Author bios are one way for the reader to get to know you, the author of their favorite story, article, or book, a little bit more intimately. This is your time to sell yourself to potential readers and editors. Including your author bio with queries and submissions enables editors to get to know you; who you are, where you're coming from, and whether or not you're a good fit with their publication.
Three tips for writing a strong author bio:
1. Always write in the third person. This is the mark of a professional; a bio written in the first person is seen as amateurish, whereas a bio in the third person shows you're taking yourself seriously as a writer.
2. Include a few relevant publishing credits, educational and work experiences. They key word here is relevant.
Non-fiction authors, emphasize your expertise. Sketch out your background,including your publishing history, education, or work experience that makes you the perfect author for the topic you're tackling. Include the titles of books,articles,etc. that are pertinent only to the project you are attaching this bio. Remember, your bio is a sales pitch, so if you're writing a book on the state of health care in the US,including the title of your first photography book probably isn't relevant.
Fiction authors, emphasize your influences and writing style. This will help to situate potential readers before they dive in, and may also give added context to your work. If it's appropriate, include a line or two about your choice of subject matter. Also, like the non-fiction authors, only include previously published titles in your bio if they are relevant to your current project.
Unpublished? Your best bet is to keep it simple. Don't overload on biographic detail and never, ever lie; you'll always get caught. If you lack publishing credits,focus on your education, work, or other experience that enabled you to write this work. Important words to live by: When in doubt, leave it out.
3. State where you live - not your address, but state and country will do - readers want to know where you live, especially if your writing incorporates local elements. Also, you many include a few familial or biographic details to humanize you to readers and editors.
Key words to take away: Relevant and Brief. Make sure every detail in your bio is relevant to the project you have written/are pitching, and keep your writing concise. Author bios can be anywhere from a few paragraphs to three or four sentences long. Keep in mind that in the case of bios, keep it simple and keep it short. Scope out bios in magazines and on book dust jackets; practice by copying someone else's bio.
While you shouldn't experience anxiety over writing it, it is important to feel comfortable with your author bio. You never know what door it could open next!
If you have a hard time writing your bio, know that there are professional editors who can do it for you. An experienced professional editor, will create a professionally written bio that can be used on the back page of your novel or submitted with any publication.