Engaging “About The Author” Examples (& How to Write Yours)

Writing the perfect about page gives your readers an idea of exactly who the source of your work is. It seems like an easy enough challenge… until we try to make it interesting enough for someone to actually read!

Your About page is going to feature on your author website, inside your books, on your social profiles, and anywhere else your audience asks the burning question, “Who is the creative genius behind this book?”

Apart from just letting readers know who you are, it’s also an important tool to frame you as someone whose books are worth buying.

What Is An About The Author Page?

Your about the author section, or author biography, briefly tells the reader everything they need to know about the author’s credentials, writer journey, and previous works.

And you decide how much you’d like to reveal about yourself! You could add hobbies, degrees, hometowns, inspirations, family life, etc.

It can be hard to decide what to write and what to share about yourself. You may wonder, “Do readers really care about little old me?”

The answer is absolutely! Don’t let that imposter syndrome get the best of you. An “About the Author” section is hard enough to write without it!

Your book deserves to be read, so give the readers a peek at the creator behind the work.

And even if you don’t want to divulge too much information about yourself, you need to have at least something engaging enough for readers, agents, and publishers to gauge who they’re dealing with. 

An About the Author section can be placed in the following locations:

• Author website
• The back cover of a book
• Amazon Author page
• Press releases
• Social media profiles
• Event pamphlets if you’re doing book signings or holding a booth at a festival.

Why Should You Have An “About The Author” Page?

It’s human nature to be curious about things, especially the creative masterminds behind readers’ favorite works! 

The About the Author page satiates your readers’ curiosity and gives them a look into who you are and what makes you tick.

It can also show them why you’re the perfect person to have written your books – whether it’s your credentials, background, experiences, etc.

You can use this section to talk about other books you’ve written (they’ll be tempted to sink their teeth into your catalog!) and any other information that you think would forge a connection with the reader. 

How To Write An “About The Author” Page

There’s no set rule on how to write your “about the author” page. Some people find writing about themselves awkward. But if you start off knowing what tone you want to use and what kind of information to include, you’ve already won half the battle.

We’ve put together some guidelines which will make it easier for you. We’ve added About The Author examples in each section so you can see exactly what we’re talking about!

Use a tone that fits your author brand

The tone you use to write your author bio should reflect the type of writing you do.

If you’re a business consultant, you want to come across as a credible and trustworthy source of business-related information. You might want to use a more formal tone. Cracking jokes or referring to your childhood desire to become a unicorn may have the opposite effect.

The bio of a young adult fantasy author will look very different from that of a business consultant. Here you want to give the reader a taste of the type of writing they can expect from the book. In this case, it’s perfectly fine to allude to magic and mysticism.

Similarly, the author of children’s books will want their bio to reflect the type of fun that youngsters will experience in their book. As you can imagine, writing this kind of bio in the tone of a business consultant is unlikely to help your sales.

Most author bios are written in the third person depending on where it will be used.

Here are some examples of different author bio styles and why they work. 

About the author example 1: Davis Ashura

Davis Ashura’s bio, on the author website we designed, is the perfect mix of humor and mythical references. He cleverly turns everyday details about his life and family into a fantasy story. A reader gets a good idea of his style of writing.

Referring to Kronos, a god from Greek mythology, further cements his place in the world of fantasy. 

About the author example 2: Tim Ferriss

“A cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk.”
— The New York Times

Tim Ferriss has been listed as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and one of Fortune’s “40 under 40.” He is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. The Observer and other media have called Tim “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, which is the first business/interview podcast to exceed 100 million downloads. It has now exceeded 500 million downloads.

Tim Ferriss writes about business. In stark contrast to the previous author’s bio, this bio dives straight into the credentials that qualify Ferriss to give business advice. The bio is, excuse the pun, all business, and after reading it you’ll probably be convinced that this is the guy to follow if you want business success. 

Open with a one-liner

Keep in mind the most important aspect of any truly great story: It’s actually about your reader.

Great writing entertains, educates, and moves us. Your author bio doesn’t violate the basic idea that you are writing for your readers.

Your one-liner is the showstopper of your bio. If the reader doesn’t read any further, it shouldn’t matter. It must, in a nutshell, introduce you and your work.

The first line of your About section can also be used as a standalone bio for your social media profiles. Make sure it’s punchy enough to lure readers in as-is.

Here are some of our favorite one-liners. 

About the author example 3: Joe Hirsch

What important discussion or decision are you avoiding right now?

A different way to start off an about the author is to go unconventional: ask your audience a question directly.

Since Joe Hirsch is a Feedback expert speaker, instead of dumping credentials into one spot, he used them in other places on his website (that we designed!) and took his bio to connect further with his audience. He uses words in the only way he knows: effectively and impactfully.

This is your sign to use your skills in a way that makes you stand out.

About the author example 4: Daniel Gibbs

Daniel Gibbs is a recovering computer engineer.

While this opening line doesn’t tell you anything about what Daniel Gibbs writes, it’s catchy and piques the reader’s interest. It won’t necessarily work as a standalone bio, but it makes you want to read the rest of his about the author section. 

About the author example 5: Michael C. Grumley

For years, Michael Grumley dreamed of writing thrillers the way he thought they should be written: complex, multi-genre stories with unique plots that ‘move’.

In this slightly cheeky opening line, Michael Grumley tells you exactly what to expect if you read one of his thrillers. 

Come across as a credible source

Why should your readers trust that your book of business or self-help tips is any good? How can you guarantee that you aren’t a completely boring fiction author?

Putting your credentials in your bio gives readers the evidence they need to believe that your work is probably worth reading. This could include your experience, awards won, or other significant recognition or endorsements you’ve received.

Be sure to only list the credentials and book awards that are most applicable to your book or genre. You don’t need to mention that you’re an award-winning children’s book author on the dust cover of your thriller.

If you’re a non-fiction author, establishing your credibility in your field is more important than trying to be quirky or overly creative in your bio.

 Here are some examples. 

About the author example 6: Akwaeke Emezi

AKWAEKE is an artist based in liminal spaces. Born and raised in Nigeria, their work spans literature, music, film, and visual art. Their debut EP Stop Dying, You Were Very Expensive! was released on March 8, 2024 and their eighth book Little Rot was published on June 18, 2024 by Riverhead Books.

AKWAEKE moved to Brooklyn in the early 2010s as a poet and filmmaker, with their short film Ududeagu winning Best Short Experimental at the 2014 BlackStar Film Festival. They exploded onto the literary scene in 2018 with their debut novel Freshwater and went on to publish seven books in the next four years, including the instant NYT bestseller The Death Of Vivek Oji and National Book Award finalist Pet. Their romance novel You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty was a 2023 NAACP Image Award nominee and the screen rights were sold in a seven-figure deal to Amazon Studios with AKWAEKE executive producing alongside Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society.

Lauded as ‘one of our greatest living writers’ (Shondaland) and ‘a once-in-a-generation voice’ (Vulture), they are represented by Jacqueline Ko at The Wylie Agency, and by United Talent Agency.

Akwaeke is a quadruple threat and this about the author section highlights that – and then some. With the type of art Akwaeke produces, laying out their rainbow of work gives newcomers a true look at what they are about and why they’re worth checking out.

About the author example 7: April White

April White has been a film producer, private investigator, bouncer, teacher, and screenwriter. She has climbed in the Himalayas, lived on a gold mine in the Yukon, and survived a shipwreck.

Fantasy author April Whites’s bio doesn’t immediately list any awards or accolades. But it doesn’t have to. Who wouldn’t want to read a book written by someone who’s survived a shipwreck and worked as a private investigator?

White uses her life experience to establish herself as an author who is worth reading. 

Tell your story

As writers, we’ve mastered the art of storytelling. Don’t forget this powerful recipe for writing an engaging bio.

Pull your readers along your storyline to show them exactly how you arrived at being the perfect writer of “insert your genre/niche” books.

Take a look at these examples:

About the author example 8: Mike Michalowicz

By his 35^th birthday, Mike Michalowicz (pronounced mi-‘kal-o-wits) had founded and sold two multi-million dollar companies. Confident that he had the formula to success, he became a small business angel investor… and proceeded to lose his entire fortune. Then he started all over again, driven to find better ways to grow healthy, strong companies. Mike has devoted his life to the research and delivery of innovative, impactful entrepreneurial strategies to you.

This brilliant bio by business writer Mike Michalowicz tells a story. He weaves his life experience and achievements to create credibility and authenticity.

Showing us both his highs and his lows gives you the feeling you’re really going to learn from someone willing to bear all if needed. 

About the author example 9: Brené Brown 

1965: Born in San Antonio, Texas. Thought my name was French until I hitchhiked through Europe after high school and no one in France understood my name. They call me Pamela (from the show Dallas). Sigh.

Brené Brown speaks directly to the reader about her experience and her core beliefs – which already is quite gripping.

But below that, her bio gives us highlights of her personal and professional life cleverly laid out behind photo tiles on her website.

Although she’s a non-fiction author, she writes about topics like courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. It’s full of personality and gives enough insight into her experience and accolades to make one want to find out more. 

Adjust it for the platform

Once you’ve written your About The Author snippet, you can’t necessarily copy and paste it. Different platforms require different information.

Consider the platform’s purpose and edit your bio accordingly.

And don’t forget to refresh your About section whenever you get a new achievement, credential, or even a new release. This gives your readers updates on your journey.

About the author example 10: John Green – Inside a book

Here’s an example we found for John Green inside Will Grayson, Will Grayson, toward the beginning of the book (which we found interesting since About The Author sections are usually at the back):

John Green (www.johngreenbooks.com) is an award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author whose many accolades include the Printz Honor and the Edgar Award. He has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. With his brother, Hank, John is one half of the Vlogbrothers (youtube.com/vlogbrothers), one of the most popular online video projects in the world. You can join the millions who follow John on Twitter (@realjohngreen) and tumblr (fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com). John lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Co-written with David Levithan, Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a quirky book. So to go along with it the bio section is a bit quirky too.

While it’s not too informal, it rather goes into John’s authority in the space and his adventures with his brother online for more content you’d love if you loved the book.

One thing to note here too is that he plugs his social media handles and website link for fans to find him online.

About the author example 11: Susan Dennard – Amazon author page

Susan Dennard is the award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Luminaries trilogy, the Witchlands series (now in development for TV from the Jim Henson Company), and the Something Strange and Deadly series.

What’s important on Amazon is cutting your About section down to include what will grip your readers.

While searching for more books to read on Amazon, you don’t have time to read all about the author’s life story. There are books to be bought!

Susan Dennard does this section well by listing her popular series for new readers and fans to discover. If you click to read more, you’ll find out some information about her personal life and gaming hobby – which is a fun touch!

About the author example 12: Hannah Orenstein – Instagram

If you shortened it for Amazon, you’ll need to take the ax and get hacking for your social media profile. Here’s where you let your personality shine and you have fewer words to show it. 

Hannah Orenstein uses her word count wisely, getting in her popular books, side work, location, and a neat little Call-to-action to encourage her audience to follow her for writing tips.

Short, sweet, and to the point!

About The Author Template

An About The Author section isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation.

But these are some of the main elements you could add to yours:

• A tone that reflects the type of writing you do.
• An attention-grabbing, opening one-liner that sums up you and your work.
• Information about experience and/or accolades to build credibility.
• A list of books written.
• Quotes from authoritative figures in your industry.
• A life story that keeps readers hooked.
• Quirky facts that make you stand out.
• A call-to-action that gets readers to check out your book, website, social media, etc.

Note: Begin and end strong! Using captivating information to open your about section helps get the reader intrigued enough to keep reading. And ending on a high keeps them interested to search your work up and go down the rabbit hole!

Where Should You Put Your About The Author Section Next?

Whether you’ve written your 50^th book or your first, don’t let an average author bio be the reason people don’t pick it up to read it.

But if you’re wondering why your “About The Author” section on social media and Amazon isn’t cutting it for exposure, try plopping it onto an author website.

It’s your home away from home, but online! It’s a place to house every detail you’d want your readers to know – making it their fanbase home as much as yours.

If you don’t have a spectacular, engaging author website for your author about page online reach out to us. We’d love to help create an engaging online experience for your readers.