Want to help support the author?
Today, I’m going to address an equally important (though less requested) professional necessity: the writer’s resume.
A writing-specific resume is a good thing to have on your website in case interested industry professionals stop by. It’s also great for record-keeping, and it’s nice to have one handy in case an agent or publisher requests one. So where to start?
I’ve set up a resume template with various headings that might be applicable. Everyone is different; every resume should be highly tailored. What does this mean for you? Use the room to your best advantage. Don’t have industry expertise relevant to your genre? Use that space to highlight your exceptional (if relevant) education. Were your grades so-so? Leave them off. List more publication history. Lacking in publication history? Boast about a longer history of group memberships and leadership roles.
My strategy is this.
Fill out this entire template, leaving nothing off and not worrying about how long it is. Then prioritize. Almost always, past publications are of the most interest, so put those up top. Then go on a case-by-case basis from there, highlighting your most impressive credits first. For a website, don’t worry about length too much. But have a shortened version that is no more than one page for requests from professionals.
When choosing what to include, always go by relevance and prestige. If you don’t have any particularly impressive expertise in your genre of choice, just leave that category off entirely and include your education instead. If you have a degree in English or Writing, feel free to include that. Generally speaking, don’t include GPAs or test scores unless they are phenomenal (4.0, etc.). Save that extra line for something that can ONLY be construed as good. Likewise, in listing prizes, to save space (especially in a 1-pager), only list 3rd place and higher. List them all if you have the room, but a Masters in Poetry is more impressive than 10th honorable mention, if you have it.
See what I’m saying? Fill it all out, see what you have, and only include the best. Good luck!
View the full list of available organizational documents.
All documents are © Annie Neugebauer. These documents are intended for personal use only. Copyright applies. Please ask permission for anything other than personal record-keeping. If you’d like to share these with writers you know, please send them the link so they come visit me here. Thank you all so much for your support!
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