How to write your About the Author Page

You’ve finished your novel and are keen get it out there, in front of readers. But wait, there’s a long list of things to do first: front cover, interior formatting, all that legal text on the copyright page, and so on. When it finally comes to writing your About the Author page, it seems like just one more thing to write.

And anyway, what is there to say? So, you do a quick jokey paragraph, heave a sigh of relief, and consider it done.

Right?

Wrong.

What readers want from an About the Author page

Think about how you feel when, having just finished a book you enjoyed, you get to the About the Author page and it doesn’t really say anything.

As a writer, particularly if you’re a first-time writer, you may feel that nobody wants to know anything about you, or perhaps even that there’s not much to know, and having an About the Author page just highlights the fact.

But an About the Author page isn’t about impressing anyone. Sure, if you have won awards, or have published books, articles, essays, recipes, then let the reader know. But readers don’t only turn to the About the Author page to be impressed.

(The exception to this is if your book is non-fiction and you need to present your credentials for writing about the subject, or if your book is fiction and is based, in some way, on your real experience or knowledge, and you feel that readers will want to know this.)

Readers who turn to the About the Author page want to know about the author. They don’t really care if you haven’t had a book published before, because, by picking up your book and glancing at your About the Author page, they’ve already decided they’re interested in it. (Or, if they’ve just finished reading your book and turn to your About the Author page, they’re obviously impressed enough by what you’ve written to want to know more.)

In other words, what a reader wants from an About the Author page is to know something about you as a person. Something real. It doesn’t have to be impressive, but it should feel genuine.

(And we’re not saying it shouldn’t include humour. But if it’s only a throwaway joke, it can be disappointing, particularly if a reader was moved by your book and wants to feel some sort of connection with you — which will lead to their reading your other books.)

So, what do you put?

Planning your About the Author page

Here are a list of things you might say about yourself on your About the Author page.

Go through it, looking for items you can use, or can just say something about. If you find something, write it down.

Note that not all of these are about you as a writer, but they’re all about you as a person. And that’s what a reader might be wanting to learn. Where you were born might sound a silly thing to put in an About the Author page, but if your reader knows the place, it might make them warm to you a little. If not, it’s very unlikely to make them hate you. And either way, it builds up their picture of you as a person.

Which is what the About the Author page is all about.

The List

Where you were born (country, county/state, city or town)
Where you live now (country, county/state, city or town, or just “the countryside”)
Other places you have lived, if you have an interesting or varied list
The school/college/university you graduated from or studied at
The subject you studied
What you have written and published, or had published
Writing-related awards you have won, or been top-listed for
Writing-related qualifications you have earned
“He/she loves the work of...” [writers you particularly admire]
Accolades for your writing, quotes from press or fellow authors
Blogs you have written or contributed to, or run
Websites, periodicals, newspapers, magazines you have contributed to
Other things you have created, or been part of creating — films, games, events, plays, courses, clubs, societies, websites
Social activities you play a prominent role in — online communities, formal (forums, specific websites) or informal (#writingcommunity)
Movements or campaigns you’ve been involved in
You “day job” (if it’s not writing), or occupation
A list of other jobs and occupations you’ve had in the past — they don’t have to be impressive, only interesting. This isn’t a job application, but a personal statement.
Academic qualifications
Your hobbies — activities, crafts, things you collect, sports, amateur theatricals
Awards or accolades you’ve earned from your hobbies or activities
What you’re researching, or love to learn about, or have a special interest in
What you are trying to do with your writing (“loves telling exciting stories / wants to change the way we look at the world / is always searching for the next perfect sentence…”)
Charities or non-profit organisations you work for, or campaign for
“He/she lives in [country/county/state/city/town] with his/her [husband/wife/spouse/partner/kids/pets]”
“...where he/she [blogs daily about… / loves to take walks in the foothills / other daily activities]”
“He/she is currently [working on a novel about… / blogging about… / campaigning to protect… / other work-in-progress or constant crusade]”
“His/her website/blog can be found at…”
“He/she can be found on Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads/etc. posting about…”
What you love or are passionate about
Why you write what you write — a love of the horror genre, a fascination with what drives a normal person to commit a crime
Why you wrote this book
“She/he most recently [did something interesting…]”

And this list is by no means exhaustive. If there’s anything you feel someone has to know before they can even beging to say they know you, put it in.

How do you want to be known?

Writing your About the Author page

You should now have a list of things to say about yourself.

It might be long, it might be short, but surely it will be something.

(You might like to leave the list a day or so, and add to it as things occur to you.)

Now, play around with the order, seeing how it flows. A chronological narrative? Most relevant to least relevant? Or from factual (jobs, publications) to personal (loves, home)?

Or you might just want to dive in and write away, ticking statements off as you go. (And you don’t have to include them all. Just enough to provide some personality.)

About the Author pages are, generally, written in the third person, but it’s usually obvious that the author themselves are the ones writing it. So, feel free to use the first person if you want, or use humour, if it fits with your writing.

How to start

If you’re stuck for a beginning sentence, try one of these, and see where it takes you: