Writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a wellcrafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so. Why you need an author bio both inside your book and on the. Heres why you need a fantastic author photo and how you can. 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. James published his first adult book, the misadventures of pete the cat, a history of his art work, in 2006. If theres no clear way to signal direct authority or credentialsfor example, you wrote a thriller or a romance novelthen dont make up things or try to invent authority. It takes a long time to read a book, but its very easy to make a snap judgment based on. How to write an amazing author bio book marketing for. How to write an author bio that sells books ben zackheim. Here are some reallife author bios that combine most or all of the tips above. 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. Below are a few examples of back cover copy for fiction. Learn how to write an author bio that gets readers attentions.
It typically serves as the foundation for your online book descriptions, as well as any press releases or pitches you make to the media. Did you quickly throw together some random sentences just so you. But at the end of that email, youll usually realize they want you to. Apr 12, 2018 for nonfiction authors, the author bio is a critical marketing tool as who are you are is often as or more. Alan gratz has wanted to be a writer ever since he was a kid. Theyd walk off with a copy of the book based on the bio. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. Palacio lives in brooklyn, ny with her husband, two sons and two dogs bear and beau.
This is typically the last page of a book and is on the left hand side. The back cover bio is a chance to impress a potential reader, while the inside bio is often the last impression made on a. Writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a wellcrafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so interesting. Its important for indie authors to know how to write an author bio that tells readers. Heres why you need a fantastic author photo and how you.
For nonfiction, establishing yourself as an expert and differentiating your book from the others written about the same. Long professor and a professor of neurosurgery, oncology, and orthopaedic surgery. Chanel cleeton is the new york times and usa today bestselling author of reese witherspoon book club pick next year in havana and when we left cuba. You need to assume that the back of your book cover is for people who havent bought the book. This is typically done for a scholarly, nonfiction book. Jun 24, 2015 you need to assume that the back of your book cover is for people who havent bought the book. Ruth franklin is a book critic and former editor at the new republic. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Chungah rhee is the founder, recipe developer, and photographer of damn delicious. Now alan is the author of sixteen books for young readers, many of which have won state awards, appeared.
Stephen edwin king born september 21, 1947 is an american author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, and fantasy novels. Visit amazon author central, click on your book, and add it in the about the author section or if you published a paperback version of your book on createspace, you can enter the bio in the author biography section for your book. Explanations and back book cover examples for both fiction and nonfiction. You are a writer, so why cant you be a little more inventive with your subject matter. The parts of a book for self published authors bookstand. Over 300,000 authors trust the professionals on reedsy, come meet them.
Theres a right way and wrong way to do this, so lets take a look. Publishers frequently put the foreword author s name on the cover, sometimes more prominently than the name of the book s author. Aug, 2015 what you say on your back cover about yourself will not take the place of your formal author bio, which should appear on a page inside the book near the back. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. The photo is presented as a polaroid taped to the screen, heightening how casual walliams is about his role. I prefer the new version, and it also ended up being a third smaller, which is good putting the old and new side by side i much prefer the new one, and it also points to my online presence better now. He went to the university of tennessee to study creative writing, and ten years and more than sixtyfive rejections later he was finally able to get his very first book published. Publishers frequently put the foreword authors name on the cover, sometimes more prominently than the name of the books author. Book summary and author bio on the back of the book. She turned to writing at a rather early age when she penned her first book at the age of four. Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch specialist joel pitney suggests.
For business the short bio can sometimes be more important than whats actually in the bookthe sad but true reality is that more people will read your author bio than your actual book. 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. Rowling, is a british author and screenwriter best known for her sevenbook harry potter childrens book series. While your books are a great way to introduce yourself, an author bio can. 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 thatll hook them is your back cover copy, which is publishing speak for the information that appears on the back cover. How to write a memorable author bio with template reedsy blog. The author biography should either be on the last page of the book, or on the cover of the book but not both. Jon klassen has 27 books on goodreads with 3128 ratings.
For the about the author section at the back of the book, anything goes. An older brother taught her to read, and after that her education was erratic. The series has sold more than 500 million copies and was adapted into a. The back cover copy you write for your book is among the most important marketing messages youll craft. About the authora brief biography, nor more than 1 page, about the author. An effective author bio is short and highlights basic professional information about the.
How to write your first author bio writing forward. Something, ironically, every author i know hates writing. Norton, 2016 won the national book critics circle award for biography and was named a new york times notable book of 2016, a time magazine top nonfiction book of 2016, and a best book of 2016 by the boston globe, the san francisco chronicle. May 27, 2015 book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. Chandlers author bio on the back of his book published is only three sentences long but packs in a lot of authority building, states facts plus toots his horn a bit. Write the bio for the site where it will live, and mention your reading interests. It takes a long time to read a book, but its very easy to make a snap judgment based on a short paragraph, and most people do that. Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the books front cover. Alternatively, the author bio could also be placed on the back cover of the book, toward the bottom, but it should only be featured in one place not the last page and the back cover. Keep a cover bio short and sweet and related to the book. If the themes of your books differ significantly from each other, you may find it better to customdesign a separate bio for each book. Your author bio is an important book press kit element because it is pretty much the only tool you have to make the case that you are the best person to write this book and to write it well. Not only is it useful to know what you need to include in an author bio, it is also useful to see examples of how your vital information should look.
Reading is an intimate endeavor in which the reader and the author are engaged in. In a book, the author bio, or about the author page, is typically the last lefthand page of a book. Darryl brock is the author of if i never get back 4. So, weve provided the hints, tips and instructions.
How to write an authors page for a book pen and the pad. She is best known for writing the harry potter fantasy series, which has won multiple awards and sold more than 500 million copies, becoming the bestselling book. However, nonfiction authors must include an author bio as part of their back cover copy to convince readers of their authority. This back cover design features an author bio and photo. The bio on the back of the book cover should be the nutshell inside of the nut. How to write an author bio page book edits by jessi. Rowling, is a british author, film producer, television producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. While all five of these tips will help you make a better bio, tips 2 and 3 are the best advice for how to write an author bio that sells books. With over 8 million books in print he has been writing about gods transformational truth since 1984. An authors page, or authors bio, is typically located at the end of a book and is meant to tell readers a little about the author of the book.
By benjamin graham and david dodd, features the foreword author over the. What to include in the author bio for your book authority publishing. Pop the champagne cork, and put a party hat on your cat. Some authors choose one or the other, though i recommend taking advantage of both. These three sentences along with the killer book cover art work well to sell chandlers mastery of book publishing. Born in idaho to a father opposed to public education, she never attended school. How to write a memorable author bio with template reedsy.
You can use the author bio template provided in this post on creating a memorable author bio. The books message of kindness has inspired the choose kind movement, and has been embraced by readers, young and. What you say on your back cover about yourself will not take the place of your formal author bio, which should appear on a page inside the book near the back. Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch. Oct 22, 2015 writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a wellcrafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so interesting. Within days of rowling being revealed as the author, sales of the book rose by 4,000%, and little brown printed another 140,000 copies to meet the increase in demand. Rowling, is a british author and screenwriter best known for her seven book harry potter childrens book series. I am the author of this or that book, and i am a word wrangler. Steps to writing your own back book blurb and back cover. An effective author bio is short and highlights basic professional information about the author.
What to put in your books author bio nonfiction authors. How to build the back of a book cover with template. Below is a bio, awkwardly written in the third person. Steve is a bestselling author of books such as every mans battle, healing is a choice, the 7minute marriage solution, the book of life recovery, is this the one. 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. When writing a book, there are two potential places to include your author bio. Sell more books with a kickass amazon book page author marketing experts, inc. Her debut novel, wonder, has been on the new york times bestseller list since march, 2012, and has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. Its the media relations tool that tells reporters, producers, bloggers and other media gatekeepers that your personal history gives you the perfect credentials for this novel or that your professional. For some types of books and authors, this is harder to do. On his childrens book site, where the readers care little about the identity of the author and are particularly sensitive to selfpromotion, david walliams uses a small, simple picture. Something else to consider for the shortshort version of ones author bio, the version which will accompany your author photo on the back of your next book. Its the essence of your books most exciting features, distilled into a few hundred words. This article will cover both what you need to include in your author bio and some examples of tight professional bios.
Book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. Youre writing the author bio page for your book, and are unsure what should go there and what shouldnt. But when you include this information on createspace, it. The books message of kindness has inspired the choose kind movement, and has been embraced by readers, young and old, around the world. Mar 23, 2017 an author s page, or author s bio, is typically located at the end of a book and is meant to tell readers a little about the author of the book. You can go into some detail about your background therebut dont do it on your back cover.
Of course it should be interesting to read, so you dont want to write a minimemoir, but you can expand on details provided in the back cover bio, or add information you didnt have space for there. When you wrote your amazon book page, how much thought did you put into the author bio. Seuss was planning on being a professor before he became a childrens book author. Your books author bio tells potential readers who you are, and why they should. Bio ruth franklin author of shirley jackson, a rather.
Id show the book to people at book fairs and signing events, and theyd flip the book over, read the bio, and laugh. By benjamin graham and david dodd, features the foreword author over the books actual authors. I am a dreamer and bestselling author and this is the official twitter feed for my book ive written. Originally from florida, chanel grew up on stories of her familys exodus from cuba following the events of the cuban revolution. Its an invigorating feeling, receiving ones first acceptance letter from an editor. Please welcome author nicolas frame with some good advice on writing your first author bio. They are just like celebrity endorsements of products in television commercials. Jul 07, 2011 your author bio is an important book press kit element because it is pretty much the only tool you have to make the case that you are the best person to write this book and to write it well. He illustrated his first selfpublished childrens book, pete the cat i love my white shoes, written by eric litwin, in 2008, and the followup book, pete the cat. Theres not much space on the back cover, so every word counts there. Keep it brief your books author bio page should be shortjust two or three brief paragraphs. I recommend authors put their bio on the back of their book, but they say i already have it on the inside of the book, so i dont want it on the outside. What to put in your books author bio nonfiction authors association.
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