When youre pitching fiction to an agent or publisher through a query letter, your ultimate goal is to get your manuscript read. Book flaps contain information designed to help sell the book, as well as information about the book s author. Its an invigorating feeling, receiving ones first acceptance letter from an editor. Im not saying its the very best way to write an author bio, in fact, many of the best examples below do not fit this template. But, have you put equal thought into ensuring your author bio and author photo match your target readers as well. Include achievements that build credibility or are interesting to the reader. Dont try too hard to be funny, but include something that makes you seem like a real person. Next is choosing a title and helping create an eyecatching cover. The six rules you should use to write a professional bio. Back cover copy is sales copy, which means it has to be written with different considerations in mind. In that case your article will help them to write a killer one.
Previously, i covered the why of writing book jacket copy. I really liked the way explained each point with examples. Reading is an intimate endeavor in which the reader and the author are engaged in a kind of relationship. October 22, 2015 by diana urban 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. You are by no means obligated to include any or all of these details.
If you are reading this, and you happen to be one of these boys, first of all, youre reading this so my master plan is already working. How to write a kickass amazon bio to sell more books. It is designed to stimulate the curiosity of potential readers by highlighting key elements of the books contents. You can also use the author bio to guide the reader into understanding what the personality of the book will be like which is particularly useful when the tone of the book is unusual or surprising compared to the subject matter. A book flap also typically includes a photograph of the author. How to draft proposals to childrens book publishers dummies. The parts of a book for self published authors bookstand. But when it comes to the back cover of their printed book, many new authors skimp or are unconcerned with what goes on the back cover. The cringing, seat shifting, pentapping task gets them every time, and every single one of them groaned in unison.
Show the students the book you selected to demonstrate the features. Publishing consultant and marketing copywriter shel horowitz unlocks the key to press releases, author bios, book covers, and other story behind the. So, weve provided the hints, tips and instructions. Write it in third person refer to yourself in your bio in the third personas he or she, not i. When writing a book, there are two potential places to include your author bio. Three key elements contribute to an effective and winning book jacket. If a reader loves your bio, then imagine what they can get out of an entire book. How to write your first author bio writing forward. Literary agents look to author bios to ascertain whether writers are dedicated craftspeople or wellintentioned amateurs.
How to draft proposals to childrens book publishers. What it doesnt do is talk about the meat of the book. Consult a written or online guide to childrens book publishers. Theyd walk off with a copy of the book based on the bio. Jun 25, 2019 the book jacket is a sales tool, inviting readers to the text, telling them much about what they will find on the pages between the covers. Writers are often advised to write bios that read like jacket copy, but catching the eye of an agent is about convincing her that youre just as marketable as your book is.
If you want to delve into this subject further, try the something about the author database, accessible with your toronto public library card. Nonfiction books jane friedman for years, ive offered a lengthy guide on how to write a query letter for a novel. What you include should focus on who you are as a writer, not what youd share in your personal facebook or twitter profile. Learn how to make the most out of your author bio by experimenting with. Julie broad is an author and the founder of book launchers, a. There are two forms to consider when crafting your author bio. The flap of a book is the part of the cover folded to appear on the inside front and back of a book. Dont write that you hope to someday become a pulitzer prizewinning. How to write a cover letter for your literary submissions.
This article will cover both what you need to include in your author bio and some examples of tight professional bios. Here are some tips and tricks for writing a short bio. How to write a stellar writers bio writing blog scribophile. Make it professional but you also need to convey personality and writing style. Hes best known for writing science fiction, including the new york times bestseller redshirts, which won the hugo award for best novel. Author blogs and why your publisher will want you to write one. Churchill is thought to be the very first writer to have his photograph published on a dust jacket. Your books author bio tells potential readers who you are, and why they should trust you and buy your book. Writing a short bio to go along with your submission to a literary journal can be daunting. They building an email list, a tribe, and a professional author platform because theyre all essential to focus on to reach their writer goals.
For a nonfiction book, authors should make a bullet point list of the books main features and actually put that list on the back cover. How to write an author bio that sells books ben zackheim. You should write the biography in a word processor, setting the margins so that the segments will print out a little smaller than the front and back of your book cover. You can go into some detail about your background therebut dont do it on your back cover. Think of your bio as a bonus addition to your published pieces that you can use to show how skilled or talented you are. Authors spend a great deal of energy writing the book of course. Back cover copy includes the book summary and author bio. About the author a brief biography, nor more than 1 page, about the author. That short introduction you see on the back cover of a book jacket or in an anthology of short stories is called an author bio short for biography. Book flaps contain information designed to help sell the book, as well as information about the books author. Nov 23, 2015 write a short summary of what your book is about. If youre not sure what to write for your short bio that must be included in every cover letter to a literary journal, then put on your thinking cap. Author can write a big book but broke into sweat when it comes to write a bio about themselves.
Mar 23, 2017 the flap of a book is the part of the cover folded to appear on the inside front and back of a book. Here are some things to avoid putting into your bio. Heres why you need a fantastic author photo and how you can. So, you want to know how to write a childrens book. The author andor editor of a book can write a preface, but noone else can. How to write an author bio, book jacket copy, and press releases that get results. One is a brief, threetofour sentence paragraph that can go on the back jacket of your book. Creating your perfect author bio long and short form. Do you read the author biographies on the book jacket. Look at kings photo again and imagine thats the author of an alternative history book about nazis. Nov 21, 2017 your book jacket photo will follow you for years. 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. How to write a terrific author bio rachelle gardner. New authors sometimes rush this decision, writing the first thing that comes to mind.
The back cover bio is a chance to impress a potential reader, while. Aug 12, 2019 jack london is known for his western adventure novels, including white fang and the call of the wild. Some authors choose one or the other, though i recommend taking advantage of both. Youve got the right idea in mind children and teenagers are some of the most devoted readers out there. Please welcome author nicolas frame with some good advice on writing your first author bio. Learn how to write an author bio that gets readers attentions. For book cover text if you are citing descriptive copy or a quotation printed on the cover of a book, its preferable to incorporate the necessary details chiefly, the author of the copy or quotation you are citing, if known, and the source where the copy or quotation appears into the body of your text and then create a standard entry for. Nine things that need to be on your book cover alicia dunams. You may have heard it before, but ill tell you again anyway.
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. I know that many of these bookhating boys, dont actually hate books, they hate boredom. To compete with the big publishing houses and their stables of talented copywriters, here are some tips to help you write effective promotional copy for your book. You need to create a brief and compelling author bio for use on your website, book jacket, and press releases. If you have a website, list it on the back cover of your book. It doesnt go into the subject matter, the point of view, or arguments that the book presents. This is typically done for a scholarly, nonfiction book. Its a resource that hosts profiles of childrens authors and illustrators. His books include writing better lyrics, the essential guide to lyric form and structure, and the essential guide to rhyming. More often than not, the wellcrafted copy gracing book jackets and back covers wasnt written by the author, but by a copywriter.
John scalzi writes books, which, considering where youre reading this, makes perfect sense. Dont sound pompous your books author bio is not an ad. This is typically the last page of a book and is on the left hand side. Every writer needs to have a killer short bio that tells in a sufficient and entertaining way who they are and why they deserve to be published. For the about the author section at the back of the book, anything goes. Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch. The medium bio is similar to a cover letter in a job application, usually between 40 and 250 words long. Could you please tell me exactly what information i should include in this bio. Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch specialist joel pitney suggests. Author julie broad shares 5 back cover tips that will help sell your nonfiction book on amazon and elsewhere. Now you have to decide what goes on the back cover. Book summary and author bio on the back of the book. Tony cliff is the author of delilah dirk and the turkish lieutenant. A book jacket the purpose of a book jacket blurb is to present a small snapshot of what readers will find inside the book.
Despite the adage, the book jacket generally broadcasts to the consumer much about the book, ideally casting it in the best light possible to draw in its target readers. So now lets roll up our sleeves and get into how to write a book jacket cover what is copy. Why what would constitute good writing in one book category might not wow readers in another. Trixie originally was a service dog with canine companions for independence cci, a charitable organization that provides service dogs for people with disabilities. You may like to visit my blog for more articles on how to create the components of your book, and writing secrets for both novelists and nonfiction authors. At scribe writing formerly book in a box, weve made it easier than ever for thought leaders to turn their ideas into a professionally published book.
If your book is a contemporary romance novel with a middleaged female protagonist, the personality and content of your author bio will be markedly different from if youre writing about taxdeduction strategies for real estate investors. If its a novel, you must include the storys most engaging plot points. How to write an amazing author bio book marketing for. 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 build the back of a book cover with template. By benjamin graham and david dodd, features the foreword author. However, nonfiction authors must include an author bio as part of their back cover copy to convince readers of their authority. The ability to condense a 100,000word manuscript into 300 words is no easy task, and writing copy for. May 12, 2009 some of the agents ask for a writers bio. 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. 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. Point out the various parts you want to emphasize in the lesson. Frys book, making history, deals with a reimagined history where hitler was never born.
How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers. The only rule for an author bio, and its more of a guideline, is to make sure you are writing an author bio. But, many people asked for an easy to follow template, and this is what we use with our authors. Sell more books with a kickass amazon book page author marketing experts, inc. Composing a professional writing bio for a cover letter or query letter is difficult, whether youre a new writer with no publication credits, a midlevel writer with significant publications, or a professional writer.
If you sell books on amazon, your author picture shows up in two places so you have two places to capture fans or deter them. The back cover of your book should include a short bio of the author, letting readers know the most salient aspects of your life, your business, and your career. The purpose of a preface is to let the reader know how you came to write. If you are an author, probably you will want an author bio.
Book design is the art of incorporating the content, style, format, design, and sequence of the various components and elements of a book into a coherent unit. Pop the champagne cork, and put a party hat on your cat. Pat pattison is a professor at berklee college of music, where he teaches lyric writing and poetry. About the author examples that youll actually want to read. This is the place to mention your qualifications for writing the book and also to include a website address. Book jacket copy isnt about summarizing your project or providing the reader with a clear synopsis or plot spoiler. In the words of renowned typographer jan tschichold 19021974, book design, though largely forgotten today, relies upon methods and rules upon which it is impossible to improve, and which have been developed over centuries. Are they mere marketing for adults or do kids enjoy them too. You dont say, i have been a ghost writer for four years. But if you rely on your publisher to write your author bio for you, it may end up something like this. Join us as shel horowitz discusses copywriting for authors. Chris, every author should read your how to write a great author bio that will connect with readers and understand what makes them unique, so that readers get a glimpse of a lifes accomplishments earned and what makes their works worth a readers time.
How to write an author bio page book edits by jessi. The other is a lengthier explanation that could be found on a separate page in your book under about the author, or as a separate page in your press kit with your author photo. 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. Write your bio in first person for query letters, third person for most other purposes including proposals, book jackets, article bylines. While your book cover design is the most important tool when marketing a book, your author bio is easily number two. Dont write a book, but a unique fact about yourself will help your bio stand out. If the face of the book is five inches, set margins so your biography is four inches wide. Nov 20, 2019 every writer needs to have a killer short bio that tells in a sufficient and entertaining way who they are and why they deserve to be published. Even though you dont have to write a lot, each word is vital. The author biography should either be on the last page of the book, or on the cover of the book but not both. Your book cover, your book description, your author biography, and your author photo should all mesh with your genre, your tone, your personality, and your target audience. Publishers frequently put the foreword author s name on the cover, sometimes more prominently than the name of the books author.
Before we get into why most authors hate writing their back book cover blurb, lets clarify what it actually is. One of dean koontzs pen names was inspired by his dog, trixie koontz, a golden retriever, shown in many of his book jacket photos. Id show the book to people at book fairs and signing events, and theyd flip the book over, read the bio, and laugh. How do you write an author bio for a cover letter or book blurb. You can use the author bio template provided in this post on creating a memorable author bio. The author bio is a featured data point all over the web. No, i dont want to be reading my favorite book while wearing my glasses and sitting atop poes grave. His picture communicates none of the books story but a great deal about the tone in which it is written. Everything you write, from emails to editors to your bio to your actual stories, showcases you as an author.
The bio on the back of the book cover should be the nutshell inside of the nut. For nonfiction authors, the author bio is a critical marketing tool as who are you are is often as or more. Gather students together and remind them of all the authors they were learning about in lesson two. Dont sabotage it with selfcongratulatory adjectives and boastful sentences.