in Publishing
An author bio that does its job
An author bio is read in seconds and asked to do several things at once. Most of them fail by saying too much about the wrong things.
The author bio appears on the back cover or inside flap, on retailer pages, in press releases, on festival programmes and in catalogues. It is often the only information a reader, a bookseller or a journalist has about the person behind the book.
It is usually written last, in a hurry, and it shows.
What a bio is for
A bio has one main job: to give the reader a reason to trust this author with this book. Everything else is secondary.
For fiction, that trust might come from previous books, from a relevant background, from where the author lives or has lived, or simply from a clear sense of who they are. For non-fiction, it usually comes from expertise, experience or a particular vantage point on the subject.
A bio is not a CV. It does not need every qualification, job or publication. It needs the few facts that make the reader more interested in the book in front of them.
What to include
Start with what is most relevant to this book. A novelist writing about the sea who spent years working on fishing boats should say so early. A historian writing about a particular period should establish their connection to it.
Mention previous books if there are any, and any genuine recognition they received, stated plainly and accurately. If this is a first book, there is no need to say so apologetically, and no need to fill the gap with less relevant material.
Include where the author lives if it adds something. Place often matters to readers, especially if the book is connected to it.
A single human detail can help, provided it is specific and not whimsical for its own sake. It gives the reader a sense of a person rather than a list.
Leave out anything that does not serve the book. Early jobs, unrelated degrees and long lists of interests rarely help.
Leave out claims that cannot be checked or that overstate. Readers and journalists notice inflated credentials, and the trade has a long memory.
Leave out anything that will date quickly, unless the bio is for a specific occasion. A bio on a printed cover may be read for many years.
Avoid adjectives about the author's own qualities. Saying an author is passionate, gifted or acclaimed does less than showing what they have done.
Voice and person
Bios for covers, catalogues and retailer pages are conventionally written in the third person. This makes them easier to reuse by others and reads less like self-promotion. A first-person version can work on an author's own website or newsletter, where the reader expects a direct voice.
The tone should suit the book. A bio for a comic novel can be lighter. A bio for a serious work of history should be measured. Either way, it should be written with the same care as the book.
Several lengths
It is useful to keep more than one version. A short version of one or two sentences is needed for programme listings, contributor notes and places with little room. A medium version of a short paragraph suits most covers and retailer pages. A longer version is useful for press material and websites, where there is space for context.
Write the long version first, then cut. Cutting forces decisions about what matters most, and the short version is usually the better piece of writing.
Review the bio whenever something relevant changes: a new book, a new role, a change of place. Keep a single master copy and update it, so the old versions do not keep circulating.
Ask someone else to read it. Authors are often poor judges of which facts about themselves are interesting. A good reader will tell you which line made them want to know more, and which ones they skipped.