The Best Books on Writing a Biography
Writing a biography—a good biography—is a challenge. A rewarding one, but a challenge nonetheless.
So here are some of the best books on writing biographies that I’ve encountered over the years as a professional nonfiction editor and publishing coach (I edit biographies and history books, among other genres).
The best books on writing a biography book
My top 8 recommendations (book descriptions, details, and star ratings below!) in random order.
Each memoir writing book is on Amazon; most are available in multiple formats, new and used.
Every new biographer (and experienced ones, too) should check out these recommended books.
How to Do Biography: A Primer by Nigel Hamilton
(Harvard University Press, 2008, 400 pages, 4.2⭐)
A practical guide to the art of biography writing.
“It is not surprising that biography is one of the most popular literary genres of our day. What is remarkable is that there is no accessible guide for how to write one. Now, . . . award-winning biographer and teacher Nigel Hamilton tackles the practicalities of doing biography in this first succinct primer to elucidate the tools of the biographer’s craft.”
“Hamilton invites the reader to join him on a fascinating journey through the art of biographical composition. Starting with personal motivation, he charts the making of a modern biography from the inside: from conception to fulfillment. He emphasizes the need to know one’s audience, rehearses the excitement and perils of modern research, delves into the secrets of good and great biography, and guides the reader through the essential components of life narrative.”
“With examples taken from the finest modern biographies, Hamilton shows how to portray the ages of man―birth, childhood, love, life’s work, the evening of life, and death. In addition, he suggests effective ways to start and close a life story. He clarifies the difference between autobiography and memoir―and addresses the sometimes awkward ethical, legal, and personal consequences of truth-telling in modern life writing. He concludes with the publication and reception of biography―its afterlife, so to speak.”
“Written with humor, insight, and compassion, How To Do Biography is the manual that would-be biographers have long been awaiting.”
Biography: A Brief History by Nigel Hamilton
(Harvard University Press, 2010, 360 pages, 4.5⭐)
Offers insights into the evolution of biography writing.
“For thousands of years we have recorded real lives—the lives of others, and of ourselves. For what purpose and for whom has this universal and timeless pursuit endured? What obstacles have lain in the path of biographers in the past, and what continues to confound biographers today? Above all, how is it that biographies and autobiographies play such a contested, popular role in contemporary Western culture, from biopics to blogs, from memoir to docudrama?”
“Award-winning biographer and teacher Nigel Hamilton addresses these questions in an incisive and vivid narrative that will appeal to students of human nature and self-representation across the arts and sciences. Tracing the remarkable and often ignored historical evolution of biography from the ancient world to the present, this brief and fascinating tour of the genre conveys the passionate quest to capture the lives of individuals and the many difficulties it has entailed through the centuries. . . . Nigel Hamilton’s Biography: A Brief History will change the way you think about biography and real lives.”
Biography: A Very Short Introduction by Hermione Lee
(Oxford University Press, 2009, 170 pages, 4.3⭐)
A concise look at thought-provoking questions and observations about the art of writing biography.
“In this Very Short Introduction, Lee provides a magnificent look at the genre in which she is an undisputed master—the art of biography. Here Lee considers the cultural and historical background of different types of biographies, looks at the factors that affect biographers, and asks whether there are different strategies, ethics, and principles required for writing about one person compared to another. She also discusses contemporary biographical publications and considers what kind of "lives" are the most popular and in demand. And along the way, she answers such questions as why do certain people and historical events arouse so much interest? How can biographies be compared with history and works of fiction? Does a biography need to be true? Is it acceptable to omit or conceal things? Does the biographer need to personally know the subject? Must a biographer be subjective?”
Storycraft, Second Edition: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction by Jack Hart
(University of Chicago Press, 2021, 286 pages, 4.6⭐)
“Hart covers what writers in this genre need to know, from understanding story theory and structure, to mastering point of view and such basic elements as scene, action, and character, to drafting, revising, and editing work for publication. Revealing the stories behind the stories, Hart brings readers into the process of developing nonfiction narratives by sharing tips, anecdotes, and recommendations he forged during his decades-long career in journalism.”
In this new edition, Hart has expanded the book’s range to delve into podcasting and has incorporated new insights from recent research into storytelling and the brain. He has also added dozens of new examples that illustrate effective narrative nonfiction.
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
(Harper Perennial, 2016, 336 pages, 4.6⭐)
“On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet.”
“Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental principles as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sold, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.”
Writing Biography: Historians and Their Craft, edited by Lloyd E. Ambrosius
(University of Nebraska Press, 2004, 166 pages, 4.0⭐)
Explores the challenges historians face when writing biographies.
“The historian as biographer must resolve questions that reflect the dual challenge of telling history and telling lives: How does the biographer sort out the individual’s role within the larger historical context? How do biographical studies relate to other forms of history? Should historians use different approaches to biography, depending on the cultures of their subjects? What are the appropriate primary sources and techniques that scholars should use in writing biographies in their respective fields?”
“In Writing Biography, six prominent historians address these issues and reflect on their varied experiences and divergent perspectives as biographers.”
Extraordinary Lives: The Art and Craft of American Biography, edited by William Zinsser
(American Heritage, 1986, 251 pages, 4.1⭐)
“Six biographers describe what they learned about biography while working on the lives of Truman, Adams, Dickinson, Lippmann, Alice James, and Lyndon Johnson.”
A collection of lectures. As one reviewer puts it, “Six eminent biographers each gave a talk about the ‘art and craft of American biography.’ They speak about the difficulty of their task, how their subjects carefully covered their tracks to create a certain image for posterity, the need to deal with protective descendants or neighbors,” among other topics.
Biography: An Annotated Bibliography by Carl Rollyson
(Open Road Integrated Media, 2016, 232 pages, 4.6⭐)
A comprehensive resource for biographers.
“This is the only comprehensive, annotated bibliography of writing about biography. Rollyson, a biographer and scholar of biography, includes chapters on the history of biography (beginning in the Greco-Roman period and concluding with biographers such as Leon Edel and Richard Ellmann). Ample sections on psychobiography, the new feminist biography, and on biographers who appear in works of fiction, are also included. Cited in many recent books on the genre of biography, Biography: An Annotated Bibliography, is an essential research tool as well as a clearly written work for those wishing to browse through the commentary on this important genre.”
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For biographers, book coaches, and others in search of the best books for writing a biography, the titles above will serve you well.
You can find them all for purchase online and in many libraries. Get your copy (or copies) today!
Best to you!