Crafting Your Bio

I recently came across an article titled, How to Write a Killer Bio by Marci Alboher. In it Alboher mentions, “While writers should have an advantage in crafting well-written bios, it’s remarkable how few unleash their facility with language when profiling themselves.”

Having a good bio is a necessity if you want to be successful as an author. A bio should be considered one of your staple marketing tools. You will use a bio on the back of your books, websites and it will be submitted with any marketing materials for potential speaking opportunities. When considering writing a bio I always ask the question, “If you had to be introduced at a speaking event, how would you like to be characterized?”

A couple of tips to consider:

1. Scale. Depending on the situation, you may need to prepare a couple of different bio options. Some publications place a limit on the amount of characters they will accept and you may need to be prepared to provide a shorter, more concise bio. Others, you could allow for a longer, more detailed bio.
2. Be truthful. This is not a place to embellish. Many consider a bio to be a shortened version of your resume. Don’t say, “I’ve sold more than 125,000 books from my garage” if you cannot back the statistic up (yep, it has happened!).
3. Perspective. Although a bio should always be written in third person, adopting this perspective can be particularly helpful when writing about yourself. Although it may feel a bit uncomfortable at first, this really is the place to brag about your many accomplishments.
4. Contact. Would you pay to place an ad and not include where to buy your product? Although there are many approaches to writing a  good bio, which ever you choose do not forget to include your contact information. Consider your bio a mini advertisement about you.

Read How to Write a Killer Bio for additional tips.

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Kimberly Brock
Kimberly Brock Marketing

Kimberly Brock is a marketing professional with more than eleven years experience in the Christian book publishing industry. She has worked with authors such as Joyce Meyer, Max Lucado, Joni Eareckson Tada, Shaunti Feldhahn, and many more. A seasoned professional, Kimberly is astute in identifying market needs, creating actionable plans, and effectively communicating on message for her clients.

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