Write Yourself Into Words: A Guide to Writing a Bio
A step-by-step guide to writing the perfect bio that highlights your achievements
Last year we partnered with the brilliant swim meet lit mag for a Poetry Submit-A-Thon event. We gave out a bunch of poetry submissions resources, including info on how to write the perfect bio for publication.
Today we’re excited to publish a fresh, updated guide on crafting a bio that showcases who you are and highlights your achievements.
You can also head to the Uplift Poetry homepage to discover more poetry resources, as well as writing prompts, book reviews, events listings, submissions opportunities, and more.
Length
This will vary depending on where you’re submitting, but bios are usually between 50-150 words.
If you’re struggling to keep within the word limit, it often doesn’t hurt to reach out to the journal in question to see if they can accommodate more words (especially if it’s an online publication where they might have more flexibility than print journals). For example, you might find it tricky to keep within just 50-words if you: have a long name or multiple names, have multiple pronouns to list, or you want to mention the unceded land you’re on, etc.
Tailoring
If you’re feeling keen, you can tailor your bio depending on where and what you’re submitting. For example, if you’re submitting to a poetry journal, include your poetry accolades in your bio, but if you don’t have enough words, maybe leave out your non-fiction writing.
You can also modify your bio to the tone of the publication. Always look at other bios the journal has published, for example, if the journal has a sense of humour and has previously published authors with fun and quirky bios, feel free to tailor your bio to that vibe.
However, you don’t have to tailor if you don’t want to. Feel free to copy-paste the same bio in a bunch of your submissions, especially if you’ve found the perfect way to say what you want in the ideal amount of words.
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Third-person
Most publications ask you to talk about yourself in the third-person, i.e. as if someone was talking about you to someone else. For example, ‘John is a writer, editor and visual artist. He was shortlisted for Big Poetry Prize in 2022’.
If a publication doesn’t specify, see what their other authors are putting in their bios. For example, at #EnbyLife we love a third person bio, but we’re equally as keen for first person bios — expressing yourself in first person can be relatable, personal and intimate.
Experience
You can create a bio no matter who you are or your experience level. It might feel weird and awkward to talk about yourself at first, but with practice it can become easier!
Be yourself
No matter how fancy a journal is, no matter how intimidated you might feel, don’t be afraid to be yourself! Your bio is more than just a collection of facts — it’s your story and your voice. When writing a bio, think about what makes you unique, and about the writing experiences that have shaped you and your work.
Some bio examples
If you’re new to writing —
‘John Smith (he/him) is a pet sitter by day and a writer by night. He enjoys listening to Crowded House and walking his golden retriever, Buster. He lives with his husband and two kids in Naarm (Melbourne).’
If you have a bit of experience —
‘Jen Smithington is a writer and creative. Their work has been published in Cool Poetry Magazine and That Other Cool Mag. Their poem ‘I love poetry’ won the Rad Poetry Writing Prize in 2023. Jen lives with their two cats and six rats in Magandjin (Brisbane).’
If you’re a seasoned writer —
‘Jane Smithe is a queer writer living on unceded Whadjuk Noongar country. She is the award-winning author of poetry collections That Good Book (A Publishing House, 2023) and Another Great Read (PublisherzzzRKool, 2018). Jen won the Poetry Is Fabulous Prize in 2022 and her work has been featured in Cool Poetry Magazine, Poetry Poetry Poetry, and many others.’
Uplift is based on stolen lands in Meanjin/Magandjin, the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal people. Sovereignty was never ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.