Comments on: The Story Of Your Life

By: Joe Devon

Joe Devon — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 02:53:47 +0000

I think the simple truth is that writers of fiction can write anyone’s story but their own.

By: SusanGable

SusanGable — Tue, 22 May 2007 13:00:01 +0000

I propose that what would be worse in a bio is a writer who DIDN’T love to read as a child. I’ve actually met some of those. “No, I never liked to read,” they’ve told me.

Then why in the WORLD do you want to be a writer?? Yikes. That’s almost as suspect as an unallergic person who doesn’t like chocolate.

Still…at some point soon I will accept this bio challenge, BS. I will at least promise to do it if it ever matters. (g)

By: Kassia Krozser

Kassia Krozser — Mon, 21 May 2007 03:06:37 +0000

See, better late than never.

By: Antoine Wilson

Antoine Wilson — Sun, 20 May 2007 17:18:51 +0000

Uh, yeah, like yesterday.

By: Kassia Krozser

Kassia Krozser — Sun, 20 May 2007 16:23:40 +0000

David, you have been knighted “Sir Bio Writer.

Glad to help, Antoine. If I recall correctly, you sort of need to get this taken care of asap?

By: Antoine Wilson

Antoine Wilson — Sat, 19 May 2007 23:50:30 +0000

Um, I just realized that while my author site has lots of good stuff (author photos, a brilliant blog, list of publications, a pet Swiss poet and his opaque books), it does not have an author bio.

No, really, I just realized that. Thanks for the assignment.

By: David Thayer

David Thayer — Fri, 18 May 2007 15:22:43 +0000

I cringe at the jobs authors list prior to publication simply because being a bartender is always listed for guys implying, I guess, much is learned while tending bar. I’d prefer to see “I was a fat guy in a broken lawn chair when the whole novel appeared from out of nowhere like on a cloud or something. Yeah, it was a cloud. A big one. The big bartender in the sky was speaking to me.”

By: Kassia Krozser

Kassia Krozser — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:34:39 +0000

Ha! I would suggest the bio on the brilliant Karen Palmer website, but, hmmm (g). I’d say I like my bio here, but, to tell the truth, it was dashed off (as so many things I do) as I was on my way to dinner with friends. I had resisted the “About” concept forever because I am, frankly, just not that interesting. This is why I’m a proponent of Making Stuff Up. I am lucky in that my mother will wholeheartedly support just about any good lie I create. As long as she looks good…

Mariana — yes, though I’m not necessarily referring to blogs. I’m talking full-fledged websites. Who is the person behind the book? And why should I, as a reader, care? I won’t bore you with my thoughts on author websites (most are universally bad), but if these are marketing tools, they’re failing at the task. A good, interesting website is so essential. And if you’re a writer, well, you should at least have copy that reflects your talent.

I should also make a pitch for keeping information up-to-date. I saw a site the other day that had “current” information from two years ago. Sigh. It just reflects badly on the author and tells the fans that this person doesn’t care.

By: Mariana

Mariana — Thu, 17 May 2007 19:18:54 +0000

I didn’t think biographies were necessarily meant to “offer insight into the soul of an author”. Especially on blogs. They could be just to show a reader if he has common interests with the author. At least this is how I take them.

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 17 May 2007 16:23:40 +0000

I’m stumped over this task. Can you point us to a good one?