LA
Author
LATRAME
@latrame
Three lines. That's often all you get to say who you are.
Most people waste them reciting a résumé : born in, graduated from, lives in, has published. It's accurate and it's dead. Nobody ever wanted to read someone because of their birthplace.
An author bio isn't a civil record, it's an opening line of fiction, except the character is you. It's allowed a voice, an angle, a touch of humor, one precise detail that sticks. "Writes mostly at night, distrusts people who don't like dogs" says more, and makes you want to read more, than three degrees.
It also sets a promise of tone. If your bio is funny, people open your text expecting to smile. Be careful what you promise there : it's the first sample of your writing anyone reads, before even the first line.
Most people waste them reciting a résumé : born in, graduated from, lives in, has published. It's accurate and it's dead. Nobody ever wanted to read someone because of their birthplace.
An author bio isn't a civil record, it's an opening line of fiction, except the character is you. It's allowed a voice, an angle, a touch of humor, one precise detail that sticks. "Writes mostly at night, distrusts people who don't like dogs" says more, and makes you want to read more, than three degrees.
It also sets a promise of tone. If your bio is funny, people open your text expecting to smile. Be careful what you promise there : it's the first sample of your writing anyone reads, before even the first line.