I just emailed a piece to a favorite blog site. They requested a bio and a head shot. The photo is not a problem. I use the same one for every submission. The bio, on the other hand, not so much.
As any published writer knows, it’s important to get this piece right. It provides a window into who we are as individuals. It’s often necessary to tailor it for the submission as well as the recipient.
My bio folder contains 37 files. Yes, 37. Not a typo. The oldest dates to the last century. At 170 words, one might get the impression that my publishing credits back then were many. Indeed, to fluff up that resume, I included my first place win, at age eleven, in the weekly kids’ page of the local newspaper.
I must have hit a dry patch because the date of the next file is December 2010. By then, I’d left out the pre-teen success, having attained some real street cred with a stint at feature writing for the Danville Times. I even added that I had been the photographer for my Word-on-the Street column.
Things clearly picked up after that, as the rest of my bios span 2011 through the present. Most of the files include the same credits, but with different emphasis, depending on who the submission is targeting.
At a meeting with fellow writers a couple of years ago, one introduced a method for ensuring the appropriate length bio for every submission. Compose a 25-word, 50-word, and 100-word profile of your writing history. I’m sure that, among my 37 bios, at least one of each is of the suggested word counts.
Thirty-seven files? It’s time for spring cleaning of my bio folder.