Two examples of an author's bio

Here are two examples of an author's bio from books I found in my house:

First, the bio from one of my favorite novels, The Ballad of Pinewood Lake, by Jory Sherman.

Jory Sherman is a widely published author and poet whose works have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. He is the author of many novels, several of which have won major literary awards, including the Western Writer's of America's Spur Award for The Medicine Horn. He has been inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame.

After Sherman's bio, I would flip through some pages and pick a random spot to begin reading, knowing that this is a book worth examining more closely due to the fact that there are some big-time credentials. Ideally, I would find a beautiful passage and then want to read everything he wrote!

Second, the bio from my favorite nonfiction book, Strengthen Your Nonfiction Writing, by Mary Horner (I had an "in" with the selection committee!). Because my book is about writing, I went heavy on the credentials regarding writing and education. I wanted to let readers know I was a credible source.

Mary Horner is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in more than two dozen publications. She currently teaches communications at St. Louis and St. Charles Community Colleges. She earned a master's degree in communications from Lindenwood University, and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she also earned the Writing Certificate. She completed the Core Curriculum program in medical communications with special emphasis in editing/writing from the American Medical Writers Association. In 2005, she received The Best Mom award (from her kids).

If I were rewriting this, I would move the second sentence to the end, so instead of moving from past to present tense, and then to past tense again, I would move from past to present tense only once, and would probably add a future project. The future project would give readers something to look for later, or let readers in the future look for other books I've written. Finally, when this book came out I didn't have a blog. I do now, and would provide a URL, and let readers know I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

At the end I added a little humor. What information do you include in your bio?

Write (a bio) soon,

Mary

Use your author's bio to your advantage

I love reading author's bios. I don't know what I think I will find, but I guess I want to know if the author is someone like me, (which gives me hope that I will be able to finish those pesky novels I've started) or has been given the name of a magic website that writes the books for him or her! (In that case I want to know where I can find that magic website.)

Regardless of whether your bio is for a book, website or magazine/newsletter article, think of it as a business card used to introduce yourself. Here are seven tips for writing your bio:

1) Write in third person.

Make it easy for copy editors to publish the information. When I was a typesetter/staff writer/copy editor at a local newspaper, I edited about 6 million press releases. If there were two press releases of equal importance, and I only had room for one, I would run the one that was already edited professionally and fit our style. Was I lazy? No. It's just that I had so much work that I never felt completely caught up and any little thing I could do to try to lighten the load was a welcome relief.

2) Set the tone.

Some writers keep the information completely formal and professional, while others include personal tidbits for a touch of fun or playfulness. As the writer, you set the tone. If you are writing about the funeral business for members of that profession, perhaps a serious tone would fit best. Keep your readers in mind.

3) Keep it short (but, see next item).

Promote yourself, but don't look at this as a resume or CV (think highlight reel).

4) Write a long bio for special occasions.

If Oprah or the Pulitzer people call, they will need all your background information.

5) List or link to your website or blog or other writing samples.

6) Include current and/or future projects.

7) Have someone edit to ensure professionalism, and correct spelling and grammar errors.

Although there are no hard and fast rules, bios should give readers insight into the author, and create interest in his or her work. Next week I'll share a couple of examples.

Write soon,

Mary

Typewriter symphony orchestra

I couldn't help myself, this is more fun with typewriters!

Write soon,

Mary