Thursday, June 28, 2018

How to Write an Awesome Author Bio

 

Writing your author bio can feel like you're having your teeth pulled.  Yet the importance of having a skillfully constructed bio on your Amazon author page can often mean a loss of sales.

Why a loss of sales?  Because your author bio is a small window into your life and gives your readers an insight into who you are.

Unless your Stephen King or Ian Fleming people have no clue who you are.

When it comes to buying a book people rely on a book description, book reviews, and author bio to decide whether or not to purchase the book.

It's true that you need a catchy book title and eye catching book cover, but those elements alone won't keep your readers there.


Your author bio is a key opportunity to connect with your audience and potential readers.  If you want to sell more books you need a good author bio.

Here are 7 tips to writing an awesome author bio:

1. Always Use the Third Person

Writing about yourself in the third person is a bit strange but the main advantage is that you come across as being a lot less cocky when you list your accomplishments.

2. Keep Your Author Bio Short and Sweet

Aim for 75 words and don't go over 150, give people a bite sized bio they can scan through.  If they can skim through your bio they can hit the buy button even quicker!

3. Treat it Like a Business Card

Give readers your website and social media information.  Leaving more breadcrumbs to your website.

4. Your Opportunity to Brag

Use your bio to list your greatest writing achievements, adding the most relevant accomplishment first.

5. Look to Other Authors for Inspiration

Start looking at authors in similar fields to you and see what kind of biography they have.  Here are some examples:

  • Bria Quinlan
  • William Zinsser
  • Roy Peter Clark
  • Gail Carson Levine
  • Natalie Goldberg

6. Use Your Credibility to Give Your Bio Some Weight

Awards should be relevant to your chosen subject should always be used.  Always update your bio as your life changes, and awards start coming in.

7. If Your Degree is Relevant Use It

If you're writing books about psychology and you have a BA or Ph.D. use it.

Author Bio Template

Author bio's come in all different kinds of sizes, there is no one size fits all.  Try using the checklist below to get you started:
  1. Start with a punchy intro
  2. Present your industry/field area of authority
  3. Build trustworthiness without grandstanding
  4. Add your own personal touch
  5. Finish with a CTA (call to action)
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