About the Author Examples (That Youll Actually Want to Read)

About the Author Examples (That Youll Actually Want to Read) About the Author Examples (That You'll Actually Want to Read) We’ve all heard the clichà © that writers have big egos - so it makes sense that there’s a section in every book where you’re required to talk about the author (meaning yourself).That said, it’s crucial to get the About the Author right. Whether it appears on the back of your book, your Amazon Author page, your social media or all of the above, you should make every sentence count (and tailor it depending on where it will appear). For non-fiction authors, who you are can be more important than what you write about. For indie fiction writers, this is an opportunity to let your growing readership get to know you.If you're here to learn the ropes, we’ve already published an extensive guide on how to write one. In this post, we'll be looking at 13 About the Author examples to further illustrate what works (and what doesn't). Writers, writing about themselves? These About the Author examples will show you how.   About the Author Examples: FictionFor fiction writers (especially self-published ones), who you are matters little in comparison to the quality of the story you've written - and an attention grabbing synopsis. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take full advantage when you’re encouraged to talk about yourself. Here are some examples of how to pull it off without soliloquizing.1. Veronica Roth, Divergentâ€Å"Veronica Roth is the New York Times bestselling author of Divergent, the first book in a trilogy that she began writing while still a college student. Now a full-time writer, Ms. Roth and her husband call the Chicago area home. You can visit her online at www.veronicarothbooks.com or on Twitter (@VeronicaRoth).†Why it works: Is this the flashiest bio in the world? Of course not. But that’s exactly why it works. Each word builds on the last, adding new information to her story: her name, her qualifications, her books, their history, her home li fe, and, finally, her online presence. It’s short and simple†¦ but then again, a bestselling author can afford to be.2. Glynnis Campbell, Danger’s Kissâ€Å"Glynnis Campbell is a USA Today bestselling author of swashbuckling action-adventure romance. She’s the wife of a rock star, and the mother of two young adults, but she’s also been a ballerina, a typographer, a film composer, a piano player, a singer in an all-girl rock band, and a voice in those violent video games you won’t let your kids play. She does her best writing on cruise ships, in Scottish castles, on her husband’s tour bus, and at home in her sunny southern California garden. Glynnis loves to play medieval matchmaker, transporting readers to a place where the bold heroes have endearing flaws, the women are stronger than they look, the land is lush and untamed, and chivalry is alive and well!†Why it works: Glynnis Campbell isn’t a household name - but this w ill definitely make her readers remember her. Why talk about your books themselves, when you can make your whole life sound more interesting than a romance novel. This is the ideal approach for emerging genre authors who have plenty of exciting material, but might not be able to carry a bio off the strength of their work alone.3. Jomny Sun, Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Tooâ€Å"Jonathan Sun is the author behind @jonnysun. He is an architect, designer, engineer, artist, playwright, and comedy writer. His work across multiple disciplines broadly addresses narratives of human experience. As a playwright, Jonathan has had his pieces performed at the Yale School of Drama, and in Toronto at Hart House Theatre and Factory Theatre. As an artist and illustrator, he has had his art exhibited at MIT, Yale, New Haven ArtSpace, and the University of Toronto. His work has appeared on NPR and BuzzFeed, as well as in Playboy, GQ, and McSweeney’s. In his other life, he is a doctoral student at MIT and a Berkman Klein fellow at Harvard.†How would you write your bio? Short? Sweet? Side-splitting? We want to know! Show us in the comment box below.

The Path

The Path I have a mantra I preach at conferences, where writers are looking to me for advice on making a dollar at this writing thing. The fact is there isnt one path to writing, there isnt one income stream (unless you take a full-time job as a writer), and whatever path youre on will unexpectedly twist, turn and fork. Any assignment, contest, publication credit or gig can alter your direction, giving you options you never imagined. And if youre so set on a given journey you just might overlook opportunity, because sometimes it subtly taps your shoulder as its whisking past. The shrewd writer stays tuned for chances. Others sit back, waiting for opportunity to knock on the door, show its business card, and dump buckets of money at their feet. This business is as much about staying keen and open to opportunity as it is about writing. A contest, even with an entry fee of $25, might give the finalists publication on top of the prize money. That publishing credit might grab the attention of another publication, editor or agent. But if you fear contests, how will you know? Whoosh.there goes opportunity. Your grant application might not achieve the $2,000 you seek, but a panelist judge could remember your name for a different opportunity down the road. The magazine feature you wrote just to put a few bucks in your pocket while you hammer your novel could add several hundred people to your platform, newsletter or Facebook page. As Im fond of preaching, more people read your magazine article in a weekend than will read your book in a year. Your crowdfunding project can open doors to agents and publishers, build platform, and add oomph to your resume as youre pitching for gigs. A speaking engagement can land you three others, freelance writing gigs, an opportunity to sell your books, even acquire more reviews on Amazon that could raise your rankings. All of the funding opportunities out there are easily entangled tangled in a good way. But if you keep seeing your profession as a straight and narrow path to success, youll wake up one day lost, with your missed opportunities in someone elses pocket. Eyes open, people. Study all your writing options. If I hadnt entered contests, my agent would not have signed me. If I hadnt spoken to a small town radio station one cold morning, I would not have landed the three other speaking events, and a request to stock my books in an indie bookstore. You get the picture.