Quick Tip: Writing an Author Bio

You will use an author bio (biography) across your marketing campaign. It will appear:

• next to your author photo
• inside your book
• on the bio page of your website
• in full and abridged forms on your social media.

You may want to get someone else to help you with your author bio, as it can be difficult to write about yourself. Ask friends and family for advice, or talk to a marketing professional about how best to present yourself.

An author bio needs to tell a story and engage the reader, getting them a little more invested in you as a person − all in about 60 words. While it shouldn’t be a life story, the bio does need to have a bit of your personality in it. So if your writing is humorous, for instance, put some comedy in your bio.

Here is an example of a good author bio:

Jo is an English teacher who was born and raised in Wellington. In her spare time, she loves gardening, swimming and writing fiction, which is inspired by her love of the sea and nature. She currently lives in Waikanae with her partner, Alex, and their three pugs: Mozart, Sherlock and Bark Twain. This is her first novel.

If you have written books in the past, ensure to include any notable or relevant ones in your author bio.