Query letter (bio question)

Danpad

What's the general feeling on what to put in your bio section of a query letter?I can appreciate an agent may not want to see/doesn't care that I won a short story comp in school (with a prize of now that's what I call music 1) but what if I genuinely have no other credits worth mentioning other than a few online articles.
P.S. I wasn't thinking of mentioning said short story.
P.P.S I'm 60k words into my first novel and can see light at the end of the sewer hence the question. Thanks in advance guys, reading through some of the threads I can see great support and encouragement, nice to know I'm not alone.

Ben Moore

I didn't think I had enough for a bio until one day somebody asked me what writing meant to me.

I defended my position by telling them that When i was four i was quoted in somebodys opinion column in the Irish Times and i went on to mention every little bit of writing I ever did no matter how big or small, writing courses I went on, people I had helped by reading their drafts, and of curse anywhere where i had been published, school plays, college paper, at the end I realised i had just written my first bio. So i wrote it down and tinkered with it until it looked professional.

What does writing mean to you?

EileenG

It depends on the agent. Present yourself as professional. If you haven't a significant body of work, then say so, and let your novel speak for you. I honestly would not mention winning minor competitions.

However, think about things which make you interesting, and which might help an agent to sell you as an author. Do you have any experience which makes you uniquely qualifed to write this book? Do you have a platform of any sort which would help you sell it?

Danpad

Thanks for the input, no, I'd rather put nothing at all than something very minor. In fact it would appear that there's quite a large school of thought that suggests put nothing if you have nothing!