It’s a common misconception among authors that they only have to promote their book and not themselves. But this isn’t a great idea. Readers are just as interested in the author as they are in the book. Authors who spend time marketing themselves often attract loyal audiences who will be more likely to purchase their books. You might be wondering how you can start building your audience. It starts with an author bio.
What Is an Author Bio?
An author bio is a short piece of text that tells the audience about you, the author. It sums up your work, establishes your writing credentials and reveals your personality. While an author bio is not the most important book marketing tool (that honour lies with your book cover and blurb), it’s still a valuable tool in your arsenal. If done well, an author bio can boost your credibility, reputation and sales. You may have to submit one to your agent/publisher or if you guest blog. Furthermore, it looks unprofessional not to have one.
How To Write an Author Bio
Start with the byline
A byline is a one-sentence introduction. This should be punchy and attention-grabbing. You want to include the most important and relevant information in your byline because some readers won’t make it past the first couple of sentences. This is the place to mention any new releases, credentials or awards.
List your achievements
Many authors shy away from talking about their achievements, thinking that it’ll come across as bragging. While you should be careful not to brag, you should absolutely take this opportunity to promote your writing or establish yourself as an expert in your field. You can include your awards or other writing here. If you’re a new author, don’t worry. You can still talk about your expertise or love of your topic or writing in general.
Make it personal
The whole point of an author bio is for the readers to learn more about the author, so it’s good to include some personal items. Don’t tell your whole life story, but you should let readers know something about your personality. Do you have an interesting hobby? What TV shows do you like? Be creative, but don’t add anything you’re not comfortable sharing. If you don’t want to talk about your family, don’t. There are plenty of other things you can talk about.
Finish with a call-to-action
To finish, you want to direct your readers to another place where you can promote yourself more. Most authors choose to direct readers to their website, social media and email list (if they have one).
Some Housekeeping
Keep it short: A good author bio should be short, around 100 words.
Write in the third person: As per the industry standard, you should write your author bio in the third person. This makes it easier to toot your own horn and display elsewhere.
Use professional headshots: Many author bios are accompanied by a headshot. If you can afford it, get it professionally done. If not, make sure your photo is well-lit and taken in front of a plain background.
Update regularly: You may think that, once you’ve written your author bio, that’s you. But you should update it regularly to make sure your content is relevant. You don’t want to miss out on promoting a new release or celebrating a new award.
Conclusion
An author bio is an important marketing tool, as readers often want to learn more about the author as well as the book. Many writers dread writing author bios, but it’s a relatively simple process. Start with a byline; list your credentials and other works; include a personal tidbit; and finish with a call-to-action. Make sure it’s no longer than 100 words and write in the third person. Update it regularly to include all the most relevant work. And that’s all there is to it.
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