The definition of Public Relations in business is “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between businesses and the public”
In the past my focus has been on book marketing, which did include how to reach potential readers with blogs, social media and as part of the writing community. Whilst this series will revisit those platforms along the way it is an opportunity to focus on some key areas of our public profiles that might influence the public to buy our books.
The focus this time is on you.. the author.
Last week I looked at the impact our Profile Photo – First contact with reader might have on potential readers.
This week it is the turn of the biography that we put on selling sites such as Amazon, Bookbub and Goodreads.
Author Biography – Tips and Translations
With approximately 150 authors across the Cafe and Bookstore and the Children’s Reading Room, I am in Amazon and Goodreads daily checking for new releases and reviews to share in the updates. In the current series of Meet the Authors I am also updating biographies to include and I am afraid that I have had to update quite a few myself with new books, or the numbers of books that have been written.
My suggestions today are not carved in stone, and how you write your biography is entirely your decision. The one area that is key and seems to be echoed around the writing sites is the fact that a biography that is overlong will be overlooked.
The biography is your advertisement that combined with your photograph is going to grab the attention of the potential reader who has landed on your author page.
Last week I shared the fact that there are 20,000 new ebooks uploaded each week on Amazon that are in direct competition with your books. Provided you have listed your books with the genre or sub-genre, when searching for books a reader will be offered a selection to choose from. Hopefully that will land them on your book page or your Amazon Author Page.
Having got them there.. and smiled at them from your author photograph they will look at the first line of your biography and with any luck will decide to read the rest.
However, they are not going to stay their long! Which is why the recommended length of an author biography is under 1000 characters (Amazon recommendation) or 300 words.
- The primary aim of your biography is to establish your credentials as a writer and to give a quick resume of your work with a dash of personality that makes them think they might enjoy your books.
- It is recommended to write the biography in the third person. I have played around with both first and third person and I have just revamped mine with the latter. (I am still playing around with it)
- Not all of us have degrees in literature or are award winning or USA Today Bestselling authors. However, those that do should lead with that.
- Failing academic credentials, then get creative on how to hook a reader into trusting you know what you are doing. One of the ways to do that is use third party endorsement by using snippets from your reviews.
For example you could select one of your top reviews for a book and start your biography.
James Smith is a writer whose readers consider ‘is a master storyteller who brings characters alive’
Samantha Johnson’s first novel Desperate Authors received five star reviews ‘Johnson’s creative world building left me breathless’
- If you have awards for other books mention you have several including two or three stand out commendations.
- Following this, and if you have more than one book, it is a good idea mention your most current book with a brief synopsis.
- It is not necessary to list the titles of all the books you have written within the biography as the covers are featured on the page. However, after the main biography you can add further information on series of books for example, so that the reader has a better idea of which book to begin with.
- Many of the sample biographies of best-selling authors that I have read over the last couple of weeks have been written with a certain amount of humour which made them stand out.
- It is a good idea to put the link to your website with a note – For more information about the author and their work etc.
Amazon new look Author Central
Amazon have made it easier for you to share your biography, not only on other sites but in other languages.
Potential readership around the world.
The other key element to think about is your visibility on an international platform such as Amazon which sells our books on 17 sites (maybe more as growing fast) with a reach of approximately 58 countries. This means that you need to make sure your biography is on as many sites as possible. If you are on the US or UK site your covers and books will automatically be on the other, but not your biography (I have noticed several where the author has not gone in to add their biography, missing a marketing opportunity.)
It is estimated that there are around 2 billion English speakers in the world, either as native English speakers or as a second language. Most of the native English speakers are from the UK, Ireland,USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. English is also one of the primary languages throughout the Caribbean, parts of Africa and also spoke as a second language in Scandinavia, Netherlands and Germany.
This means that it is important to check your books on the corresponding Amazon author pages. Some will let you add a biography and some won’t but you can translate your biography into a number of languages and they are available to readers if they require it. Luckily the German Amazon allowed me to upload a translation onto the site. Thanks to
Google Translate
I have Tales from the Garden in Spanish of which there are over 500 million speakers worldwide, so I have translated my bio into Spanish too. I use some of that bio when sharing the link on Amazon Spain to promote that edition. There are a number of Language options.
I am working around the various Amazon sites to find those that will allow me to add my biography in the appropriate language.
I was very lucky that the book was translated into Spanish by Olga Nunez Miret who did an amazing job and I can highly recommend if you are considering doing similar with any of your books.
I hope that you have found this of some help in creating your bio and spreading it around the world. Next time Guest Posts as an opportunity to expand your public profile and how to make the most of the experience.
©Sally Cronin 2021
Sally Cronin is the author of fourteen books including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb first published in 2001. This has been followed by another thirteen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry. Her latest collection, Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries: Sometimes Bitter, Sometimes Sweet, reflects on the absurdities and sometimes tragedies that drop into our lives.
As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of promotional opportunities in the Cafe and Bookstore Free Book Promotion. on her blog and across her social media.
After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.
To discover more: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine and Sally Cronin
Thanks for dropping in and I look forward to your feedback.. thanks Sally.
This is such great and comprehensive advice on author biographies, Sally – I loved the tip about starting with a little recommendation snippet. Toni x
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thanks Toni, glad you found of interests and.reviews are a great selling point.. using in advance reviews in the blurb is good too..hugsx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you (in advance) for this very great help, Sally! I am sure now some newcomers will have less problems getting their useful pages online. xx Michael
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Michael.. I hope it is useful…enjoy the rest of your day..hugsx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Its for sure, Sally! I will save for my later outing, as an writer. 😉 xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent advice on author bio’s, Sally. Thanks for sharing 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Harmony..hugsxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
One of the most memorable bios for me comes from the back page of the books from sci-fi writer, Isaac Asimov. the first line reads:
Isaac Asimov was born January 2, 1920, much to his surprise.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol.. definitely an attention grabber..thanks Leon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great advice, Sally. Thank you. I have saved this page to favourites and will study it later. Sharing to twitter too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks very much Liz and for passing it along..hugsx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
More great advice from, Sally 👍😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks very much Chris..hugsx
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure, Sally 🤗❤️🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing this Sally. It is helpful to think about these components.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks LaDonna.. glad you found helpful.. enjoy the rest of your week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great advice here. I am constantly changing my bio.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is good to ring the changes Darlene.. hugsx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Plaisted Publishing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing Patty..hugs
LikeLike
Pingback: Smorgasbord Public Relations for Authors – Part Two – Author Biographies -Tips and Translations by Sally Cronin #Author’ sCorner #Tip – PattysWorld
Thanks Patty..hugsx
LikeLike
This is so helpful, Sally. I’ve been meaning to update my bio for… um… years. I’ve tweaked it, but I really need to add credentials and beef it up a bit. I also didn’t know that international sites don’t necessarily include the bio. Great info. I’ll have to get on this one. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Glad you found useful Diana… I am still playing around with mine… hugs
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the tip, Sally! I do need to update my bio!
LikeLiked by 1 person
glad to give you a little nudge Jan..hugsx
LikeLike
This is a very useful post, Sally, thanks for sharing your advice and tips.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you found helpful Robbie…hugsxx
LikeLike
Another excellent issue Sal. You covered some great ground. When I get my head back in the game (the desire) I need to do some updating for sure. I used to do my tweaks every time I published a book, but there has been a huge gap (due to life) and when I begin the publishing process with my recent MS that is collecting dust, I shall update everything then. ❤ xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Debby and your bio is excellent and as you say will be fine until you publish your next book.. ♥♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Sal ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is such good advice and I understand it, too! I’ve read a great deal of stuff on self-promotion but a lot of it is so esoteric and high-falutin’ that I give up on it. Your ideas make perfect sense and I’m also going to save this to my favourites. Many thanks xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad it was useful Alex… all we need to do is keep it simple.. hugsxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve tried going to some of the other countries, Sally but does Amazon allow you to set up an account for each country? I set up an Amazon account in the U.K. years ago, but since then I’ve tried and they won’t let me. It’s something to consider for sure. Thanks for the great information. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
From here I can set one up on UK, US and Germany.. but some don’t offer you the option. You might be okay with Canada. I am still visiting the various countries.
However, at least if your bio is available in some of the main languages it is a step in the right direction.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tried Canada but they wouldn’t let me. It’s all good. We do what we can. ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
We do Colleen..I have a few more to try.. ♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
wonderful advice. I guess we need to sell ourselves first before anything else 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think once you embrace the fact that writing books is a business then you have do some branding to help sell the them. Credibility is needed.. x
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree about the importance of building a personal brand as an author…
LikeLiked by 1 person
x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – June 6th – 12th 2021 – 1970s hits, Narcissism, Green Kitchen, Humour, Health, Pets, Book and Author Promotions. | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
Great advice sally, thanks!
LikeLike
Thanks, Sally. This information was very useful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you found helpful Norah..enjoy the rest of your weekend..x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Sally. On to a new week now. Enjoy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the advice, Sally, and for recommending me as well. I’m not doing much in the translation department at the moment, but things might change in the future. Good luck to everyone!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pleasure Olga and always good to have a number of strings to your bow…hugsx
LikeLike
Pingback: Smorgasbord Public Relations for Authors – Part Two – Author Biographies -Tips and Translations by Sally Cronin – Writer's Treasure Chest
These are great tips, Sally. Thanks you for sharing them. I KNOW I should check on my bios across the Amazon sites. Heck, I could even write them in a few different languages, but it seems like a daunting task. One of these weeks… when my to-do list shrinks a bit. 🙂
Looking forward to reading your post about author photos as well. Yours is fabulous and professional. I’m thinking I need to get one taken professionally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Liesbet.. I think it is worth carving out the time as once the job is done it should only need a tweak from time to time. With today’s modern phone cameras if someone else takes the photo following some of the basic guidelines it costs a lot less than a professional photograph…xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Smorgasbord Public Relations for Authors – Part Five – Who else might your Public Image impress? by Sally Cronin | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
Thank you for all the good tips, Sally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you found helpful Janet.. any questions don’t hesitate to ask..my email is in the last post… xx
LikeLike