How to write a bio for your query (And happy Groundhog Day!)

First off,

Happy Groundhog Day!

Insert awesome segue... (How can you segue from a groundhog, eh? C'mon! It's a groundhog!)


B wrote an excellent post on Monday, and I was particularly interested when she said that she didn't have a bio section in her query because she didn't have any credits. That got me thinking... So many people have trouble with their bios. So here are some tips on how to make this often-overlooked bit shine.

Writing a bio for your query letter can be tricky. You want to showcase your accomplishments, but you don't want to come across as a jerk, either. 

• Formatting
• Keep it short - a single paragraph is best.
• Write it in first person. Third person bios are creepy.
• List major writing credits
• Self-publishing doesn't usually count. Don't bother including that info unless you've won major awards or have recently sold a TON of copies. Like thousands.
• If traditionally published, include the year and publisher name.
• If you've got short story or journal credits, only list the ones that will be familiar to the agent/editor. Rinky-dink places that no one has ever heard of won't really help. Use that space to say something else that will.
• List writing associations
• RWA, SCBWI, etc.
• If you're secretary for one, treasurer for another, and member at large for six more, that's all fine and dandy, but keep it short. List two or three of the bigger ones and leave it at that.
• Don't list small things, like podunk library patron, bogus who's who's, or published in that poetry mail-in book thing that you pay to be included in. Those peg you as an amateur and lessen your credibility.
• Personal stuff
• If you've got five kids and nine cats and stories about how each of their names came about... don't include that. Save that "getting to know you" stuff until later.
• Places of work - If you're a lawyer and you write legal thrillers, then include that. It adds to your credibility. If you're a mom of teens and you write for teens... eh. That doesn't really set you apart from all the other moms that are querying. 
• You don't need to share your story about how you've been writing since you were five and that you like to make up stories.  Stick to stuff that's relevant to THIS book.
• If you've got a writing/publishing MA/MFA, list it. 

What To Do If You Have No Writing Credentials:

In the immortal words of Douglas Adams, DON'T PANIC. We all started out with nothing to show for our passions, and that's perfectly ok. It's perfectly acceptable to not include a bio if you don't have anything.

If you want to include something though, try saying something like: 

"I blog regularly at www.myblog.com and on twitter @WriterMcWriterson. I'm also working on another book about a half-vampire/half-toaster."

Those two sentences show that you've got an online presence going (Yay marketing!), and that you're serious about writing because you're already hard at work on another book.  Win-win.

~~~

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI and at camarshall.com