What Would You Say?

[DenimSoul]

I enjoy reading the mini bios about the authors on the backs of their books. What will you say in yours when you get your first book published? Since it's a children's book will you say something funny?

If you've already had a book published what did you say about yourself?

Do you have one standard bio for everything or do you/will you individualize each one according to the project?

I'd like to say something fun in mine like: DenimSoul lives under a quilt and blanket fort in her living room writing books between cartoons. She's thankful to have jellybeans in her head instead of rocks so she has something to eat when she cleans her ears.

OH I know that's gross but kids would think it's funny.

[Tish Davidson]

I don't know about other publishers, but the books I have published with Scholastic had guidelines about what you should say and how many words you had to say it.

[DenimSoul]

Well darn, that would take all of the fun out of it. Does everything in this world have to be regulated? ((SMILE))

Well this is just for fun right now so we can make up whatever we want to say. Maybe I should've put this thread in the writing prompts and games etc category since it's just for fun?

[JoeEkaitis]

Note, also, that what you write may be edited and embellished by your publisher's copy writer.

What I wrote:

Born in Pennsylvania in 1955 and now living in Southern California, Joe Ekaitis is the middle of seven children. His father William is a retired steelworker and his mother Frances retired from the founding staff of the library at California State University, San Bernardino.

Joe has been a radio personality (on college radio station KVCR-FM under the on-air name Jojo Scappezzi) and has appeared on TV (as a 6-foot tall singing raccoon on “The Gong Show” in 1977). These days, he maintains business communications systems for a Fortune 500 financial institution. His wife Cathy is the choir director at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fontana, California and Joe is the choir’s lead male vocalist. The rest of the time, he writes.

With the publication of Collinsfort Village, Joe Ekaitis joins the list of American desk-jockey storytellers that includes the likes of L. Frank Baum, E. B. White, and Frank Stockton among its more august members.

Joe readily admits he’s less august, but he’s working on that.


What ended up in the book:

Born in Pennsylvania in 1955 and now living in Southern
California, Joe Ekaitis is the middle child in a family
of seven. His father William is a retired steelworker and his
mother Frances retired from the founding staff of the library
at California State University, San Bernardino. He acquired a
strong work ethic from his father and a love of learning from
his mother.

Joe discovered early in life that he enjoyed entertaining others.
He entertained college students as the on-air personality
“Jojo Scappezzi” at KVCR-FM, San Bernardino, California, and
appeared as a six-foot singing raccoon on Chuck Barris’ The
Gong Show. Today, he maintains business communications systems
for a Fortune 500 financial institution—but he hasn’t lost
his love for entertaining. He is currently the lead male soloist
for the St. Mary’s Catholic Church choir in Fontana, California,
whose director is his wife, Cathy.

And Joe writes! With the publication of Collinsfort Village,
he joins the ranks of American storytellers, a fellowship that includes
such notables as L. Frank Baum, E. B. White, and Frank
Stockton. He looks forward to the day when his writing and
storytelling will stand beside theirs.

I was trying to be self-deprecating but they wanted a more dignified bio.

C'est la vie! :)