I fully understand that there are many of you out there reading this right now who might just be writing stories for fun or treating this as a fun hobby, or maybe even as a method of self therapy...but stick around, as this article can be a major win for you too!

However, if any of you are looking to make some side hustle money by publishing your work professionally or perhaps self publishing online...there is one part of the process that seems like it should be easy enough to pull off without having it take up too much of your time. Then...you actually sit down to write it out, and you have that blank screen staring back at you...with the added frustration of that blinking cursor, practically asking you, “What are we doing here, genius?”...and you realize that even though it’s a short block of text, it’s nowhere near as easy as you, or many authors for that matter, might have expected it to be. Especially if you’re a first time writer who never really meant to make this a big part of your life and income. And even if you’re doing it for free, it can help to self promote your work when you need to.

We’re talking about the easy/not easy practice of writing an author bio, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s get started!

The whole idea behind an author’s brief bio might seem like a daunting task to some people, because you just want to write your story, leave behind an email address, and then be done with it. But there are some readers who really become engaged with your work and your characters, and they just want to get a peek at the person who’s behind it. Can this person really exist in real life? What are they like? How connected are they to the fiction that I’ve come to embrace and know and love sooooo very much? Where did their ideas come from? What if I wanted to get started on my own stuff? Would they read it? Inquiring minds want to know!

I actually love talking to people when I can. It’s a lot of fun for me. But I write so much that it’s actually a bit difficult for me to get to my chatroom as often as I’d like to, but I’ve been told on multiple occasions by a variety of people that being able to chat in real time is a lot like talking to ‘Billy Chase’. (Shameless plug opportunity! Hehehe, sorry! Can’t help myself! https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/) But there is a piece of ‘me’ in all of the characters that I write, and if my audience can relate to them on some level...then I’m hoping that they can relate to the real me on some level as well. And that’s what you want your author’s bio to reflect when you’re putting it together. You want to present yourself that’s honest, and yet will feel familiar to the people who appreciate your writing. Chances are, they won’t be all that far apart from one another.

It doesn’t have to be all that long or super detailed. It doesn’t have to be fancy or poetic. All it is meant to do is connect you to your work, make it available to an interested party, and deliver some added information that people couldn’t find in your personal influence on the story they just read. And if you’re pursuing writing in any kind of professional capacity, it can introduce you to an agent or publishing house in a way that’s effective enough to give them a hint on how they might be able to work with you in the future if they choose to take you on. Geez, that was a long sentence! LOL! Yeah...don’t do that in your bio! Doesn’t look good.

I can do it here because you guys already know that I’m an idiot, so mistakes are no surprise. But professionally, I would definitely be much more careful about stuff like that.

So...author bios. What you’re trying to build here is a focused, close knit, overview of who you are as a person...but in a way that pertains mostly to your writing. That part is important. Adding some personal and interesting information is a bonus, and I wouldn’t really discourage you from doing so. But keep in mind that you’re not here to write your entire life story out on the screen. If your author bio takes up an entire page or more...then chances are you’re doing way too much. You’re either bombarding the reader with too much random detail that doesn’t have anything to do with...well...anything...or you’re beating around the bush instead of getting to the point. People don’t have all day. They’ve got other shit to do too, you know? Say what you need to say and let the info and the story speak for themselves. You’re not writing an extra chapter here. This is just a way to let people know that you’re a real person and your story didn’t just spontaneously spawn itself out of thin air. Take some credit. You deserve it for all the hard work you put in.

That moves us towards the obvious question.

What do you want to add to your text? What can you say that will give people some insight into you as an individual and convince them to maybe look for other work from you in the future? Well, first of all, you want to let people know what credentials you have, and why should the person reading your bio care about them? What have you written before? How was it received...meaning any awards it’s won, what reviews has it gotten, what successes have you had with one of your projects in the past? Now, this is a bit of a hassle if it’s your very first major story or possibly your first story period. So if you don’t have a list of writing degrees or story accolades to mention, don’t sweat it. Everybody with a long list of writing victories had to start off as a first time writer too. It might even help you out, as some folks are looking to discover new talent over falling back on tried and true favorites. Some people actually end up burning themselves out before taking a shot at going the professional route. So if this is your big debut as a writer, then use that to your advantage, and simply write about writing.

What inspires you? What drives you? What are your goals and aspirations when it comes to your stories? What genres do you like to write in? Who are some of your influences? These are all questions that you have the answers to in your head, whether you’ve ever spent any real time thinking about them or not. So dig into that and find ways to put it on the page. This isn’t just for those of you trying to break into the professional market, but to all of you. For what you put here on Gay Authors, or on Amazon.com for ebook sales, or what you add on your personal websites or social media outlets. Let people know you as an author, and draw them in to be curious enough to see what the fuss is all about.

Some people really do read the author bios first. Before they get into your story and waste their time with fiction that they don’t really enjoy, they may look at your author bio first and try to pre-judge your work by seeing if they like you first. It’s true. Sometimes, a well written (or poorly written) author bio can make or break you in the eyes of a potential new reader...especially if it’s on a professional level. So if you decide to put one together...make it count.

You don’t really have to add any details about yourself that are extremely intimate if you don’t want to. You don’t have to ‘shock’ anybody. You don’t have to bring up your battles with alcoholism, childhood abuse, time spent in prison, or anything like that. Remember, you want the bio to be personal, but you’re trying to concentrate on the writing aspect of your work. That’s what they came looking for, give your audience that instead, and maybe just a little bit more. If you want to set up a blog or start a communication with one of your readers, then that’s fine. But despite the fact that you really really want to talk about dedicated work with the Peace Corps...I’d say that you leave that out of your initial author bio, and then maybe talk more about that in a place for people who come searching for other fun stuff to know about you. I’m not saying that your bio has to read like a static and boring police report or anything. Just try to avoid bringing up any parts of your life experience that requires more extensive explanation. That’s either going to make you ramble on for way too long to keep things concise and focused, or you’re going to have to cut it short and leave people who might be interested in hearing more feel like they’re lacking something. Stay in the pocket...and treat it like a job application. Even if it isn’t one.

Be personable, but don’t try to be too friendly. Write your bio in the first person if you’re doing it yourself, but don’t waste time being friendly. Don’t start by saying, ‘Hello’. You don’t need to start with a joke, you don’t need philosophies or gems of wisdom, and being somewhat professional will help you out much more than being likable. Having both is a bonus, but you can be friendly later. The point of a bio is to deliver information and paint a picture of an author that this reader has never met before. Stay in that particular lane when it comes to that initial interaction. Hook them right away, give them the goods, and let them move on to reading your story.

Feel free to add details about how long you’ve been writing, and if you want to add your age or gender, great. You definitely want to add you contact info and social media outlets. This is important, as you want readers to be able to give feedback, ask questions, offer some constructive criticism, and maybe even offer you some opportunities if they decide they really like what it is you do. So make that a ‘must’, and add it near the end of the bio so it’ll be the last thing that they read and remember.

You want to be informative...but you don’t want to necessarily advertise. Meaning, this isn’t the place to go for the hard sell. Like I said, the story can speak for itself. And if you have a blog or social media presence...you can push your merchandise there. But save it for elsewhere, k? Otherwise you come off looking like a grifter or charlatan. Also...do NOT downplay your own work! I understand that there are many people, me included, who sort of have a self deprecating sense of humor on occasion. Not in a harmful or unhealthy way, but it’s a touch of humility with a bit of cynicism tossed in. It can be fun and charming in real life...but in an author bio, get RID of it! When you downplay your own work in front of new readers...they tend to believe you. Don’t do it. You don’t have to be grandiose and make it out to be the best story ever written, just don’t take anything away from it. Let them read it and make that decision for themselves.

Last tip? When you’re finished writing it out and you think you’ve gotten it just right...edit the HELL out of it! Hehehe! No mistakes! Your author bio is a direct representation of what your readers can expect from your story. If you’re giving them spelling errors and missing punctuation in a small bio blurb, what is it going to be like to read a whole book from you? If you get ONE part of this whole pursuit right, it has to be the author bio. Mess that up, and everything else comes crumbling down around it.

Alrighty then, and this is what I’ve learned about author bios so far. They matter. If you’re going to do one, do it right. I know that libraries and bookstores are a lot more rare these days than they used to be...but if you find any books near you, turn them over and take a peek at the author bios provided. I’m sure there are some on the books you see online as well. See what tips you can pick up from there. You never know when they might just come in handy.

That’s it for now! Happy writing, you guys! And I’ll catch up with you soon! Seezya then!