The Author Bio in Your Query
- By: Jessica Faust | Date: Oct 23 2019
The final part of your query letter should always be your author bio. In addition to knowing about the book, agents want to know a little about who they will be working with if they do offer representation.
I’d love to know what credentials or other background you look for in a writer’s query. Are things such as professional affiliations, etc… a deciding factor, previously published vs unpublished, etc…
–From What I Look for in a Resume
I don’t search for anything in particular when it comes to the author bio. I do however find that certain credentials will push me toward a request when I’m on the fence about the blurb.
The first thing I look to is writing experience and how involved you are in the writing community. I want to know if you’ve been published before and where, writing organizations or affiliations you belong to, and anything else that gives you a personal connection to the book.
For example, if you’re a a veterinarian writing about a veterinarian that’s of interest to me.
The truth though, what matters most is the blurb. Credentials are great, but many authors launched extremely successful careers with nothing but a great book.
Worry less about the credentials. Don’t join organizations to add them to your bio. Join because they will make you a better writer and give you professional knowledge.
For more information, check out this video on our YouTube channel:
Thank you, Jessica. It’s easy to over-rotate about one’s bio. But then, querying is full of opportunities to bite one’s nails and overthink. Nevertheless, we persist 🙂
Relieved to hear it’s not that important. I get a bit jealous when I see people have degrees and whatnot So I wrote this:
Formal credentials: zero. However, I read countless How To Write Books as a teen and in my twenties, which were unhelpfully repetitive and the rest went over my head ( except for On Writing by Stephen King ) and I thanked god for the internet in my 30’s. Ruthless feedback in facebook groups on countless first pages helped Kirate-Kid me into a style I could re-read without my brain hurting, until I engaged in a bit of cp/beta swapping, which has been a lovely way to learn. I world-built this book since your president was Bill Clinton. I have no credentials per se but I went to the University of ‘How The Hell Do I Do This?’ until I graduated with a stack of handwritten paper that resembled an almost illegible rough draft and took up valuable real estate on my kitchen bench. ( Where do I put my plate now?) I have a degree in ‘Why does my writing still suck??? Help!’, I attend the annual The World Needs Your Book Bootcamp every year in my dreams and I always win a trophy for my dedication before they bring out the fantastic looking three tier Vanilla Butter Cream Almond cake which I never get to eat, because I wake up. ( They don’t worry about calories at TWNYBB. Not that it matters when my eyes open before the forkload reaches my mouth ) I routinely dispense advice in query forums and have earned a five Soap Box badge denoting me as Expert in my own opinion.
That’s fun. I’m not sure I’d recommend putting it in your query, however. Unless of course, you’re writing humor.
Well my cat said I should use it but I’m not sure I’ll trust her opinion because I was holding her breakfast at the time. There’s only one dad joke in my ms, so I think you’re right.
Kim, I wish I could “like” this like you can on twitter, but I’ll just say we have a similar sense of humor. You decide if that’s good or bad. Lol
[…] Meanwhile, Jessica Faust at BookEnds tackles another common question: what do I put in my author bio in a query letter? […]