- If you're writing a non-fiction book,
the about-the-author section is super important.
And it's also the hardest thing for most authors to write.
Even people who are comfortable bragging about themselves,
c'mon, you know someone who loves
to tell you how amazing they are, right.
Even those charming folks often struggle
writing this section because they miss
the points that are important to their reader.
So if you're struggling with your author bio
or you've written an about-the-author and you wonder
if it could be better, this video is for you.
(upbeat music)
Hey there, I'm Julie The Book Broad.
I'm an Amazon overall number one best-selling author
and the founder of a fabulous company called Book Launchers.
Our superpower is caring more about you
and your book than anybody else
as we help you write, publish and sell
a non-fiction book that will boost your brand
and make you money.
And one of the things we do for our clients
is write the about-the-author section
that will appear in their book
and on the various book websites.
Let me tell you, it is not easy to distill
the most important pieces of an entire person's life
and career into a few sentences.
Even working with professional copywriters,
our author bios go through many iterations.
Clients edit it, we edit it.
It takes a lot of work, but it's worth it.
The about-the-author info is essential.
Your reader is trying to decide
whether to spend a few bucks and more importantly,
spend several hours of their time with you.
This bio needs to tell them that you're credible.
What you're saying isn't just BS you've made up,
and you have real expertise or experience
or a powerful story that will move them emotionally
or give them something interesting
they haven't heard before.
And finally, you also have to be somebody
they wanna spend time with.
Think about it, they're gonna be listening to you talk
in a audio book or reading your words in print.
Are you gonna be somebody
they would actually want to have a conversation with.
If the answer is no, why would you read their book.
The about-the-author piece
needs to establish credibility and likability.
I'm not saying you have to tell them
about how many kids you have, where you grew up
and what your favorite ice cream is.
Mine's mint chocolate chip though
if you're wondering. (laughs)
But you do need to give them something
so they feel connection and they feel like
you'd be cool to hang out with.
Let's make a bit of a checklist, shall we.
In just a few sentence you're author-bio
needs to, check, highlight, what qualifies you
to write about the subject matter
whether it be years of experience,
exposure to the subject matter, unique situation,
education, awards, credentials, something, check.
Point out something that makes you unique
to others in your industry, your area of expertise.
Maybe it's the age when you started, your unique approach,
you're a man ina female industry, you're dyslexic
or who you're mother or father was
or maybe the country you grew up in.
And check, something that will help
the reader connect with you.
A quick soundbite of something that's interesting about you.
I have a friend I grew up with who's super-successful today.
He co-founded a major company, he sits on the boards
of some other major companies.
And at one point he was part-owner of an NHL team.
That's The National Hockey League.
My husband said I need to say that
'cause he doesn't think everyone knows about the NHL.
Besides all those cool facts his bio
would absolutely have to mention
that he started his career as the garbage man
of a town of 1,000 in rural, Alberta, Canada.
It's really great way to include
a little self-deprecating humor or something
that would really surprise people
yet connect you to people that maybe don't own
a major company and don't sit on the boards of other things
or own a major hockey team.
So what can you say about yourself in a few words
that will make someone curious about you,
that they'd wanna lean in and learn a little more.
And when you do get your bio written,
read it out loud.
And then have others read it out loud to you
because media, podcasters, newspapers,
bloggers, book reviewers, they're all gonna use that bio,
probably verbatim, so make sure it's something
that sounds good, feels good, and makes people
like and trust you so they want to get to know you
and hear or read what you have to share.
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Now let's keep hanging out, shall we.
What shall we chat about next?
Well book descriptions right here
are so important, they're just as important
as you bio so this video
is definitely one you should see.
But maybe you want the latest and greatest video
I've put out, well that's right here.
Oh my goodness, I'm so excited
to share all these tips with you.
Go ahead and click on the next video
and I'll see you over there.
(upbeat music)