About the Author

What we are looking for here is why you are qualified to write this book. Everything you write must stress that. Your experience that qualifies you to write the book goes in the first few paragraphs, your education and other qualifications go toward the bottom.

Example 1:   Over the past 11 years Beverly Smith has helped hundreds of individuals and couples design their own personal interior environment.  As a result she as acquired a region-wide reputation as the originator of the "look-see, look-choose, and look-create" method.

She graduates from the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in 1978, and is a member of the American Society of Interior Design (ASID).  Her design work has been featured in Designers West Magazine and numerous newspapers and publications in the San Francisco Bay area.

She has been a docent for adult tours at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  And has served as a member of the Sausalito Historical Landmarks Board and Chairman of the Sausalito Art Commission.  She purchases art for her clients and her docent experience and education in aesthetics has contributed to her expertise.  She was also guest lecturer for the University of California "Making Design History with the Rudolph Schaeffer" program.

After publication of the book she intends to give a number of design workshops, publish articles on the subject of the book, and do a make a number of regional TV and radio appearances.

 Example 2:

Janet Smith is managing partner of Career Strategies.  She is the author of Office Politics and Career Knockouts.  Both of these books have been purchased by Warner Communications for release in paperback in 2004.  Office politics is also a literary Guild alternative.

In addition to writing I make approximately 200 speeches all over the country every year on career related topics or the subjects of my books. These include luncheon or dinner speeches, two or three hour workshops and one and two-day seminars. The groups range in size from 28 to several thousand. I don't do programs for fewer than 25 people because it's rarely worth it. The groups are roughly 20 percent trade and professional associations and 20 percent companies. My groups are about 70 percent women and 30 percent men

All of the trade and professional associations do at least one newspaper announcement plus a mailing about the speech or program.  Most do much more including arranging interviews, radio and television appearances and even book store autographings.  I encourage this and will sometimes lower my fee if the organization really covers the market.

 Assignment: Before you try to write the About the Author section, I want you to do a little exercise for me.

I want you to convince yourself that you are qualified to handle the subject you intend to write about.

You don't always need a degree in a subject or years of experience. But you have to know how to handle your qualifications.

Here is something I have worked out over the years in my classes. I want you to take a file card and write down 5 things that connects you to the subject you want to write about.

I had one student who wanted to do a book on dog heroes. So I had her do this exercise. Here is what she wrote down.

1.    I have clipped newspaper articles for several years on animal heroes.

2.   I have a dog that seems especially intelligent and tuned to my needs.

3.  I have read several novels about dogs that alerted their families to danger.

4.  I talked to five dog trainers about this.

5.  I recently read an article by psychiatrist, John Darby of Stanford University, that said dogs have a strong survival instinct which they extend to their masters.

Now she took this material and put it together into an author's blurb. Here's how it came out.

I have been fascinated with the subject of dog heros for may years since reading several novels about dogs that alerted their owners to fire and barked until every last family member to fire and barked until every last family member escaped the burning house. For the last several years I have collected every newspaper clipping I could find on the subject. I have discussed "dog heroes" in depth with Dora Thomas, a local expert, who specializes in training dogs to take care of the elderly. In researching this book, I shall interview John Darby, Stanford Psychiatrist, and a number of others who have become experts on the subject.

About the Author Rule 1: If you are not an expert you gather material, conduct surveys and interview experts.

 Assignment: First write down your five points, try to come up with a plausible way to write your book using the About the Author Rule.

Then trying writing the About the Author section using the examples above. When you finished add your education and other experience at the bottom.