Writing the About the Author Section

This section is where you are allowed to have a little fun and to blow your own horn a bit. This is where you present the credentials that make you a credible author for the book you are planning.

Now, this can be uncomfortable to write for many people. The trick is to always write the 'about the author' section in the third person. Once you begin to write about yourself in this slightly personal style you begin to view your own life and achievements as an outsider.


Here are the various items to consider:

1. List any publications you have (particularly if national or international)
2. Mention any media shows (TV, radio or podcast) that you have been on
3. Write about any newspaper, magazine (or large website) stories that have mentioned or covered your work
4. If relevant mention your education and professional qualifications (all professionals should always do this... for example, I have a PhD from Cambridge University)
5. Mention any other relevant information about yourself

Always conclude by saying that you are very enthusiastic about the book you are proposing (this is the kind of flannel that publishers like to hear).

Of course, the above assumes that you already have a publishing career. If not, do not worry. If you have written and published an eBook (even if self-published) this counts and shows that you are a keen writer with an eye for detail.

But even if you have no publishing history, you can still get a book contract. After all, everyone has to start somewhere and all writers start from scratch. Publishers, editors and agents know this... you just have to put your best foot forward and focus on the positive aspects of your life and how these make you the best possible author for the book you are proposing.

You need to be positive and be a good self-publicist. But you cannot over-do it. And here is where writing in the third person is your friend, as the style itself will tend to tone-down any excesses in exuberance.

The overall aim is to project the impression that you are the best person in the world to write this book.

On to the next part: Writing the List of Chapters.
Back to the Introduction on Writing a Book Proposal.