An author’s bio is a summary about an author, typically not more than 100 words, that introduces the author and their personal and professional backgrounds and convinces readers to buy their books. As a self-publishing author, your bio is one of the vital things you will ever create to promote your book and boost sales. Unless you are a bestselling author, most people would not know who you are. They learn about you through your author bio. It acts like a visiting card. Many writers create an author bio as an afterthought or something that fills a blank spot in their book. But when written well, an author bio can improve your credibility and reputation and impact sales more than you perceive. In this blog, we will explain how to write an Author Bio before you self-publish a book.
Why is Author Bio for Book Publishing So Important?
When you self-publish a book, you must think seriously about how to write your author bio. Even if you wrote a short story or poem, you shouldn’t think less of an author bio.
Here are other key reasons for having one:
- Establishes your authority in the genre: If your book is about healthy foods for heart patients, and you are a cardiologist, readers will automatically prioritize your book, while publishers will feel more confident collaborating with you, knowing there’s a market ready for your work.
- Acts as your book ad copy: Book blurbs, descriptions, and reviews persuade readers to read your book. An author bio does the same. While it takes time to read a book, it just takes a minute to understand its value and judge based on the short passage under the ‘About the Author’ heading. While they are not meant for a hard sell, they should be powerful and convincing enough to help readers choose.
- Introduces your readers to you: Some people will buy your book because they feel a connection with you after reading your author bio. So, the author bio is an opportunity for you to tell them who you are, what you do, why did you write the book, and why they should read your books.
Meanwhile, read why an Author Website is important for authors today.
What an Author Bio Must Contain
Since you have 100 – 110 words to impress your readers, you have to be very smart with your content. These are the elements you must add to your author bio:
- Where you are from and what you do/did
- Why did you choose to be an author (option)
- Your early life, schooling, and hometown
- Your background – culture, heritage, or any information that relates to your book
- Your writing interests, such as the genres you like to write about
- Your general interests, like skiing
- Relevant experience and qualifications that validate you as a writer. Example: An editor in a publishing house
- Any awards or accreditation where your books have been featured. Example: A New York Bestseller book of 2022
- A call to action
Aim for 90 words.
Make your author bio for the book based on your target audience. If possible, tailor it to suit your genre. For instance, if your book is a comedy, make your bio humorous.
To help readers know more about you, add a link to your social media channel or website.
Include a picture of you. It should be a headshot and a professional picture. You can smile or not; it’s up to you. A professional-looking picture doesn’t mean you are in a suit and tie. It means you should look clean, and neat, and have a headshot facing the camera.
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How to Write an Author Bio for Books
If you are writing for a book publishing agent, write it in first person, as writing in third person doesn’t seem appropriate when an agent reads about you. Make sure you don’t write too much or too little. You must be modest and make your author bio a convincing sales pitch. However, writing too much with too many adjectives might make you look a little amateurish.
Now let’s see how to write an author bio when you self-publish a book.
Start by Introducing Yourself
The first line should introduce your background. Use relevant information that readers would like to read.
Here’s an example of novelist Durjoy Dutta’s author bio:
“Durjoy Datta, born February 7, 1987, in Delhi, is an Indian author who writes for young adults. He graduated from Delhi College of Engineering and then went on to do PGDBM in Marketing from Management Development Institute. His first book, Of Course I Love You . . ., was published when he was twenty-one years old and was an instant bestseller. He lives in Mumbai.”
And here’s another author bio example of the highly revered romance novelist, Jude Deveraux:
“Jude Deveraux is the author of forty-three New York Times bestsellers, including For All Time, Moonlight in the Morning, and A Knight in Shining Armor. To date, there are more than sixty million copies of her books in print worldwide.”
Establish Your Reputation by Mentioning Achievements
For new authors, this is the place to offer interesting information to build a connection with the author. And if you have won any awards or credibility, include them at the beginning itself.
The next couple of sentences should talk about your credibility in book publishing. The reader is still deciding whether to buy your book or not, and this is where you need to explain why they should buy your work.
If you just produced a Bestseller book of the year (New York Times, Times of India, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal), you should mention this here. Add the title of the books that won awards.
If you have a website, promote it as well at the bottom of the bio. Other things to highlight are training, degrees, special certifications, awards, and recognitions.
Here is a continuation of the above examples:
“Durjoy Dutta has co-founded Grapevine India Publishers. He is the author of 6 runaway bestselling books. In 2009, he was recognized as a young achiever by The Times of India. He was also chosen as one of the two young achievers in the field of Media and Communications by Whistling Woods International in 2011 and one of the highest-selling Indian authors in 2011.
Durjoy also has to his credit nine television shows and has written over a thousand episodes for television.”
“Jude Deveraux has authored more than forty New York Times bestsellers, including A Knight in Shining Armour, Moonlight in the Morning, The Scent of Jasmine, Scarlet Nights, Days of Gold, Lavender Morning, Return to Summerhouse, and Secrets. She was honored with a Romantic Times Pioneer Award in 2013 for her distinguished career.
To learn more about her work, visit her website, www.JudeDeveraux.com”.
Conclude the Section by Highlighting Your Style
Self-publishing authors and new writers, ensure you outline your writing style, genres, and themes. Is it romantic? Comedy? Supernatural? Erotica? Children’s Book? or Historical? What kind of theme do you focus on? Love, thriller, mystery, war, or revenge? Informing the reader of the type of books you write will help you draw in the right audience looking for books in your genre.
Here’s a passage from the bio of the author of the bestseller book P.S. I Love You, Cecilia Ahern:
“The thread that links my work is in capturing that transitional period in people’s lives. I’m drawn to writing about loss, to characters that have fallen and who feel powerless in their lives. I am fascinated and inspired by the human spirit, by the fact that no matter how hopeless we feel and how dark life can be, we do have the courage, strength, and bravery to push through our challenging moments.”
This passage, taken from Amazon, tells the reader and book publishing companies what they can expect from Cecilia Ahern’s books. She will more likely connect with readers who prefer reading stories of courage, love, and heartbreak.
Keep Your Author Bio for Books Short, Crisp, Friendly, and Interesting
Your tone should be conversational and friendly, even when the content is authoritative. Keep your passage crisp and concise. Remove unnecessary adverbs and adjectives and cut down long sentences.
While your readers are interested, you don’t want to bore them with too much bragging and arrogance. If your bio is too long or only talks about accomplishments, it might negatively impact your reader.
Anything longer than 100 words should be cut short to the important and relevant details.
Remember to add the links to your social media channels. In this case, even if the reader doesn’t buy the book, they will use the link to check your social media handle, giving you another opportunity to connect with them and cultivate a good readership.
Also Read: How to Sell Books by Blogging
As you grow, your author bio will grow along and become living proof of your writing journey. As you self-publish more books and grow as an author, change your bio and byline.
Remember that if you are writing for different genres and topics, your bio, accomplishments, and background must be relevant to the target reader.
Hope this article helps you write a perfect author bio for your book and get more readers to read it. If you are looking for comprehensive self-publishing services, don’t forget to check our platform, Writat – Self-Publishing Simplified.
