Possibly the most important page on an author’s blog is the about page. Yet, this vital about page is too often left out. Today I am going to take a look at the humble about page and why it is so important for establishing your platform as an author.

Without an about page a blog or website is essentially naked.

What is an about page for?

At the most basic level an about page simply exists to tell visitors about you, the author. It also gives you an opportunity to introduce the blog itself and point readers to the places you want them to go.

It is the about page that ties together your author platform. It does this by being the central directory for key information about how and where readers can connect with you.

How are about pages used?

You about page is used by visitors for a number of reasons. Here are some of the more common uses.

Confirmation

If the visitor was actively looking for you, the about page allows anyone to confirm they have found what they were looking for.

Visitors from social media may check to see that they have landed on your site and not gotten lost.

For example, sometimes I hear about an author and go looking for more information. If I land on a weak looking site I may wonder if I have found the author or someone else with a similar name. The about page is where I find out.

Validation

An about page is also used to validate a website. If someone follows a link and finds themselves on your blog, this is quite a likely use.

An about page can validate that a visitor is on a genuine author’s blog and not some half-cocked spam site.

When I find myself on a new blog, I will often check the about page before I subscribe. My question is this, “who is this blogger and are they worth my time?” I am looking to validate the blog as worthwhile.

Sometimes a writer will give me a card, or share a link with me. If the site itself fails to impress (or looks decidedly unprofessional) a decent about page will correct my doubts. Afterall, I’m here for the content, not the design.

Investiagtaion

If a potential agent, a member of the press, or a fellow blogger is looking at your site they will quite likely check your about page. As well as validating the site and confirming that it is yours, they are almost certainly investigating in search of further information.

In addition to simply assuring people your site is real and that you actually exist, an investigative use of your about page is to gather relevant information.

For example, when I am thinking of linking to a blog I am not familiar with, I will check the about page to get a feel for the quality of the blog. If I get a good result I will link out. If the about page is missing, I almost certainly will have second thoughts.

Likewise, if you submit to an agent or publisher, they may come to your blog to learn more about you. Your about page could be the difference between landing a contract or being passed over.

What goes on an about page

Your about page may be the only chance you have to present a human face to a visitor. Marketers and researchers have found over and over again that people respond better when they can connect a page or post with a real person.

Your about page allows us to show visitors the most pressing detail – why I am wonderful. Or, to put it another way, why a passing visitor would willingly invest their limited time in you and your work.

A good about page is part of making your intentions clear. Those intentions are conveyed by the elements you include in your about page as well as the ones you leave out.

1. Your name

You are an author. That means that your name is the one thing that you need readers to remember. Your name, above all else, is the brand of your work. That’s why authors that are established in one genre will use a different name when breaking into a new one.

I recommend that you use your name in the title of the page. And repeat it often enough that it is clear that the whole page is about you but not so often as it becomes spammy.

2. Your profile image

If you are serious about making it as an author then a profile image is vital. If you are an author writing anonymously, then you may need to get creative here. Even so, you will want at least one “official photograph”.

This should be the same image that you provide to the press and include in the jacket cover of your books.

Your profile picture for your about page should show your face. You do not need to be super-star beautiful but you do need to be visible.

Sir Terry Pratchett for example, always endeavoured to appear in photographs with his special “author’s hat” on. Neil Gaiman is just as easily identifiable by his mop of unruly hair. For both authors their image is part of their public persona and you photograph will become part of yours.

3. Your CV

An author’s about page is much like a CV but instead of showing it to employers, you are showing it to potential fans. Your author CV, therefore, needs to provide the background information that answers one simple question – why should I bother reading this author?

Unless you set your stories in supermarkets, readers will not care that you spent six years stacking shelves for a living. They may, on the other hand, be deeply interested in the books, magazines, and anthologies that carry your work. The same is true of awards, achievements, and other indicators that you are worth investing time in.

Your CV needs to carry wht is called social proof. Proof that other people have already invested time in your work. This social proof can be in the form of a subscriber count, speaking engagements, and other signs that you really are as good as you claim.

If you are just starting out you may not have much to put on your CV. Instead focus on what your passions are, the authors that inspire you, and why you are an interesting person.

4. Legally required information

Many countries require business websites to provide certain details. Usually, this is stuff like an address or a phone number. At the very least you should provide a bare minimum of ways that people can get hold of you.

That contact information might rarely be used but what happens if an agent or a member of the press becomes interested in you as a writer? Can they get hold of you?

5. Your main social media profiles

You do not need to list ever social media profile that you have but you should consider listing the ones where you are most active.

The visitors that cared enough to read your about page are substantially more likely to like, follow, or connect with you on social media too.

6. A call to action

What do you want your most interested visitors to do?

If you want them to subscribe to your mailing list? Ask them to subscribe.

Do you want more followers on Twitter? Suggest they follow you and provide a link that enables them to do that.

If it is your latest book that you want people to buy then link people to where they can buy your book.

End your about page with a call to action.

What an about page is not

Your about page should be more than just an afterthought but neither should it be cluttered with too much information. Your about page is only the first step in visitors getting to know you. Think of your about page as a first date – be yourself but be your best self and hold a little bit back for future dates.

1. Not the kitchen sink

Your about page does not need everything up to and including the kitchen sink. It is an introduction not an autobiography.

If you have added just enough links that a visitor can continue to find out about you, that is good. If you overwhelm them with every fact ever recorded, that is too much.

You need to be concise. Select only the choicest tidbits of information.

2. Not for selling books

Your about page is not the place where you sell your books. It is where you sell the idea of you as an author.

Sure, if you only have one book out, mention it as part of your CV section. If you have a lot of books out already, they do not all belong on your about page.

There is nothing wrong with creating some other part of your site where visitors can browse the impressive library of publications you have released.

3. Not for link reciprocation

If you want to link out to a whole bunch of friendly bloggers that have linked to you, your about page is not the place to do that. This is a page about you, not them.

Reciprocal links, if you have to have them at all, should be tucked away on a page for links.

4. Not for politics, feuds, or rants

You about page is not the place to get controversial.

Unless your political affiliation is significant to your work, it has no place on your about page.

This goes for any causes or topics that you feel strongly about. Your blog might be suitable for talking about controversial topics. That is a decision that only you can make. Just keep it off your about page.

5. Not for dirty laundry

Fallen out with an agent? Argued with a publisher? Going through a messy divorce? Whatever messy element of your life that’s on your mind right now it is not suitable for your about page.

Adding such content to your about page sends a message that future agents, spouses, publishers, or whatever could suffer the same treatment.

The chances are, this content has no place on your blog at all.

6. Not for all your qualifications

A degree in creative writing might be worth a mention but a GCSE in art and design almost certainly is irrelevant here.

The CV part of an about page is not where you brag about everything you have achieved. It is where you demonstrate that you are a worthwhile and interesting author.

Anything that fails to say “worthwhile and interesting author” or detracts from it, has to go.

Over to you

What other hints and tips would you recommend for an author’s about page?

Do you have one yet or are you only now starting to think you should?

Do you agree with out points or would you approach things differently?

I would love to hear from you. Post a comment with your thoughts below and let me know what you think.