Illustrator bio for jacket cover
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Hi peeps!
I'm just about wrapping up a big picture book project and the editor has asked for a short bio for the jacket cover.
I have a draft ready which I'd shared with an earlier client but I'm wondering how I can make it better.
Any tips on what should go in the bio?
Since I've just relocated, I don't have my book collection with me at the moment so if anyone could even share pictures of the bio from their collection, that would be really helpful!
This is what my bio looks like currently but I'm not sure about the middle 2 paragraphs. It feels a little... meh?
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Neha Rawat is a children's book illustrator from India and the Grand Prize Winner of the SCBWI Summer Spectacular Portfolio Showcase 2020.
She worked as a software engineer for 5 years before freelancing as an artist creating personalised illustrations, comics, and merchandise. She eventually realised her love for children's books and storytelling through art.
Neha loves cuddling dogs, doing yoga and being around nature.
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Thanks!
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@Neha-Rawat Hi Neha! I’m not a picky person. I think your bio is already great!
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My suggestion:
Neha Rawat is a children's book illustrator from India and the Grand Prize Winner of the SCBWI Summer Spectacular Portfolio Showcase 2020.She worked as a software engineer before freelancing as an artist to create illustrations, comics, and more, but has fallen in love with children's books and storytelling through art.
Neha loves cuddling dogs, doing yoga and being around nature.
@Neha-Rawat said in Illustrator bio for jacket cover:
Neha Rawat is a children's book illustrator from India and the Grand Prize Winner of the SCBWI Summer Spectacular Portfolio Showcase 2020.
She worked as a software engineer for 5 years before freelancing as an artist creating personalised illustrations, comics, and merchandise. She eventually realised her love for children's books and storytelling through art.
Neha loves cuddling dogs, doing yoga and being around nature.
https://www.nrbstudio.in -
@Nico-Ecenarro said in Illustrator bio for jacket cover:
My suggestion:
Neha Rawat is a children's book illustrator from India and the Grand Prize Winner of the SCBWI Summer Spectacular Portfolio Showcase 2020.She worked as a software engineer before freelancing as an artist to create illustrations, comics, and more, but has fallen in love with children's books and storytelling through art.
Neha loves cuddling dogs, doing yoga and being around nature.
@Neha-Rawat said in Illustrator bio for jacket cover:
Neha Rawat is a children's book illustrator from India and the Grand Prize Winner of the SCBWI Summer Spectacular Portfolio Showcase 2020.
She worked as a software engineer for 5 years before freelancing as an artist creating personalised illustrations, comics, and merchandise. She eventually realised her love for children's books and storytelling through art.
Neha loves cuddling dogs, doing yoga and being around nature.
https://www.nrbstudio.inI like a lot of Nico's suggestions – especially cutting the 5 years, which is probably a little too in the weeds for the author bio. My two cents would go:
Neha Rawat is a children's book illustrator from India and the Grand Prize Winner of the SCBWI Summer Spectacular Portfolio Showcase 2020.
She worked as a software engineer before freelancing as an artist to create illustrations, comics, and more. She quickly fell in love with children's books and storytelling through art.
Neha also loves cuddling dogs, doing yoga and being around nature.
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Hi @Neha-Rawat - Firstly, congratulations on your book project!!!
Here’s my suggestion for your consideration:
*Neha Rawat is an artist, designer, and illustrator of children’s books. She spent some time working as an engineer before taking the plunge into freelance illustration, where she’s truly found her calling.
She resides in India with her cuddly dog and can be found in nature doing Yoga when not working in her studio. Visit Neha at https://www.nrbstudio.in/.*
You may have noticed I removed your SCBWI award. I think it’s fantastic that you won the portfolio showcase, especially because I love your art and you deserved it; however, 5 years from now - you’re going to cringe reading that in your bio. You see, your bio needs to be timeless, not a place for accolades. You can use your website for that!
Let us know what you decided!
All the best and congratulations again!! Woot-woot!!
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I agree with @Jeremy-Ross about dropping the SCBWI award (and I've been a dedicated SCBWI member for decades!). However, you might consider acknowledging this great accomplishment by calling yourself "an award-winning children's book illustrator." Which you are.
Congratulations!
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I think your Bio is great. I agree with Jeremy's comments on the award. I love that you included a bit of personal interests. I never know what to do with the short Bio, I was asked to do it once for a book last year. I wrote something quick and the designer of the book helped to edited down to this:
"Xin Li was born and raised in China and currently lives in Norway with her husband and their three-year-old daughter. After many years working as an interaction designer in the software design industry, she found her true passion in illustration and visual storytelling. Xin loves quiet magic, surrealism, and stories that evoke imagination."
It sounds pertinacious, but actually does not say much about me. I do not have a better idea, so this one got stuck in that book at least. I will try to work on a better one.
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What a lovely bio! and congratulations! I also realized that we both came from STEM backgrounds and have worked in industries outside art before.
I actually think you can keep the award part, but simply stating it something like "Neha Rewat is an award-winning illustrator". I like the way Felicita Sala states about herself in her bio. I remember she said she is self-taught but also award-winning, which is quite impressive.
And you definitely don't want words like "5 years" and "eventually" in your bio. I think the way @Nico-Ecenarro wrote that part is perfect.Best of luck!
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@Nyrryl-Cadiz Haha thanks Nyrryl! ^_^
@Nico-Ecenarro @Kevin-Treaccar Thanks Nico and Kevin! Such simple changes make such a big difference in the text! This is exactly the kind of help I needed! Thank you so much.
@Jeremy-Ross That is some really great advice about the bio needing to be timeless! And I agree. I'm already cringing at the bio I gave in a hurry to my previous client haha.
@RachelArmington Ah! That does make sense! I guess I never really considered myself as an "an award-winning children's book illustrator"... Just a SCBWI portfolio showcase winner. Haha. Technically it's correct, but award winning has such a bigger scope for interpretation I feel like I'm being deceiving by not being specific. insert self doubt and questionable self esteem
@xin-li Thanks for sharing your bio. I think it says a lot about you but I understand how you might feel it sounding pertinacious. But now you can also use "award-winning children's book illustrator" for your next bio!
@idid Thank you! I agree with you about removing those unnecessary words. Regarding being "self taught", I guess I started out like that but after having taking so many online courses like SVS, I can't really honestly say that about myself anymore
I think being self taught is often interchanged with not having a formal degree in that field. What do you think?Thank you so much everyone for all your help!
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@Neha-Rawat in my opinion, taking online courses is part of the self-teaching process. Not sure what others think though. But I think the point is making a bio that somehow feels "timeless". So after many years, its still works for you and is still interesting, and you've done it well!
