be much more inclined to buy your book, read it, and regard you the way you want them to. People are considering spending their income and time on your book, and they are looking for a reason to do it or not do it, and a great bio helps them do it (while a bad bio will often stop them). Furthermore, if you want your book to help create a business for you, or establish your credibility or authority in a subject, often the author bio is more important than what’s actually in the book—the sad but true reality is that more people will read your author bio than your actual book. It takes a long time to read a book, but it’s very easy to make a snap judgment based on a short paragraph, and most people do that. This is doubly true for media. Most people in media work very hard under tight deadlines, and don’t have time to read long books or even long, meandering pitch emails. But a good author bio cuts right to the point by saying: this is a person who is important, and I need to pay attention to them. HOW TO WRITE YOUR AUTHOR BIO Writing about yourself is typically a task that most writers shy away from, but writing an effective author bio doesn’t have to be painful. A few simple steps can get you to an effective bio that will not only impress interested readers and media, but also help sell your book: 1. DEMONSTRATE YOUR AUTHORITY AND CREDENTIALS ON YOUR BOOK SUBJECT (BUT DON’T OVERSTATE THEM) Whatever your book is about, it’s important to establish your creden- tials in that area. For example, if you’re writing a diet book, mention professional degrees or training or accomplishments, or other things that clearly signal your authority and credibility in that space. If you struggle with what to say about yourself, remember that the 254 · ThE SCriBE METhOD