Michael joseph first uk edition, first printing, mint, newunread in a flawless dust jacket, signed by clive cussler and jack dubrul. But at the end of that email, youll usually realize they want you to provide an author bio. The dust jacket sometimes book jacket, dust wrapper or dust cover of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. Book flaps contain information designed to help sell the book, as well as information about the books author. The booklet, which was distributed to business colleagues in the publishing industry, includes a brief biography of obama among the biographies of eightynine other authors represented by. Here are some things to avoid putting into your bio. You may have heard it before, but ill tell you again anyway. If you are an author, probably you will want an author bio. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, many of which have been adapted into feature films, miniseries, television shows, and comic books. Back cover copy includes the book summary and author bio.
But without that first book, you will never learn the lessons you might otherwise miss out on. It tells the story of the cuban revolution of 1959. This is the short summary of relevant background you need to. Self published author 8 mistakes that will absolutely kill. Students write a bookjacket biography for themselves after viewing the biographies of authors. While your books are a great way to introduce yourself, an author bio can set.
Kind of like kids knowing they need to eat their veggies, authors know the importance of a wellcrafted bio, but that still doesnt mean they like writing one. Stephen edwin king is an american author of contemporary horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy. Self published author 8 mistakes that will absolutely. 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. You may like to visit my blog for more articles on how to create the components of your book, and writing secrets for both novelists and nonfiction authors. Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch.
A formal biographyusually the one published on the back jacket of your book or in literary journalsshould focus on your writing credentials, with maybe just a hint of personal information. When writing a book, there are two potential places to include your author bio. Sep 14, 2018 that said, its crucial to get the about the author right. For nonfiction authors, who you are can be more important than what you write about. Novelist jennifer miller on what a photo says about the author. Pop the champagne cork, and put a party hat on your cat. Author eric van lustbader bio and signed books vj books. He is a graduate of columbia college, with a degree in sociology, and he has a secondlevel reiki degree. The biggest upside to the book blogger list is that it requires all of its bloggers to. According to kidd, the following season acetate jackets sprang up in bookstores like mushrooms on a murdered tree.
Over the years ive seen everything from a finely designed book cover, to one the author created himself. About the author examples that youll actually want to read. But that doesnt mean you shouldnt take full advantage when youre encouraged to talk about yourself. Dont write a book, but a unique fact about yourself will help your bio stand out. The dust jacket sometimes book jacket, dust wrapper or dust cover of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations this outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book cove. When applying to any freelance writing job, you need to include a writers bio in your query letter or cover letter. How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers. Often the back panel or flaps are printed with biographical information about the author, a summary of the book from the publisher known as a. But if you rely on your publisher to write your author bio for you, it may end up something like this. My back cover copy might say, depending on the book topic and genre. Previously, i covered the why of writing book jacket copy. The back cover bio is a chance to impress a potential reader. Its an invigorating feeling, receiving ones first acceptance letter from an editor.
It is made in a form of self written and self drawn accordion book. Everything you write, from emails to editors to your bio to your actual stories, showcases you as an author. For nonfiction, establishing yourself as an expert and differentiating your book from the others written about the same topic will help sell your book. The site is updated daily with information about every book, author, illustrator, and publisher in the childrens young adult book industry. Look at kings photo again and imagine thats the author of an alternative history book about nazis.
Book summary and author bio on the back of the book. One of the best ways to be seen as an authority is to have a great author bio. 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. So youve written your book, youve chosen your title and cover design, and youre breathing a sigh of relief. Peretti became a published author in 1985 with the door in the dragons throat, the beginning of his cooper kids adventure series. At scribe writing formerly book in a box, weve made it easier than ever for thought leaders to turn their ideas into a professionally published book. Heres why you need a fantastic author photo and how you can. For fiction writers especially selfpublished ones, who you are matters little in comparison to the quality of the story youve written and an attention grabbing synopsis. Jul 11, 2017 for authors and publishers one of the most fraught parts of publicizing book is what photo to put on the jacket. The jacket is prime real estate for promoting a book. What to include in the author bio for your book authority publishing.
The novel was an instant hit and went on to spend two years on the new york times bestseller list. For business the short bio can sometimes be more important than whats actually in the bookthe sad but true reality is that more people will read your author bio than your actual book. Chrisann brennan, author or the bite in the apple in 20, i had the opportunity to work with many authors to create photos for their book jackets. Oct 03, 2018 the back of the book is a bit like an elevator pitch. Learn how to write an author bio that gets readers attentions. Now you have to decide what goes on the back cover. His picture communicates none of the books story but a great deal about the tone in which it is written. Here are some reallife author bios that combine most or all of the tips above. The book jacket is a sales tool, inviting readers to the text, telling them much about what they will find on the pages between the covers. Each dust jacket is protected in an acidfree archival quality acetate cover. 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. What distinguishes a bestselling, brandbuilding book from one that practically guarantees your book will never sell.
Knowing and understanding the constituent parts of a book cover will help you make the best marketing decisions when you design or commission your own. Heres why you need a fantastic author photo and how you. This is a oneday lesson plan accompanied by a student handout, a modified student handout for those who need accommodations, and a ppt of text samples. How to write an author bio, book jacket copy, and press releases that get results. 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 cone. Not only is it useful to know what you need to include in an author bio, it is also useful to see examples of how your vital information should look. A few simple steps can get an effective bio that will impress interested readers and help sell your book. The illustration is creatively designed and relates to the books theme. Despite the adage, the book jacket generally broadcasts to the consumer much about the book, ideally casting it in the best light possible to draw in its target readers. Writing about yourself is a task that many even full time writers shy away from. Jun 25, 2019 the book jacket is a sales tool, inviting readers to the text, telling them much about what they will find on the pages between the covers.
Most publishers required their authors to get headshots, which are a valuable marketing and booking tool. Tony cliff is the author of delilah dirk and the turkish lieutenant. You can also use the author bio to guide the reader into understanding what the personality of the book will be like which is particularly useful when the tone of the book is unusual or surprising compared to the subject matter. Just know that your book is a marketing tool that will help you build traffic to your website and generate sales and clients. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book covers. 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. How to write your first author bio writing forward. If a reader has got as far as picking up the book, the back cover is there to clinch the deal. Your author bio isnt the place to tell your whole life story. Peter van agtmael in the age of everyone being a brand online, an authors age, face, and sex are no longer a surprise unless of course, youre. A professional photo and an uptodate bio are super important for authors. The circumstance of his birth compelled leo moran to write this book.
Aug 17, 2010 nine things that need to be on your book cover. May 18, 2012 the booklet, which was distributed to business colleagues in the publishing industry, includes a brief biography of obama among the biographies of eightynine other authors represented by acton. Tue jul 30, 20 the covers we choose for our books are much more significant than many authors think. Or say youre doing a book about knitting and you work in a knitting store, people will read that bio and be like, fantastic so this isnt just a casual knitter. Writing your books backcover copy vote up1 vote down reply. For some reason, i find writing my writers bio a most daunting task, even now that i have actual experience to.
The six rules you should use to write a professional bio. Rick mofina is a former journalist who has interviewed murderers on death row, flown over l. Katy steinmetz books, biography, contact information. As the author says, it doesnt stand for anything, or mean anything, it just is who he is. Book jacket copy isnt about summarizing your project or providing the reader with a clear synopsis or plot spoiler.
Besides examples or photos of your works, another important page to include is an author bio page. How to write an amazing author bio book marketing for. The author bios isnt redundant, because they have different purposes. The murder, the location and the perpetrators are revealed in the opening pages, upending the familiar framework and accepted conventions of the murder mystery genre. New authors sometimes rush this decision, writing the first thing that comes to mind. How to write a stellar writers bio writing blog scribophile. What would your author biography say on the dust jacket of your. For nonfiction authors, the author bio is a critical marketing tool as who are you are is often as or more. If you published a paperback version of your book on createspace, you can enter the bio in the author biography section for your book. Your book cover is your product packaging its your branding for your book and for you as an author. Chungah rhee is the founder, recipe developer, and photographer of damn delicious. I spent six years researching and writing memoirs of a geisha.
Theyd walk off with a copy of the book based on the bio. Frys book, making history, deals with a reimagined history where hitler was never born. The descriptive copy included on hardback books is known as jacket, or flap, copy. Below is a list of frank perettis books in order of when they were originally published and in chronological order. For nonfiction authors, you should include two or three points to establish that you are an expert, with the training andor experience that qualifies you to write about your topic.
Reading is an intimate endeavor in which the reader and the author are engaged in a kind of relationship. For authors and publishers one of the most fraught parts of publicizing book is what photo to put on the jacket. Nine things that need to be on your book cover alicia dunams. Jacketflap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for children and young adults. You can include some of your own personal narrative along with your standard biographical information. Eric van lustbader born 1946 is a writer of thriller and fantasy novels. Some authors choose one or the other, though i recommend taking advantage of both. Why you need an author bio both inside your book and on the. Nov 20, 2019 if youre not sure how to write a short bio that s sent to literary journals, try these samples from published and unpublished writers the balance careers sample short bios for literary journals. This article will cover both what you need to include in your author bio and some examples of tight professional bios. So now lets roll up our sleeves and get into how to write a book jacket cover what is copy. 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. The flap of a book is the part of the cover folded to appear on the inside front and back of a book.
Join us as shel horowitz discusses copywriting for authors. Though there are many answers to this question, the most important would be that the cover must absolutely make a connection between your book and your chosen target market. How will you combine all these elements to make the perfect book cover. Avi acquired his name from his twin sister, emily, who chose not to call him edward or irvin but, for reasons unknown, to call him avi. While your book cover design is the most important tool when.
So, put your work out there, fail early, and try again. Its important for indie authors to know how to write an author bio that tells readers. Dont write that you hope to someday become a pulitzer prizewinning. Writing an author bio examples of professional bios. He has been writing seriously for 25 years and in that time has seen his darkly comic speculative fiction stories gradually morph into darkly comic crime and those were the stories finally accepted for publication. May 28, 20 50 great author bios for inspiration posted in inspiration may 28th, 20 by mike brown 5 comments whether you are a designer, writer or an artist, having a portfolio website is a great way to increase your customer base. These headshots needed to convey something of each authors personality, but at the same time fit into the tight conventions of. Your books author bio tells potential readers who you are, and why they should trust you and buy your book. What your job is for example, if youre a teacher, librarian, or bookseller, thats always relevant to an onthebook bio. A book flap also typically includes a photograph of the author.
Apr 12, 2018 this stepbystep guide dives into the four main components of a killer author bio and provides tips from our talented marketers for nailing each section. Jul 30, 20 the jacket is prime real estate for promoting a book. What began as a grad school hobby is now a top food blog, with millions of readers coming to her site for easy weeknight recipes and. Think of your bio as a bonus addition to your published pieces that you can use to show how skilled or talented you are. Novelists will rarely depend on the bio to sell the book, but as book launch specialist joel pitney suggests. Despite the adage, the book jacket generally broadcasts to the consumer much about the book, ideally casting it.
864 372 923 751 104 1481 749 1263 1266 463 563 625 765 173 604 741 156 983 614 375 987 1457 497 1061 1096 1390 1114 1214 827 1149 988 1407 334 400 1148 905 1278 140 953 823 1296 573 1265 1335 161 889 1315 189 1016 615