Writing a bio for book jacket

How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers. More often than not, the wellcrafted copy gracing book jackets and back covers wasnt written by the author, but by a copywriter. There are nine things every nonfiction book cover must include in order to generate appeal and interest, and to make your book an effective marketing tool for your business. You author image should be professional but it doesnt have to be professionally taken and reflect the tone of your writing. How to build the back of a book cover with template. The ability to condense a 100,000word manuscript into 300 words is no easy task, and writing copy for your own book. For instance, if the first book in a fiction series gets most of the attention and sales, use your bio to remind readers of the next books in the series. Dec 26, 20 chrisann brennan, author or the bite in the apple in 20, i had the opportunity to work with many authors to create photos for their book jackets. Your books author bio tells potential readers who you are, and why they should trust you and buy your book. If youre writing a bio for work, ask your manager or editor which is more appropriate. Nov 23, 2015 its all about tapping in to your readers need for your book.

However, dont use your cover letter as a biography or resume. So now lets roll up our sleeves and get into how to write a book jacket cover what is copy. Now well go into detail on how to write a short bio. Include achievements that build credibility or are interesting to the reader. Take it seriously, get it right, and it will help you sell books. But a good author bio cuts right to the point by saying. In a nutshell, its the 200 odd words on the back cover of your book that describes the book to the reader.

Typically, a copywriter crafts the text that appears on the book jacket or paperback cover. Since they are the author, they will be writing about themselves. The two templates above serve only as a framework, so feel free to add or delete some sentences as you see fit. After that, write a table of contents to help guide you as you write, then break each chapter into a few sections.

I have submitted several essays to the new yorker and harpers magazine and while i havent been published yet i have taken on several freelance writing jobs. For a nonfiction book, authors should make a bullet point list of the books main. This information usually falls into one of three parts. If you queried agents or editors at any point, you might be able to start with the hook from your query letter. How to write an amazing author bio book marketing for. Its the essence of your book s most exciting features, distilled into a few hundred words. Leave your demographics for the end and keep it brief. You need to create a brief and compelling author bio for use on your website, book jacket, and press releases. Name about write this in your designed to be the publishing company. How to write a cover letter for your literary submissions. Since a book cover is so significant in your book s success, you have to squeeze all the power you can from the things you include on it. Have them create a book jacket for their choiceindependent book.

Make a book jacket for either your favorite book or one that you read and thought could be represented better. Think of your bio as a bonus addition to your published pieces that you can use to show how skilled or talented you are. How to write a short professional bio with templates and. The synopsis should give an overview of the book without giving away any of the key elements. The only rule for an author bio, and its more of a guideline, is to make sure you are writing an author bio.

Writing a short bio to go along with your submission to a literary journal can be daunting. This article will cover both what you need to include in your author bio and some examples of tight professional bios. Some of those events are going to be pretty boring, so youll need to try to make your account as interesting as possible. It is short, succinct copy that sends a strong message about your writing. Writing a mini bio and writing your life story is not as easy as writing a college essay. But you do not need a bio from the about page of the write practice. Its the first introduction to who you are, what you do, and what youre interested inwhether a blurb on a social media platform, a personal website, or company team page. This is why before you go and write your own, find out as much as you can first about what it means to be writing one.

College essays are more about opinions but biographies are all about tangible and accurate facts. For my romantic suspense novel, guardian angel, i wrote this long blurb. If you are writing a romance, its best to pick either the hero or heroine for emphasis, and the one you pick is the one who has the most at stake in your book description. How to write a terrific author bio rachelle gardner. Use the stepbystep instructions below as a general guideline for customizing the short bio templates above, or write one from scratch. A book flap also typically includes a photograph of the author. Use your bio to crosspromote other books youve written its a marketing tool that can tell readers to buy your other titles. Otherwise, consider whether you want your audience to have a more personal experience when reading your bio.

The six rules you should use to write a professional bio. Cover letter example for fiction writers to send to agents. How to write a back cover book synopsis pen and the pad. Learn how to write an author bio that gets readers attentions. Jan, 2010 if you are on twitter, it will be your, wait for it bio. Here are a few author bio examples, with quick explanations of why they work. If you are citing a book cover, or part of a book cover, make sure to keep in mind that you are still citing a book. Even though you dont have to write a lot, each word is vital. 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. Students can use the tool to create new covers for books that they read as well as to create covers for books they write individually or as a class. Writing an author bio examples of professional bios. Reading is an intimate endeavor in which the reader and the author are engaged in a kind of relationship. Could you please tell me exactly what information i should include in this bio. A cover letter introduces you and your novel to potential publishers.

Write cliches such as a mustread or this book will change your life. A few simple steps can get an effective bio that will impress interested readers and help sell your book. Sep 14, 2018 jomny sun might have written some funny, irreverent tweets and a great book to boot, but here jonathan covers all his bases. How to write an author bio, book jacket copy, and press releases that get results. This leaves a comprehensive list of his lifes work, not just his writing.

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. For a year in the 90s, i kept track of every book i read by filling out cue cards and filing them away in a recipe box i know, the acme of technology usage. For the month of january, i will insert this letter into every book i borrow from the library. Let me share with you seven tips on how to write a bio. It typically serves as the foundation for your online book descriptions, as well as any press releases or pitches you make to the media. This letter is your first point of contact between you and a publisher, therefore, it is crucial that aspiring authors know how to write a decent cover letter. You need a bio for your own amazing article that is being published soon. Most publishing companies have staff devoted to book design above and beyond the editorial team, including graphic designers, cover artists, and copywriters. While most of the time you may not be writing your book jacket copy, its still important for any writer to. Editors are useful in helping to shape and enhance your story. Keep a cover bio short and sweet and related to the book. Its a good idea to tweak your author bio for the next book you release. Back cover copy is sales copy, which means it has to be written with different considerations in mind. Distribute writing paper or the author biography page template printable to the students.

While your book cover design is the most important tool when marketing a book, your author bio is easily number two. Your professional bio is, arguably, the most important piece of copy youll ever write about yourself. As writing a professional bio is the hottest thing since sliced bread, you best get on with it and follow these simple steps to do your personal brand proud. Previously, i covered the why of writing book jacket copy. Everything you write, from emails to editors to your bio to your actual stories, showcases you as an author.

Most people in media work very hard under tight deadlines and dont have time to read long books or even pitch emails. Hes best known for writing science fiction, including the new york times bestseller redshirts, which won the hugo award for best novel. Using construction paper of whatever color you wish, design a book jacket that will be folded like the picture above. However, the general practice is to write your bio in the third person. Your book is foremost about one person so that person must be part of the book description. 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. Writing an author bio examples of professional bios by freelance writing 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. Before we get into why most authors hate writing their back book cover blurb, lets clarify what it actually is.

Writing about yourself isnt necessarily easy even though studies show that we, as humans, love talking about ourselves. When listing book publications, should you have any, italicize the title. These headshots needed to convey something of each authors personality, but at the same time fit into the tight conventions of a book. The bio on the back of the book cover should be the nutshell inside of the nut. 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. He has his fingers in plenty of pies, but the list still never runs too long only about one sentence per accomplishment. According a codex group study, jacket copy can have a definite impact on book sales, especially for fiction, and the importance of jacket copy cant be underestimated. Students create a book jacket showing their knowledge of story plot, setting, character, authors bio, and quotes. When writing a book, there are two potential places to include your author bio. For example, an authors bio on a book jacket often mentions past writing accomplishments, whereas an athletes bio on a team website often mentions the persons height and weight. However, they may not have the necessary sales writing skills to entice the reader to purchase your book. Be ruthless hereeven the most interesting of anecdotes may not be appropriate. The next step is grabbing the readers interest with a tempting back cover.

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. A description of you on a book jacket should you write a book how do i write a bio about myself. An author byline should you author any writing a portfolio. How do you write an author bio for a cover letter or book. What to include in the author bio for your book by on 04182012 with comments 4 when writing a book, there are two potential places to include your author bio. Take a minute to think about the book jacket designs that you have seen. You may have heard it before, but ill tell you again anyway. However, nonfiction authors must include an author bio as part of their back cover copy to convince readers of their authority. Biography book jacket for a separate peace by beckyp tpt.

Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch. What to include in the author bio for your book authority publishing. Back cover copy includes the book summary and author bio. An experienced professional editor, such as the editors at firstediting, will create a professionally written book jacket cover that will capture your audiences attention. Here are tips on how you can write dialogue like hemingway. Nov 20, 2019 when i retired at the age of 65 i started taking personal essay writing classes in the continuing education department at new yorks prestigious new york university. 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. John scalzi writes books, which, considering where youre reading this, makes perfect sense.

The goal of your back cover is to turn a book browser into a book buyer. How to write your first author bio writing forward. Getting your author bio right is an important task. About the author examples that youll actually want to read. So, its important to provide potential readers with the chance to get a sense of who you are and why you have the authority. Also try to visualize how the copy will look on the jacket and back cover of your book.

These three most probably have different lengths, with the minnow being twitter that only allows for a 140 character bio. 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. Book jacket copy isnt about summarizing your project or providing the reader with a clear synopsis or plot spoiler. If youre afraid the above sentence may describe you, well, dont be too hard on yourself. The book cover creator is designed to allow users to type and illustrate front book covers, front and back covers, and full dust jackets. Here are some tips and tricks for writing a short bio. Your book is riveting, but your author bio is a snooze.

The student is asked to assume that one character is writing a biography of another character in the nove. May 12, 2009 some of the agents ask for a writers bio. On the biography page, they can write about the things charted. In this lesson, we will learn how to write a biography using facts about a famous person. Similarly, if you have relevant experience, you should also mention it. A biography is a written account of the series of events that make up a persons life. The back cover copy you write for your book is among the most important marketing messages youll craft. 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. When writing promotional copy, try to identify features that set your book apart, consider what it offers readers in terms of subject matter, characters, or plot and highlight that. I cover mobile, he explains, as well as internet services and the. 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. A biography is a piece of writing that tells the true story of another persons life.

In writing biography, six prominent historians address these issues and reflect on their varied experiences and divergent perspectives as biographers. Literary agents look to author bios to ascertain whether writers are dedicated craftspeople or wellintentioned amateurs. Tell the students that they are going to make an author biography page for their book. 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. Need a fun way to showcase your students knowledge. The purpose of a book jacket blurb is to present a small snapshot of what readers will find inside the book. For nonfiction, establishing yourself as an expert and differentiating your book from the others written about the same topic will help sell your book. 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. This will help you gauge how many or few words youll want to include. Writing about yourself is a task that many even full time writers shy away from.

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. The dust jacket sometimes book jacket, dust wrapper or dust cover of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations this outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book cove. Write only a paragraph or two, and include the hooksthe storys most engaging plot points. If its a novel, you must include the storys most engaging plot points. Here is a great blog post from rachelle gardner about how to write a terrific author bio. Nine things that need to be on your book cover alicia dunams. Unless you make that connection, those potential readers will choose another book, no matter how good your writing and content might be. May 17, 20 7 secrets to writing persuasive back cover sales copy by casey demchak covers the key points authors should think about when writing their sales copy. Apr 12, 2018 novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch specialist joel pitney suggests. What you include should focus on who you are as a writer, not what youd share in your personal facebook or twitter profile.