O:JA&L Editors Advice
A Guide for Submitters
Contributing Editor Hermione Laake
How to Prepare a Professional Biography:
50, 80, or 100 Words
When a biography is presented on a screen, less is more. There can be too much competing information which is likely to put the reader off reading any of it. Three examples of good biographies of around 50, 80 and 100 words follow. This is a manageable length for any reader who would like some background information for further reading about the author. In the examples of biographies below we have four pieces of information about the writer. These are WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHEN.
About the writer:
Persephone lives, writes, and teaches in the Underworld. She is a founding editor at Octopus Review. She was recently nominated for the goddess of agriculture award. Her work has appeared in 30 literary venues including the Ceres Post, Proserpina and the Zeus Review. You can find more of her published work through .com.
About the writer:
Zeus lives in the forest with the nymphs. Lightning Bolts, his first novel, won the Gift of Fire Award. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Rhea Review, Cronus Review, A Cave in Crete, Five Literary Review, Rain, and in anthologies. His poems, Inspired by the Life and Work of Hera (Pandora Press) and Prometheus (Fire Press), explore loss. In 2019, Zeus won first place in both the Hades-Corinth Prize for adult poetry and the Helios Phaethon poetry competition. He is currently studying for his PhD.
About the writer:
Apollo has an MA in Archery and Poetry. Apollo’s poetry has appeared in several publications including Chimera Poetry Review, Athena City Paper, The Silver Sword, The Twelve Gods Review, Olympus Magazine, The Leto Review, and Voices from the Gods. He is a member of Delphi University’s Midas Touch workshops and conducts weekly poetry workshops for the students at Parnassus Place, a training ground for the annual sports competitions. His first chapbook, Hephaestus, was published in August 2019 by Python Rag. He lives on Mount Olympus.
Further Guidance
- Use third person
- List no more than three current projects
- List no more than three titles of published chapbooks, collections, novels, etc.
- List no more than three past projects or awards
- List no more than three previous places of publication
- List current professional status
Fill in the blanks
Who? – List current professional status. What? – List no more than three titles of published chapbooks, collections, novels, etc. List no more than three current projects. Where? – List no more than three previous places of publication. List no more than three past projects or awards. When? – Try to mention work that is forthcoming or recent.
About the writer:
Hermione Laake is an award-nominated writer and is an associate of the Society of Authors. In 2012 she published her debut sequel to Jane Eyre, a novella cum short story, “Betha’s Journal: A Perfect Immleman [n] sic Turn” under her pseudonym Hermione Wilds. Laake held the post of Chair and Secretary of Competitions for Hampshire Writers’ Society from 2012-2013, supporting emerging authors and running monthly creative competitions. Laake is currently pursuing a Creative Writing MA. Laake is a Contributing Editor at O:JA&L, and as “Hermione Wilds,” a Reader-in-Performance at O:JA&L’s Youtube channel.
Image: Answer Key (AI-assisted digital image) by O:JA&L staff creative. 2025. Public domain via Midjourney AI.
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O:JA&L’S BUTTONHOOK PRESS MASTERS SERIES
Click on the titles below to explore or download the free PDF chapbooks in the O:JA&L Masters Series.
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Brian Clements on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Mark Budman on Flash Discourse
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Ray Gonzalez on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Michael Martone on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Roberta Allen on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Peter Conners on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Maxine Chernoff on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Pedro Ponce on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Tom Hazuka on Flash Fiction
With an interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Kent Dixon on Flash Fiction & Nonfiction
With an interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
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