Submit Your Profile

INSTRUCTIONS

As a writer, we know that you value the written word. So out of respect for those who wrote the following words, please read them carefully and follow all instructions. Thank you!

1. Submission Errors: If you encounter an error when submitting your profile, it is most likely a browser-related issue. For this reason, try clearing your brower cache and/or history, reloading the submission-form page, and trying again. To avoid losing any work, we strongly recommend that writers prepare their biographies in a separate file (such as a Word document) and then cut and paste in the text.
2. Third Person: The MWPA strongly recommends that all writer profiles and bios be written in the third person. When writing for the web, keywords (such as your last name, the titles of your books, etc.) are vitally important—without keywords, search engines can't find you online. People don't search for "I" or "my," for example, they search for terms like "Leo Tolstoy" and "War and Peace."
3. Required Fields: Make sure you fill in all *REQUIRED fields or your submission will not be accepted by the system.
4. Terms and Conditions: Before joining, you will need to read and accept our terms and conditions, which include important information you need to know.
5. Audience Perception: Before you begin, consider how your profile will be perceived. For example, writers who include every minor career honor and achievement in their biographies often come off as desperate or even unqualified—the exact opposite of what they intend. The best professional biographies are not strained or overreaching; they display an appropriate balance between humility and confidence.
6. Profile Modifications: When submitting modifications to an existing profile via this form, send only the information or images that need to be changed (along with the *REQUIRED fields).
7. Editing and Accuracy: Proofread all information multiple times to make sure that your profile is grammatically correct, factually accurate, and free of typos. And make sure all website addresses are complete and the sites they link to are working. All links included in your bio should be embedded; since you cannot embed links in this submission form, please let us know where to embed a link. Correct example: Colson Whitehead, whose new novel received a favorable review at the New York Times(EMBED: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/03/books/review-the-underground-railroad-colson-whitehead.html), lives in New York City.
8. Category Selection: When selecting a genre or category, writers should select all that apply. For example, if you are a fiction writer who has published a literary novel, a fantasy novel, a memoir, a collection of nonfiction essays, and several short stories in various publications, you could select Anthology, Fiction, Memoir, Short Fiction, Short Nonfiction, and Speculative Fiction. If it applies to your published work, select it; if not, do not select it. For more detailed guidance, see our Category Guide.
9. Word Count: Please limit all profiles to the maximum allowed word count: 375 words.
10. Social Media Links: Please submit links to your social media profiles, not simply your handles. 
11. Image Submission: Make sure your images are high resolution, in focus, and not warped or distorted to ensure a professional presentation. Only .jpg and .png file formats will be accepted by the system. All images should be cropped to 600 x 900 pixels (horizontal/vertical dimensions), and the file names should follow the format described on the submission form. Please note that all pages on the site alternate at random between displaying each writer's headshot and their book cover (unless you submit only one image).
12. Writer Contribution: The MWPA is not a publishing house, marketing firm, photography studio, or IT company, and we do not have the capacity to provide technical support to participating writers—so we need your assistance to ensure that your profile is professionally presented. The MWPA strongly enourages writers to take as much responsibility as they can over their own self-promotion, which often includes learning new skills—whether its social media, website management, or basic image editing—or asking friends, family members, and colleagues for their help and expertise.
13. Membership Payment: If you are a current member at a level below $55, questions related to increasing your membership level are addressed HERE.

General Questions
All questions should be directed to Assistant Director Tayrn Bowe: taryn@mainewriters.org

SUBMISSION FORM