Your bio is the first glimpse your reader’s will have of you, whether they’ve read it after reading your book or before that. The result is the same – it’s the first impression the readers will have into who you are, not just as a writer, but as a person as well. You stop being just a name and a surname, and become someone they feel sort of familiar with, because they have read the story, book or article that you’ve written. That’s why it’s very important that your biography is well written, and below, we’ve gathered a few tips and things to keep in mind when you’re writing it.
1. Tell a story
If you’re asking why your biography cannot simply be a short recap of your life, then the answer is because a bio is not a resume. Resumes are professional by nature, but that has the downside of making them seem dry. Your biography should tell a story just as entertaining as your book was. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t include your other works – or things that you did. But, you’re a writer! Words are your tools, so use them and bend the journey of your life and how you became an author into a compelling story that will draw the readers more towards you. However, keep in mind…
2. Genre oriented
The story you tell with your biography needs to match the genre you’re writing it in. If you’re writing non-fiction of any kind, then make sure the readers know why you’re an authority on the subject you’re writing in, and how did you become that way. Additionally, ensure that the writing style you use in your book, short story, or article, matches the writing style of your bio – essentially turning your biography into an extension of the story, as if you’re allowing your readers a glimpse behind the scenes. Of course, you should write in the third person, unless your book is a memoir, but your writer’s “voice” should remain the same as it had been throughout the book.
3. Little personal
Don’t be afraid to get a little personal when writing your bio. Open up to your readers and let them know a bit more about who you are. Let the readers in on your usual day. Tell them a story of what inspires you, your writing habits, or simply that you’re the happy and bemused owner of a misbehaving cat. This will ensure that the readers will get even more of a feeling of familiarity with you, and you stop being an abstract behind a name, but a person that might just live next door.
4. Be funny
Humor is always appreciated in a bio, in the margins of the genre you’re writing in, of course. But for fiction writers, in general, you’re free to use humor to make your bio more entertaining. Turn your writing journey into a funny anecdote, or use a little bit of self-deprecating humor to describe how you wrote your book, it doesn’t matter. Your goal is to make your readers chuckle or laugh as they read your bio, because if they find it funny, they will remember it – and remember you as a compelling writer, and will not pass by your books when they see it in bookstores, or on Amazon listings.
5. Keep it short and sweet
The words above describe the final, desired effect you want of your bio. If you make it too long, the readers will not finish reading it – where, incidentally, you need to include links to your online profiles and blog, if you have one. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you need to succumb to a certain number of words, and limit yourself to two or three hundred words. Just follow your instinct when you write. In the end, if it’s too long, simply take a look at what you’ve written with a critical eye and decide what isn’t exactly necessary and can be cut.
Image credit: Alex M on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As a 22-year-old art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.