Biography magazine writer guidelines
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Formatting an Author Biography
How do I Format a Biography?
The average bio for most Literary Magazines is about 75 words long, so you should focus only on the essential aspects of yourself and your body of work when writing a bio. You'll be submitting a bio before you know if your work is accepted, so it's best to come up with a few different bio styles:
a short, two-sentence bio
a slightly longer 75-word bio
a long-form bio (think what you'd read on a personal website or inside the sleeve of a book).
Make sure you include your full name (or pen name) and bits of information you think are vital for readers to know about you. The key to most author bios is to write them in the third person.
Don't specify any specific works you submitted; you don't know if they'll be accepted for publication. If you have previously published work, you can reference it, but don’t write your bio in the hopes that a specific piece you submitted will be a
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How to Write a Literary Bio
K.I.S.S. Guide: No bullshit, breezy guides to the elusive odds and ends of submitting literary(ish) works brought to you by Chill Subs.
There are two things to remember when writing a literary bio:
- Don't stress about it.
- You will stress about it.
So, first, let's have a little therapy session. Some roleplay. You're a snazzy literary agent at a swanky New York party full of people doing snazzy and swanky things. Now, who walks in?
Well, it's your client: You!
Look at you. Fuckin' yum.
Time to make your elevator pitch. Be simple. Be succinct.
- Who is this stellar new writer you've got with you? Tell me in one or two sentences.
- What are some of the best magazines they've been published in?
- Do they have any accolades? A best-selling novel? An MFA? Or do they just make really great toast?
- Where can I find more of their work?
There. Therapy over. Now, take that information, mash it together into a paragraph,
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Writing A Compelling Author Bio
If you, my friend, are ready to present yourself to the world as an author, one of the first things you will have to do is write an Author Biography or author bio. Oftentimes, this is the first part of your proposal or pitch that an editor reads, so it must be gripping and cover the most important aspects of your credentials, writing experience, and platform.
It can be vulnerable and weird, and even kind of agonizing, to write about yourself and talk up your achievements or abilities. Authors have told me that it feels like they’re bragging. But you must do it. Your bio fryst vatten an important part of your publishing career that you need to consider carefully.
When you start to think about your writing as a business as well as a craft, your author biography (in short and long forms) will help you establish your brand, your focus, and your voice as an author. Your bio will tell the world who you are, and more importantly, reveal the why behind your work.