Hi! My Name’s . . .

[rolanni]

I was talking with a colleague the other day about author bios, and, tangentially, the purpose that such exercises in sentence structure is supposed to accomplish.

I thought that there was a place, and an audience for, a breezier, flirtatious bio, like this one. My colleague felt that an author should maintain some distance, perhaps some dignity, in order to be taken seriously by potential readers, and was arguing in favor of something along the lines of this:

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller live in the rolling hills of Central Maine with three insistent muses in the form of cats, and a large cast of characters. Best known for their work in the Liaden Universe®, Lee and Miller have seen published seventeen collaborative novels. Baen Books is currently releasing all of the Liaden novels in several omnibus volumes. The next original Liaden novel, Ghost Ship, will be published in August 2011.

For more information about the Liaden Universe®, see http://www.sharonleewriter.com

So, what do you think? Should a writer keep their distance and their mystique in a bio? Does a playful tone make you doubt the author’s craft? Tell all! Inquiring minds want to know!

Originally published at Sharon Lee, Writer. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

The serious example? Yawn. Fun versions are just that -- more fun to read, engaging, etc. One of the biggest problems right now for writers, I think, is just getting themselves out there -- it's really hard to have signing parties and such on the internet, y'a know? So yes, I do think bios and whatnot should be viewed as part of the image -- but do you really want your image to be three-piece blue suit with tie, or is it more comfortable?

On the other hand -- I have several bios, ranging from a short informal to the multipage one with projects and papers listed. They're for different purposes. I don't see any particular reason that you have to only have one -- why not several for different purposes and audiences?