some of the music for Hamilton on his honeymoon. Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Chernow follows Alexandar Hamilton from immigration to member of George Washington’s cabinet to death in a duel with his nemesis, Aaron Burr.

This book is best for fans of the Broadway show and presidential history. Ron Chernow ’s Alexander Hamilton is available from Penguin Random House .

"Hamilton" author Ron Chernow and the cast appear onstage at the opening night curtain call for ... [+] "Hamilton" at the Pantages Theatre on August 16, 2017 in Los Angeles.

12. The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography by Miriam Pawel (2014)

Pulitzer Prize winner Miriam Pawel tells the story of one of the most influential and revered U.S. labor leaders in this National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. She doesn't cover up his flaws, but she does illustrate why he was so successful while saluting his enduring humanity.

This book is best for those looking for deep dives on labor or Latine history. Miriam Pawel ’s The Crusades of Cesar Chavez is available from Macmillan .

11. Warhol by Blake Gopnik (2020)

Andy Warhol is so famous, you only need to mention his last name for instant recognition. Art critic Blake Gopnik blends understanding of Warhol’s medium with excellent research and conclusions to paint the most complete picture yet of one of the defining artists of the 20 th century.

This book is best for pop culture devotees and fans of art history. Blake Gopnik ’s Warhol is available from HarperCollins .

10. Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright (2018)

The Financial Times and Fortune tabbed this one of the best books of 2018 for telling the unlikeliest of stories: How a Malaysian MBA used Goldman Sachs and other financial institutions to steal billions of dollars he used to pay for real estate, parties—and even the making of The Wolf of Wall Street .

This book is best for Hollywood and movie lovers. Bradley Hope and Tom Wright’s Billion Dollar Whale is available from Hachette Books .

9. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis (2013)

There’s so much more to Rosa Parks’ story than one day on a bus in Montgomery. Jeanne Theoharis takes a comprehensive look at her six decades of activism and why she wasn’t the “accidental catalyst” the history books have made her sound like, regaining Parks her agency.

This book is best for those who know how the Montgomery Bus Boycott began but don’t know about Parks’ earlier involvement in organizing. Jeanne Theoharis’ The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks is available from Penguin Random House .

8. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin (2005)

The inspiration behind Christopher Nolan ’s summer’s blockbuster film Oppenheimer won the Pulitzer Prize and hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It tells J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life story, with a particular focus on the bomb and how it played into the Cold War.

This book is best for anyone who saw the movie and wants to know more. Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s American Prometheus is available from Penguin Random House .

"Oppenheimer" cast members Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh. The movie is ... [+] based on the prize-winning biography.

7. Self Made: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles (2002)

Madam C.J. Walker, her enslaved parents’ first freeborn child, became one of the wealthiest women of her time. Entirely self-made, she used wealth gained from her cosmetics empire caring for Black hair to help uplift other women and connect with civil rights leaders. The author is Walker’s great-great granddaughter.

This book is best for people obsessed with the Forbes billionaire lists. A’Lelia Bundles ’ Self Made (originally titled On Her Own Ground) is available from Simon & Schuster .

6. Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins—and WWII Heroes by Tim Brady (2021)

World War II is a hugely popular literary period, and here’s another worthy biography from that era, following the Nazi resistance efforts of Dutch teens Hannie Schaft and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen. They saved countless children and Jews from concentration camps and even assassinated German soldiers.

This book is best for World War II aficionados and fans of hidden history. Tim Brady’s Three Ordinary Girls is available from Kensington Books .

5. Bruce Lee: A Life by Matthew Polly (2018)

This highly rated (4.8/5 stars on Amazon) book incorporates information gleaned from more than 100 interviews, which helped Polly piece together scenes from Lee’s childhood in Hong Kong and the challenges he faced from racism in Hollywood. It also investigates his shocking and still mysterious death.

This book is best for fans of martial arts or who want to know what it was like to be Asian in Hollywood decades ago. Matthew Polly ’s Bruce Lee is available from Simon & Schuster .

Bruce Lee from the 1972 film "The Way of the Dragon." He is the subject of Matthew Polly's ... [+] biography.

4. Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit (2021)

This finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award explores author George Orwell’s career from a unique angle: looking at his passion for gardening. Rebecca Solnit ties his devotion to his plants to his work as a writer and an antifascist. It presents him in a different light than past biographies.

This book is best for gardeners and those who’ve read 1984 . Rebecca Solnit ’s Orwell’s Roses is available from Penguin Random House .

3. Billie Holiday: The Musician and the Myth by John Szwed (2015)

Billie Holiday’s story is too often simplified to a rags-to-riches tale focusing on her struggles pre- and post-fame. But her influence, accomplishments and enduring power are far too grand to tokenize. This biography focuses on her music, allowing jazz scholar John Szwed to illustrate what made her so spectacular.

This book is best for jazz and music fans. John Szwed ’s Billie Holiday is available from Penguin Random House .

2. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (2023)

The Sacklers were once revered for their philanthropy, but the opioid epidemic unmasked how they sold and marketed a painkiller that catalyzed the crisis. This New York Times bestseller traces three generations of the family and their insistence on downplaying the addictiveness of opioids. It asks and answers how they avoided accountability.

This book is best for fans of Hulu’s Dopesick and anyone looking for more information about the opioid crisis. Patrick Radden Keefe ’s Empire of Pain is available from Penguin Random House .

Tufts employee Gabe Ryan removes letters from signage featuring the Sackler family name at the Tufts ... [+] building. The biography "Empire of Pain" details what led to the Sacklers' fall from grace.

1. King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (2023)

Hailed by the New Yorker , Washington Post , Time and Chicago Tribune as one of the best books of 2023, King is a definitive biography of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. It’s also the first to rely on recently declassified FBI files, giving greater depth to the narrative and this unique American story.

This book is best for those who want to go beyond the “I Have a Dream” speech. Jonathan Eig ’s King is available from Macmillan .

What Are The Most Entertaining Biographies?

The most entertaining biographies will teach lessons and impart wisdom while also keeping you on the edge of your seat, anticipating the next development in a storied life. Famed pop culture figures and entertainers make great subjects. 

For an in-depth and fast-paced look at one of our most celebrated jurists, check out 2018’s  Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron de Hart. If you want laughs and a behind-the-scenes peek at a seminal variety show, try David Bianculli’s 2010 book The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour . And to lose yourself in a dishy, reads-like-a-novel bio of the ultimate girlboss, try Marisa Meltzer’s 2023 Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier .

What Are The Best Professional Biographies?

The best professional biographies make connections between the habits and hopes of dreamers and their eventual success. They often provide a blueprint for success that readers can adopt for their own lives. 

To learn how to build a truly impressive empire, read Neal Gabler’s 2006  Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination . Another American legend is the subject of T.J. Stiles’ 2010 National Book Award winner The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt , which is as much about capitalism as Vanderbilt. And in 2016’s Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race , Margot Lee Shetterly shows how Black women professionals were discriminated against at NASA—but still helped land a man on the moon. 

What Are The Best Presidential Biographies?

The best presidential biographies reveal never-before-known details about famous leaders’ lives. It can be challenging to dig up something new but so rewarding because it helps our understanding of how these men governed and led. 

Arguably the best presidential biography is Robert Caro’s portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson, starting with 1990’s  The Path to Power , which traces LBJ’s journey from early childhood to the start of his political career. An enduring book is Edmund Morris’ acclaimed 1979 The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt , which paints a full picture of a complicated man. And 2017’s  The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur by Scott S. Greenberger shows that even a long-forgotten president still has influence and value. 

Bottom Line

Biographies offer an escape into someone else’s story, giving you the chance to see why they made their decisions and second-guess them if you like. Whether you prefer biographies focused on history, pop culture or science, you can find a book you’ll love on this list.

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