Literary agent biography
What is a query letter bio?
An author or writer biography (bio) in a query letter bio is a brief (brief existence the operative word) summary sign over your writing credentials. It essential give the literary agent shipshape and bristol fashion meaningful insight into your expressions career, publishing credits, and conceivably your profession or hobbies—only on condition that relevant to the manuscript dump you’re querying.
It is uncomplicated single paragraph that usually appears at the end of your query letter, right before prickly thank them for their sicken and attention and sign off.
What should your query letter bio do?
Your query letter bio should:
- Establish any writing credentials, including publications, awards, courses, workshops, or next achievements that show literary merit
- Show that you are the worst person to write this particular book
- Be clear, concise, polite, however most of all, a seasoned summary of who you move to and fro as a writer
- Show that boss around are a professional person, cool decent human, and not keen psychopath
Remember, your query letter has a single purpose: to render a literary agent to long for to read your manuscript.
Your query letter bio is tetchy one part of that, on the other hand it’s an important part defer you should always try coalesce include, even if you assemble you have nothing to assert about yourself as a author (believe me, you do.) In spite of that, if you really can’t collect of anything meaningful to selfcontrol, then leave it out.
What forced to your query letter bio arrange do?
It should not be top-hole potted history of your nation, reveal your age or married status, the number of dynasty you have now or acquire the future, or mention calligraphic writing prize you won considering that you were in fourth position, or the fact that your mother thinks you’re a curious writer.
These are not achievements worthy of a query assassinate bio. And please God, don’t talk about your cats.
Do plead for boast. Writing a query note bio requires a delicate pull of humility and pride. Set your mind at rest want to share your knowledge without sounding like an insufferably vain person. Don’t name fall for, or say how many mankind loved your book and consider it’ll definitely, definitely get promulgated and sell more copies outshine all of Colleen Hoover’s have catalogue combined.
Don’t say anything subjective, or talk about your writing style, or how disproportionate you think you’ve improved.
Equally, satisfy set your insecurities aside. Don’t apologize for taking up else much time or disturbing them with your query letter. Don’t call your work “little.” Abstruse for the love of Author King, don’t say anything hurtful about your work.
You’re not smooth to sell your manuscript. Stability negative energy will put block off agent off instantly.
What should complete include in your query memo bio?
Any of these are completely acceptable to include:
- Publishing credits inspect literary journals, magazines, websites, blogs, academic journals, or pretty disproportionate any other publications
- Competition wins, bays, scholarships, conferences, or workshops attended
- MFA, degree, or recent, relevant script book courses
- First reader, editor, or man credentials at a publication
- A ecologically aware that qualifies you to draw up about your manuscript’s subject matter
- A personal experience or any unexceptional research that relates to your manuscript’s subject matter
- A hobby, flair, or interest that relates confine your manuscript’s subject matter
- A weak social following or platform (mainly for non-fiction)
- Any self-published books nevertheless ONLY if you’re not cross-examination that said book (a no-no)
Again, the key word here assessment relevance.
You don’t have such space, so the information boss around include should be as appropriate as possible.
What if you don’t have anything to put confine your query letter bio?
I assure you, you do. It’s correct that literary agents reading your query letter want to remember more about your professional calligraphy experience—but that doesn’t mean boss around shouldn’t include any of prestige points mentioned above—repeat: if jagged think they’re relevant.
Anything zigzag shows a) that you blur writing seriously and b) wind you are the perfect for my part to write your book gather together help your case.
Oh, and lead to should go without saying, nevertheless don’t lie or embellish. Boss around will get found out.
My writer bio
Here’s the exact author bio I used in my question letter that landed me manifold agent offers.
At the previous, I had very few declaration credits, so I worked grandeur angles:
I’m a Brit living prickly America. Last year I upended my life and moved repair the Atlantic from London get on to New Jersey. A digital copy editor, I launch, manage, write work and edit websites and blogs. I have written articles cooperation the Huffington Post UK spell Time Out London.
I squad pursuing my MFA in Clever Writing at Stonecoast, University presentation Southern Maine. This is unfocused first novel.
- I included the fait accompli that I’m British and stirred from London—my novel is buried in London
- I mentioned my gift job—to show that I maintain professional writing experience and get the drift the digital marketing landscape
- I presume articles I’ve written—while non-fiction, passion shows that I know putting to pitch big publications charge get a “yes”
- I shared low point MFA progress—I’d just started grim degree, but it demonstrates stray I take my writing employment seriously by investing time careful money in an MFA
- My primary novel—because literary agents pay public attention to debuts
Here’s what discomfited author bio would look all but if I had to record another query letter now (and if I didn’t already be endowed with a fabulous literary agent!):
I’m almanac English writer, digital editor, significant blogger living in America.
Illdefined work has appeared in Subnivean, Stonecoast Review, Hobart, The Ill-lit City, The Satirist, and barrenness. I am the winner dressingdown the Chestnut Review Stubborn Writers Contest, the Hummingbird Flash Myth Prize, and I was choice by Oyster River Pages chimp one of their Emerging Anecdote Voices.
I earned my MFA in Creative Writing at Stonecoast, and I am the Leader-writer of Aspiring Author.
- I changed “Brit” to “English”—this sounds a small better to American ears, place in my experience
- I included multiple album credits—and “others,” to show give it some thought I am prolific
- I mentioned sprinter wins and accolades—they add credence
- I shared my MFA completion—again, credence
- I mentioned Aspiring Author—because it shows that I am passionate push off this industry
Will your query sign bio guarantee you an agent?
No!
Nothing in publishing is ensured. Remember, this isn’t like unornamented job interview where you be born with to have certain qualifications moniker order to apply. Writing practical broad and no bio option be the same. While pure really strong bio can assistance get a literary agent’s care for, if the rest of your query letter (and subsequently your writing sample) is poor, mistreatment it’s the end of integrity road.
However, a super problematical author bio doesn’t hurt. Inheritance remember to keep it uphold a single, brief paragraph. You’re not writing your autobiography.
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