Another question for published authors...

[toffeegyrl]

How does one come up with a decent bio? Bad enough this is my first fiction work published (so I've no "X is the author of A,B, and C"), but Now I can't apparently string 3 blasted sentences about myself (well, my pseudonym, anyway) together!

I've been writing these things for the last 3 days. Drivel, all of it. I keep wanting to write stuff like "X enjoys naps, getting books back to the library on time, 73% dark chocolate, the occasional phone sex session, and good stationery."

Is it possible for this to even be well-written?

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Well, the bio can be edited to your hearts content all day every day. Just throw upa short blurb about yourself, and if you think of something more, or better, or whatever, throw it up later.

 

[cloudy]

Not sure how well-written this is, but this is mine for the Coming Together Anthologies:

Sherry Hawk has been described as fiery, fierce and loyal; she sees herself as stubborn and blunt, and her characters often share these traits. Many of her stories explore the spiritual/mystical side of life – a side of herself she’s very familiar with. She lives in Ontario, Canada, by the shores of Lake Huron with her very significant other, a stepdaughter, two sons, and one very large wolf hybrid who seems intimidating until you catch him playing with frogs or see how gentle he is with children.

 

[Belegon]

sometimes the best thing is just to read some and then let it sit and come back to it when things have settled. Hope that it flows then...

Here's mine from the Phaze page... http://www.phaze.com/authors-willbelegon.htm

Will Belegon began writing erotica as an exploration of his more primal side. He found the combination of his overactive imagination with his love of poetry and prose to be a good fit for the genre. Throw in his love of moonlit beaches and first kisses, and words began to flow.

The validation came when other people liked what he wrote. So he wrote more, and found that he enjoyed the attention. When someone suggested he might actually get paid to write, the notion seemed too wild to consider. Yet fortune is said to favor the bold.

Will received Literotica.com's Readers Choice Award for the Best Erotic Couplings Story of 2004, and his character of MacCailein Mor in The Interrogation at that site has been nominated as the Sexiest Male Character for 2005. Will has also shown versatility within erotica by receiving monthly category nominations at Literotica in multiple sub-categories.

Will has contributed both stories and poetry to the Coming Together anthology series, the proceeds of which are donated to charitable and free speech organizations.

 

[toffeegyrl]

latest attempt...

<poof>

 

[TE999]

How does one come up with a decent bio? Bad enough this is my first fiction work published (so I've no "X is the author of A,B, and C"), but Now I can't apparently string 3 blasted sentences about myself (well, my pseudonym, anyway) together!

I've been writing these things for the last 3 days. Drivel, all of it. I keep wanting to write stuff like "X enjoys naps, getting books back to the library on time, 73% dark chocolate, the occasional phone sex session, and good stationery."

Is it possible for this to even be well-written?

Imagine having a conversation with someone. Possibly someone that you're interested in. You're trying to make a good first impression. You stress your good points, downplay the bad (LOL). Now put it on paper.

The good thing is you can edit later. The conversation is just out there.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Bio? Bio? We want nawty pics, Girl

 

[matriarch]

How does one come up with a decent bio? Bad enough this is my first fiction work published (so I've no "X is the author of A,B, and C"), but Now I can't apparently string 3 blasted sentences about myself (well, my pseudonym, anyway) together!

I've been writing these things for the last 3 days. Drivel, all of it. I keep wanting to write stuff like "X enjoys naps, getting books back to the library on time, 73% dark chocolate, the occasional phone sex session, and good stationery."

Is it possible for this to even be well-written?

Ask someone who knows you and your work to write it for you.

Worked for me.

Good luck, and congrats on being published.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

There's two ways you can go: You can be truthful, or you can make your author-self into a character.

If you're truthful, then someone who's gotten all turned on by your wild and deliciously filthy BDSM epic will turn to your Bio and read that you're a mother of four and grandmother of 11 who lives outside of Moline and enjoys collecting Precious Moments figurines and singing in your church choir. They'll know that the entire story was imaginary and feel totally chagrined and ashamed that they ever thought you (or anyone) might be that hot.

On the other hand, there's a reason porn authors have names like Tiara Van de Groot and Apassionata Sloane rather than Jolene Schavitz or Maude Coznofski, and that's because they're trying to build an image of themselves and extend the fantasy into their own lives. They call it "branding".

Dr. Elliot Mabeuse never really did get a degree in Psychosexual Deviance from the University of Tbilisi and doesn't maintain a secret boiler-plated laboratory in an abandoned Chicago sewer system where he collects Ming Dynasty sex toys, but it makes for a good bio.

 

[impressive]

I agree with Zoot to a certain extent. I think too serious and straightforward is shooting yourself in the foot. But it needs to be quasi-believable.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I keep wanting to write stuff like "X enjoys naps, getting books back to the library on time, 73% dark chocolate, the occasional phone sex session, and good stationery."

I actually LOVE the above... well, I might take out the phone sex part, cuz, ya know, the requests for your phone number will get even higher...

And I agree, to some extent, with Doc... I don't advertise that I'm a wife and mother of four... that kinda takes away from Ms. Selena's mystery a little... But I do say "family"... and all of the rest is true...


This was mine before I had any real publishing credits:

Selena Kitt has been writing since the age of ten, and has won various awards throughout her high school and college writing career. Over the past several years, Selena has written both erotic and non-erotic fiction and poetry and has won online awards for her erotic stories under the name of Selenakittyn.

As a psychologist and a writer, she has an interest in and passion for human sexuality. Using her stories as a vehicle, Selena explores sexuality and human relationships, and is not afraid to examine controversial issues. She writes for both her own and the readers’ enjoyment, often taking a deeper look into serious topics, uncovering hidden secrets and working to create complex stories, whether they are sensual, carnal, or thought-provoking.

Selena lives in the Midwestern United States with her family, two dogs and two cats. In addition to writing, she enjoys photography, bellydancing, singing, and drum circles.

 

[impressive]

I actually LOVE the above...

I agree.

This is the one I've been using lately:

Alessia Brio is a sassy tart who burst (or tip-toed, depending on who you ask) onto the erotic romance scene in the latter half of 2005 with two e-book publications from Phaze. Until that time, she'd been giving her stuff away on Literotica. Now, she gratefully accepts money for it. (That, she's aware, is the difference between a slut and a whore.)

Alessia writes erotic romance, erotica, and poetry both independently and collaboratively (with Will Belegon). As a participant in the philanthropic publishing venture Coming Together, Alessia helps to raise money for organizations that protect our online freedoms of expression.

When she's not writing, editing, designing covers, or researching, Ms. Brio is performing her domestic duties as a work-from-home mom, kicking ass (or kissing it) as a civil rights advocate/activist, or wasting time on the Internet. She is addicted to SuDoku, rare steak, and sex (not necessarily in that order). Alessia lives in the mountains near Pittsburgh where she masquerades as a soccer mom.

 

[SesameStreet]

Add a dash of humor into your "facts". Be creative and not just give a laundry list about yourself. What you have already posted is a good start.

 

[Frank Noir]

There's two ways you can go: You can be truthful, or you can make your author-self into a character.

If you're truthful, then someone who's gotten all turned on by your wild and deliciously filthy BDSM epic will turn to your Bio and read that you're a mother of four and grandmother of 11 who lives outside of Moline and enjoys collecting Precious Moments figurines and singing in your church choir. They'll know that the entire story was imaginary and feel totally chagrined and ashamed that they ever thought you (or anyone) might be that hot.

On the other hand, there's a reason porn authors have names like Tiara Van de Groot and Apassionata Sloane rather than Jolene Schavitz or Maude Coznofski, and that's because they're trying to build an image of themselves and extend the fantasy into their own lives. They call it "branding".

Dr. Elliot Mabeuse never really did get a degree in Psychosexual Deviance from the University of Tbilisi and doesn't maintain a secret boiler-plated laboratory in an abandoned Chicago sewer system where he collects Ming Dynasty sex toys, but it makes for a good bio.

I agree - and prefer the "character" route.
I remember reading the journalist profiles in "Wired" once. The only one that stuck in my said simply "[XX] is a giraffe in the Bronx Zoo." Brilliant!
Also, there is a middle way: Pick some extremes from your lives (weird stuff from your past, strange jobs you've had, things you did) and string them together in a few quirky sentences. Hey presto, you've made your real life into an "author character".