idea is to make it clear why you’re credible and professional (as opposed to an unknown, untrusted source), i.e., why the reader should listen to you. For some types of books and authors, this is harder to do. If there’s no clear way to signal direct authority or credentials—for exam- ple, a novel or a book about your life stories—then don’t make up things or try to “invent” authority. Focus on the other parts of the author bio. 2. INCLUDE ACHIEVEMENTS THAT BUILD CREDIBILITY OR ARE INTERESTING TO THE READER (WITHOUT GOING OVERBOARD) In your author bio you’ll want to include some things you’ve accom- plished in your life, especially if you don’t have direct credentials and authority in the book subject matter. This will help your audi- ence understand why they should spend their time and money reading what you’ve got to say. If you have something about you or your life that is unusual, even if it’s not totally relevant, you should still consider putting it in your bio. For example, if you were a Rhodes Scholar, or you started a major national organization, or won a national championship in ping- pong—whatever. The point is to show the reader that you have done things that matter, even if they don’t matter to the book. If you are lacking on credentials or exciting things, you can always put in your passions and interests—anything that you enjoy doing, writing about, or consider a hobby, especially if they are relevant to the book topic. That being said, do NOT ramble on and on about things that reader doesn’t care about. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes, and ask yourself, “Does this fact really matter to anyone but me?” hOW TO WriTE yOUr AUThOr BiO (AND Why iT MATTErS) · 255