Thursday, April 09, 2009

What to Include in Your Author Bio - Please, Don't BORE ME!




I just finished the third session of the PR Boot Camp Coaching Teleclasses last Tuesday.

One area of instruction that every Christian author seems to need is in the area of the "author bio." This is a key foundational piece for online branding, getting speaking gigs, media interviews and even for op-ed articles. A Good BIO and a good photo will show whether you are a pro or a newbie. (We'll go over photos later!)

But for now, you should have at least 3 different versions of your biography. You should have one long one that can be up to one page. One short one that is about one or two paragraphs long with 100-150 words, and a mini one that can be summed up in 2 sentences or about 25 words. (for online "about me" sections in say facebook, Nings or myspace).

Here are the things that you should consider when writing your author bio:
1. Highlight the most important accomplishments that you have made that relate to your book subject.
2. Have a catchy first sentence. (Not where you were born, please!!)
3. Use supporting details second. (clever is ok, loosen up)
4. Use complete sentences.
5. List details in order of decreasing importance. (in case the media cuts it)
6. Write in third person and not first person.
7. Be lively and specific using active words. (think colorful and vibrant, expressive, funny is good too) But NEVER BORING!
8. Read some bios on other top selling authors’ covers to get a good idea.Or come to the Tuesday, April 14 Publishing & Promotion Teleseminar & get all these resources and more! Go to: www.publishingpromotion.eventbrite.com See the bio of Omar Tyree there too.

Write your biography at the beginning of making your marketing plan so that
you can simply insert it later when it is needed in your marketing materials.


See www.SynergyEnergyMarketing.com for more tips too
synergy energy
and join the social network for Christian authorswww.ChocolatePagesNetwork.com! (You'll need a good bio for your profile though) :)

Your # 1 tool to attracting media - YOUR BIO. 
Learn how to write one that makes people say "WOW." http://ow.ly/1VLy4