The work of writing requires another kind of work — the work of preparing materials that support your presence as an author. It can be a drag or it may be a joy; sometimes it’s both.
Most publications now request and require a couple of things that you should have at the ready: these are a bio and a head shot. Not having them at the ready can also affect your future publication and participation in a particular venue.
Every writer should have at hand a bio, short for biography. This biography can take many forms depending on where you are in your journey. Most often requested in the third person, it includes your name, perhaps where you’re from or where you currently live, perhaps your degrees, your awards, and your publications. I strongly suggest that you write a long one, maybe two pages, and then a one-page one, and then 100 word and a 50-word one. The publication will specify the kind they want and the length of bio they want. More and more request them upon submitting. I’ve been asked for 50-word bios, 100-word bios, and, more rarely, 150-word bios. You must think of this well before the time of request or submittal, and have it at the ready because the moment that it is required is rarely a moment that you want to think of the cleverest and most authentic way to present yourself. I recommend that you review this annually and that you update it. Read it aloud, get a friend to vet it.
I also recommend that you keep a literary vita, a literary resume where you list every publication, including the name of the editors, the date of publication, and the website linked to it. This forms the basis for your bio recollection and having this data kept updated regularly is very useful, should you want to apply for nearly anything. I keep such a list and I came to find out that I’ve been published every year since 1974 except one. Isn’t that a cute and compelling line? It doesn’t survive every bio I write, but when there’s more room it’s a nice thing to mention. I’m able to say that and prove it because I’ve kept a list of my publications from 1974 to date. You should keep a list of your appearances if you do readings as they do accumulate and may be fodder for your bio or information for some other application.
Another thing that you have to have, in this era of internet and online worlds is a headshot, in other words, a picture where your face is prominent and there’s nothing else in the frame. This too may be requested, as any number of publications like to show who the authors are, as well as tell who the authors are. If you have it at the ready, it makes life so much easier for a presenter. I use the image of the reader in the promotions that I create for my reading series. I create several different flyers for each reader and release them at different times so it’s helpful for me to have the headshot and the bio.
I have also needed bios for collections and anthologies that I’ve worked on. Readers want to know a bit about the authors, don’t you? Every time I read a piece I like and look for a bit more about the author, it enhances my experience to make that connection. So know that you should be ready to provide that for your readers.
A timely response is as critical as having these tools–– that is, a commitment to timeliness in answering professional emails. From the editor/presenter’s perspective, nothing is more irksome than chasing down authors for their information. If you get a lot of emails, consider getting an email account dedicated to your writing so you can see immediately when a publication/venue is trying to get in touch.
I’ve had writers miss pay days because I needed their information or a grant. They didn’t get back to me for weeks and so missed the funding. These are people I never want to work with again, because while it was their loss, it was also an expenditure of my energy and concern. Sometimes days are too long when everyone else answers in hours, the person that took 3 days is out. When a bunch of people answer immediately and one doesn’t – there’s a message there.
Your goal as a writer or creator should be to routinize and make the administrivia as seamless, automatic and pain free as possible. Routinize recording your publications and appearances, keep a head shot handy and organize your email.
Akua Lezli Hope
Akua Lezli Hope is a creator and wisdom seeker who uses sound, words, fiber, glass, metal, and wire to create poems, patterns, stories, music, sculpture, and peace. A third generation New Yorker, her honors include the NEA, two NYFAs, an SFPA award, Rhysling, Elgin, and Pushcart Prize nominations, among others.