Author Biography for manuscript submissions

[Christi]

Okay...Surely, the biography doesn't need your long life history. What does an Editor expect in a biography? And how long should it be? Especially, if you're an unpublished Author like myself. What do you tell them?

Third person point of view, true or false?

[G. Andi Rhos]

Third person, present tense, 3-5 interesting and FACTUAL sentences about yourself. Here's mine to give you an example:

G. Andi Rhos is a writer and activist residing in NYC. She speaks out against racism, domestic violence, and illiteracy. Rhos has performed urban spoken word on college radio and at various venues in NYC and Georgia. The twice-divorced Brooklyn native lives with her four sons. And It Goes Like This... is Rhos' debut novel. To learn more about the author, visit gandirhos.com.

Keep in mind that your author bio will be edited for content and length; as well as grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Your editor may actually request two bios: a brief bio to slap on the back cover, and an extended bio (a full page) to include in your media kit. It's hard fitting your whole life into 5 short sentences but, as you said, your editor doesn't want your life story; just a few interesting facts. So when someone picks up your book and skims the back cover, they may be so inclined to take your book home with them. You get to have a bit more fun and elaborate in your extended bio, but even then you can't get carried away because it must fit on one side of one page. The media doesn't have time to read longwinded pieces, they receive hundreds even thousands of media kits, press releases and advance review copies each week, so by keeping it brief you actually increase your chances of media coverage and of having your book reviewed. Best wishes.

[Christi]

Thanks for the reply. Awesome info. However, for the manuscript submission, she's not specific about the bio, it just says bio with Christian experience. Should I submit both a brief and elaborate?

[Anthony Beal]

Greetings, Christi,

What I’ve encountered with receiving bio requests from editors has been that 100 to 150 words has generally been the editors’ suggested cap (which seems to approximate the 3 to 5 sentences mentioned above pretty well). I must state though, this only speaks for what I personally have experienced.

Best,
Anthony

[Christi]

Thanks Anthony for replying.