Author bio on back of book proposal

That is why your book proposal bio may well be the only place you use. Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch specialist joel pitney suggests. Its something that will let readers get a sense of who you are, and is an important part for pitching media and book proposals, sums up marketer rachel conegorham, formerly of penguin random house. But, many people asked for an easy to follow template, and this is what we use with our authors. Your website address should be included on your book cover. As mentioned in my discussion on how to get published, if youre interested in writing a booklength work of nonfiction, you dont need to write the entire manuscript before you make the sale. Essentially, the book proposal is the way an author sells his or her book to a potential agent or publisher. The about the author section of a nonfiction book proposal answers the question, who are you.

Author biography, brief one brief paragraph ideal for flap on book jacket describe your position, brand, expertise, and qualifications. Sample about the author page getting your book published. Courtney milan is a new york times and usa today bestselling author of historical romance. Some authors include a list of their previously published books. But in the about the author section of your book proposal youve got to overcome your natural inclination to be reticent.

Nine things that need to be on your book cover alicia dunams. Im not saying its the very best way to write an author bio, in fact, many of the best examples below do not fit this template. The literary agents guide to writing a nonfiction book proposal by andy ross. I suspect that the last time you considered buying a nonfiction book you took a look at who the author was. Come right out and say all the positive things about yourself and your writing credentials that an agent would say if she were representing you. Please welcome author nicolas frame with some good advice on writing your first author bio. How to write a compelling bio for your book proposal.

Here is a basic template for a book proposal, which many of our clients have used successfully. Now that you have decided to partner with elsevier, the next step is to create a proposal. Once you wow your potential readers with an excellent front cover, the next part of your book thatll hook them is your back cover copy, which is publishing speak for the information that appears on the back cover. Writing your book proposal bio the steve laube agency. You have to promote and sell your book in that spot. Frank schaeffer born august 3, 1952 is an american author, film director, screenwriter, and public speaker. Every author has had to face the difficult task of creating a book proposal. Learn how to write an author bio that gets readers attentions. Theyd walk off with a copy of the book based on the bio. Back cover copy includes the book summary and author bio. Write your bio in first person for query letters, third person for most other purposes including proposals, book jackets, article bylines.

Christina doe resides in minneapolis, mn with her husband, two children, and their saint bernard, hugo. How to write your first author bio writing forward. Learn about my publishing industry newsletter for authors. This is the nittygrittythe part where you learn exactly how to get published. Just know that your book is a marketing tool that will help you build traffic to. Im a great courses professor and also teach interactive classes throughout the year. Youll discover how to navigate the insider world of publishing, get an agent, write a killer book proposal, finish your book on time, and leverage the power of book buying psychology.

This isnt a time for a jacket bio thats something your publisher will write and will write in the 3rd person. Book proposal a business plan for your book and how you plan to ensure sales success keys to a great synopsis the steve laube agency july 27, 2016 i posted my ideas on some keys to a great book proposal, a few writers said they were challenged to write a synopsis. John scalzi writes books, which, considering where youre reading this, makes perfect sense. You want the back cover to be all about the book why the person who is holding it must buy it. You are also welcome to listen to free audio recordings of teds book proposal bootcamp and other workshops and media appearances. Proposal guidelines for book authors please be sure that your proposal package includes all of the following information. How to write a compelling bio for your book proposal chad r. If there is no dust jacket intended for the print edition on which the author s bio typically appears, it may be included in the back matter. Writing an author bio examples of professional bios by freelance writing not only is it useful to know what you need to include in an author bio, it is also useful to. Writing an author bio examples of professional bios. How to write a book proposal the creative independent. The keys to a great book proposal the steve laube agency. Here is a great blog post from rachelle gardner about how to write a terrific author bio.

Think of your author bio as a twopart argument for your stamp on the book. How to write an amazing author bio book marketing for. A book proposal serves as a brief but indepth overview of your book idea, your approach to the topic, the book s organization and flow, and a sample of the writing. Make it professional but you also need to convey personality and writing style. And if youve already finished your memoir, youre still going to need to write a full proposal to accompany your submission in. That is why your bio may well be the first thing an acquisitions editor reads in your book proposal. By benjamin graham and david dodd, features the foreword author over the book s actual authors. This page will direct you to some examples of book proposal sections so that you can put together a winning book proposal. Courtney lives in the rocky mountains with her husband, a mediumsized dog, and an attack cat. He establishes his credibility as an author with a reference to his first. The about the author section of a fiction book proposal is not as much about credibility.

What you include in the back matter of your book depends largely on the editorial contents of. Reading is an intimate endeavor in which the reader and the author are engaged in a kind of relationship. It acts as a business case or business plan for your book that persuades a publisher to make an investment. This is a good example to follow for any author writing a book or article. My book, book title will be a genre work which will center around the topic of book topic. How to write your author bio for your book proposal.

The anatomy of a compelling book proposal the bindery. Every other section of a nonfiction book proposal markets you as the author. A book proposal argues why your book idea is a salable, marketable product. Really, that is not want you want on your back cover. Visit amazon author central, click on your book, and add it in the about the author section or if you published a paperback version of your book on createspace, you can enter the bio in the author biography section for your book. About the author your bio is your opportunity to prove that you are qualified to write this book. I offer consulting on all aspects of the publishing business. There are several books available on writing book proposals. Your books author bio tells potential readers who you are, and why they should. Nonfiction book proposal outline ted weinstein literary.

Your fiction proposal should include the following items and should be attached as a single file to an email with submission. There isnt an equivalent field in kdp, but when you include this information on createspace, itll automatically get included on the kindle version of your book on amazon. Id show the book to people at book fairs and signing events, and theyd flip the book over, read the bio, and laugh. However your warmth as a person can come through in a well written bio. Nonfiction back cover copy for nonfiction, establishing yourself as an expert and differentiating your book from the others written about the same topic will help sell your book. Book summary and author bio on the back of the book. It is a difficult task and one most writers wonder the purpose of. So, weve provided the hints, tips and instructions. Sometimes youll see a back cover that shows the author image and bio. Overview describe your book in two or three paragraphs 500 wo. The book proposal is a 1550 or so page manuscript that a writer. Explore our book authors and editors pages to learn more about publishing a book with springer.

Dont try too hard to be funny, but include something that makes you seem like a real person. October 22, 2015 by diana urban writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a wellcrafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so interesting. I often flip to the author biography early on in my read of new book proposals. The disadvantage is that a memoir book proposal may be up to 25 pages in length just to cover the business proposals and market research that youll need to present. How to write a memorable author bio with template reedsy blog. Write an extended bio for your website, proposals, interview sheets and media kits.

It also provides an overview of you as a potential author, with a focus on your expertise and qualifications to write the book you are proposing and your author platform within the. Creating a compelling book proposal is your first step to getting your book. Whether you choose to put it on the front of the book with a free offer or on the back with your bio is your choice. He is the son of the late theologian and author francis schaeffer. How to write the about the author section of your book. Sell more books with a kickass amazon book page author marketing experts, inc. Pop the champagne cork, and put a party hat on your cat. The about the author section of a nonfiction book proposal. How to write a kickass amazon bio to sell more books. How to write a terrific author bio rachelle gardner. I know you dont like to brag and boast about what youve accomplished.

The third example shows how part of the back cover copy the author bio, in this case can show up on the inside flap of a hard cover book. Writing a book has many steps, so learn how to write author biographies for your book proposal in this free video clip. Download and fill out the proposal and send the completed form to our proposal mailbox including the following details in the subject line of your email proposal in subject area author name. I write for publishers weekly and publish the hot sheet. They can provide feedback and advice on how to move forward. Publishers frequently put the foreword authors name on the cover, sometimes more prominently than the name of the book s author. The book publishing proposal is from a book author proposing a new book title to a publishing company.

Give a fairly brief summary of your book here, using a few paragraphs. On one new page most of us have led onepage lives, tell editors everything you want them to know about youin order of importance to the sale of your book. The advantage to writing your author bio first is that you focus on platformrelated information youll then mine for the rest of your proposal. This ones short and tothepoint, and the last time i. Its an invigorating feeling, receiving ones first acceptance letter from an editor. Its easier to trust a bio that appears to have been written by an objective observer. Guidelines for your fiction proposal hartline literary. The only sections that wont include part of your platform are the chapter synopses and the sample chapters. And, i also did end up writing my own backcover copy, and later, my own books.

I like this one because it contains ten reallife proposals that sold. So, how can you in a few short sentences write an author bio for your book proposal that makes you look great. But at the end of that email, youll usually realize they want you to. If you published a paperback version of your book on createspace, you can enter the bio in the author biography section for your book. If you have an idea or proposal for a book, please get in contact with a publishing editor in your subject area.

If youd like to refer back to the template as you read this guide, you. For nonfiction authors, the author bio is a critical marketing tool as who are you are is often as or more. Instead of writing the entire book, then trying to interest an editor or agent which is how it works with novels, you write the proposal first. I learned to write book proposals directly from the editors to whom i pitched my first ideas. First, remember that, when writing your bio for a book pitch, you should be writing in the first person.