On Writing an Author Profile

I have found that one of the hardest things for an independent author to write is their own Author’s Profile. Therefore, I looked at the Amazon Author Page profiles for fifty well-known fiction authors selected at random from best-seller lists and my own reading preferences. I then combed through them to find thirty common elements (including word count) and the frequency of their occurrence. I understand that many authors have book-jacket profiles or website profiles as well, but to keep the comparison “apples-to-apples,” I only reviewed the Amazon listings. The graph below shows word count vs. number of author profiles.

This is by no means a scientific study or even a statistically significant sample, but it could be helpful for independent authors in preparation of their own profiles. A few interesting observations:

• Of the fifty well-known authors selected, only 43 had a profile on Amazon and only 33% of those with a profile had any reference to web-sites or to social media.
• A surprising number of profiles were out of date, some by over five years.
• Although the average count is over 200 words, I found the most effective profiles to be about 125 words in length. This roughly corresponds with the median length of 111 words.
• The wordiest profiles tended to either list books (too many in my opinion) or contain detailed author biographies.
• Author profiles tended to either describe the author or to describe the author’s works. In my opinion, the most effective profiles had a balance.
• The first person profiles were not (in my opinion) very effective. A small inclusion of informal language can be effective, but over-use detracted from the profile.

A full compilation of my findings is given in the table below. There are 31 elements ranging from general observations, through biographical details, to literary accomplishments and miscellany. Obviously these are not all-inclusive but they do represent common elements in the profiles of well-known, successful authors.

TOPIC	STAT	COMMENT
Average Word Count	208	Minimum was under 30, maximum over 1,000
Median Word Count	111	Half of the biographies had 111 words or less
Male	53%	Relatively balanced male to female author ratio
First Person	9%	Less than 10% were written in first person
Informal Narrative	26%	Contained slang, direct expressions, superlatives, or hyperbole
Sequential Biography	21%	Narrative biography of events in sequential order beginning at youth
Biography Dates	28%	Specific dates of biographical events
Anecdotes	35%	Past or current biographical anecdotes
Home State	60%	Current state (or country) of residence including implied locations
Home City	37%	Current city of residence
Place of Birth	28%	Specific city or state where born
Former Addresses	30%	Intermediate cities or states of residence
Former Careers	40%	Careers pursued prior to becoming an author
Marital Status	35%	Current marital (or life-partner) status
Spouse Name	19%	Current spouse’s given name
Children/other Fam.	37%	Reference to children or non-specific “family”
Pets	5%	Reference to pets
Charities	12%	Active participation in charity or volunteer work
Hobbies	26%	Current hobbies, avocations or sports
Travel	23%	Travel that is not related to change of address
Academic Credentials	35%	Academic degree, awards, or teaching engagements
Best Seller	58%	Best-selling author or author of best-selling book
Awards	58%	Literary awards such as Pulitzer, Caldwell, or Newbury
Genre	44%	Mentions particular genres or writing style
Specific Books	84%	Mentions specific books in publication or expected (not series names)
Number of Books	28%	States the number of published books (not total in-print or sold)
Release Dates	35%	Mentions release dates in connection with specific books
Radio/TV/Movie	47%	Appearances, participation or presentation in audio/visual media
Website/Blog	33%	Includes any internet reference or social media
Foreign Publication	42%	Mentions translations or international publication
Other Authors	19%	Names co-authors or other associated author references

In conclusion, I've highlighted some of the more common profile elements and noted some items that may be useful in preparing your own Author's Profile: 

• Keep the narrative between 100 and 200 words, using a third-person POV with a minimum of informal language.
• A sequential biography with specific dates is probably not useful unless it illustrates the Author's unique expertise in the subject matter; i.e., Vietnam vet, Holocaust survivor. Same with anecdotes.
• Localization is important. Readers want to know where the Author lives and perhaps a little about the Author's family.
• Credentialing is important. Best seller status, awards, academic achievement, media appearances and foreign publication all help establish an Author's credibility. 
• Titles and Genre are a fundamental part of an Author's profile.
• And certainly not least, the Author profile needs to provide direct links to a web-site, blog, social media, mailing list contact, and on-line distributors.