Monday, February 13, 2006

More Bio Talk: Be Prepared!

We're in the midst of a lovely winter storm here in Southwest Michigan. We received over a foot of snow in the past 24 hours, though we can't hold a candle to the Northeast's record setting snowfall . The next few days will be perfect for holing up and getting to work.

Regular readers know that creating a working biography is a recurring theme here recently. Since I try to practice what I preach, I'm pleased to announce that Dr. Warson's bio, with related links, is finally finished, fact-checked, and ready to go to work.

And just in the nick of time. I received this e-mail from Trafalar Square on Friday:

I’m putting together advance information sheets to go to London Book Fair next month. Now ... the BACK BOOK, needs an AI. Do you have a short bio for Dr. Jim you can send me? And, a short blurb (around 100 words) describing the content?

Now, my editor at Trafalgar Square had no way of knowing that I was working up a bio for Dr. Warson for a book that won't go to press until the end of the year. (She and I have had many conversations about the importance of bios, however.)

If I had started from scratch, coming up with a succint but comprehensive and representational biography would have taken up quite a bit of my Sunday. As it was, I simply condensed the "big bio," and had something ready in a very short time.

Since Dr. Warson is known primarily for his neurosurgery practice, and since I don't know how much text is allotted to the short bio, I started with his medical career. Three short paragraphs tell of his experience, his practice, and his professional contributions. Even if very little space is available, people will still learn about his medical credentials and his qualifications for writing a book about the human spine.

But he also has several decades of success in the horse show world. So I included three more short paragraphs highlighting his equine experience. If space is available, the information in these final paragraphs is relevant to show Dr. Warson's additional qualifications to write a book on the human spine specifically for readers who are riders.

Today, comments on the "bio" part of my editor's request. Tune in tomorrow, when I'll share a few thoughts on building the "blurb" she mentioned.

Till then, write well and stay warm!