Author Biographies

I've been asked to write my biography for the book jacket of the Catalan edition of my novel, A Sketch in Time. This has prompted me to think about what I want out of the biographies of authors when I read their books, and the truth is that I don't read the bios to learn more about the authors. I usually read them because I've come to the end of the story, and I want more. I'm so desperate for more that I read every printed word in the book, including the copyright page and the tiny print that identifies the font in which the text is printed. The most satisfying bios are the ones that feel like they add to the story in some way.

Perhaps the bio offers a glimpse of the creative mind that generated the book, or perhaps it reveals that the author, in some way, really inhabits the book's secondary world. Maybe it makes me believe in the story in a new way. Maybe it's just a few more words written in a voice that's become familiar.

What do you like to see in an author bio?