Choose from 50, 100, 150, 250, and 450 words (also see my work ethics)

50-word bio

Chris Roerden’s 11th book, DON'T SABOTAGE YOUR SUBMISSION (Benjamin Franklin Award; Royal Palm Book of the Year), is expanded from DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY (Agatha Award). She’s edited writers published by St. Martin’s, Tor-Forge, Berkley Prime Crime, Harlequin, Midnight Ink, Viking, and more, judges competitions, and leads workshops for writers.

100-word bio

Chris Roerden has edited authors published by St. Martin’s, Tor-Forge, Berkley Prime Crime, Harlequin, Viking, Midnight Ink, and others over a 50-year career. She wrote 11 books, including two to help writers get published: Don’t Murder Your Mystery (Agatha Award) and its all-genre clone Don’t Sabotage Your Submission (Benjamin Franklin Award). Chris was president of MAPA, an early Midwest trade association of commercial and university presses, scholarship chair for Mystery Writers of America, and is a long-time member of Sisters in Crime and Mensa. She taught in three countries and at universities from Maine to Milwaukee. www.writersinfo.info

150-word bio

Chris Roerden has edited thousands of manuscripts over 50 years in publishing, including writers published by St. Martin’s, Berkley Prime Crime, Harlequin, Rodale, Viking, Walker & Co., Tor-Forge, Intrigue, and Midnight Ink. She’s written a game and 11 books, 7 of them commissioned. Her own books for writers are Don’t Murder Your Mystery (Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction; shortlisted for 1 international and 2 national awards); and Don’t Sabotage Your Submission (21st annual Benjamin Franklin Award™, 2 Florida Writers' Ass'n. awards, and ForeWord Review’s 2009 Writing Book of the Year Bronze Medal). A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Maine, Chris holds a Master's in English. She served as national scholarship chair for Mystery Writers of America, is past president of MAPA, a Midwest trade association of 250 commercial and university presses, taught at 3 universities and in 3 countries, and continues presenting workshops on the craft of writing. www.writersinfo.info

240-word bio

Chris Roerden is a book editor best known for writing two award-winning books for writers: DON'T SABOTAGE YOUR SUBMISSION, Insider Information from a Career Editor to Save Your Manuscript from Turning Up D.O.A, and its original version, DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY, 24 Fiction-Writing Techniques to Save Your Manuscript from Turning Up D.O.A.

Working in publishing 50+ years, Chris edited fiction and nonfiction for authors published by St. Martin's Press, Harlequin, Berkley Prime Crime, Walker & Co., Tor-Forge, Midnight Ink, Intrigue, Perseverance Press, Oceanview, Rodale, Viking, and many others. She's written a game and 11 books, 7 of them commissioned. DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY won the Agatha for Best Nonfiction, was short-listed for the national Anthony and international Macavity awards, and acquired by Writer's Digest Book Club. Its all-genre edition DON'T SABOTAGE YOUR SUBMISSION won the Benjamin Franklin Award, Florida Writers Best Educational Book plus Book of the Year awards, and was shortlisted for ForeWord Review Writing Book of the Year.

A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Maine, Chris taught there as well as for SUNY, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and UNESCO in S. Korea. She's past president of MAPA, a Midwest trade association of 250 commercial and university presses, and chaired Mystery Writers of America's national scholarship program. Having led more than 350 workshops for writers conferences large and small, she most enjoys teaching techniques that help develop each writer's unique voice and lead to successful publication. Visit her website at www.writersinfo.info.

450-word bio

In Chris Roerden’s 50+ years in publishing, she's edited authors published by St. Martin’s Press, Tor-Forge, Harlequin, Berkley Prime Crime, Viking, Rodale, Midnight Ink, Walker & Co., Perseverance Press, Intrigue, and many others. Her work has helped them win more than 25 awards.

An award-winning author in her own right, she’s written a game and 11 books, all but 4 of them as ghost. Her latest is DON'T SABOTAGE YOUR SUBMISSION: Insider Information from a Career Editor to Save Your Manuscript from Turning Up D.O.A., winner of the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award™ (the 21st annual juried award from the largest organization of independent book publishers in the industry) and the 2009 Florida Writers' Assn. awards for Best Instructional/Educational Book and its best-of-show: Published Book of the Year 2009; and finalist for ForeWord Review's 2009 Writing Book of the Year.

It's the expanded edition for writers in all genres of the original DON’T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY: 24 Fiction-Writing Techniques to Save Your Manuscript from Turning Up D.O.A., winner of the Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction of 2006; shortlisted for the Anthony Award for Best Critical Nonfiction (from the world’s largest mystery readers convention) and the Macavity (from Mystery Readers International, the world’s largest organization of its kind). It became a selection of Writer's Digest Book Club.

Roerden began her editing career in New York City at age 16 upon graduation as an art major from the competitive-entry Music & Art High School (now LaGuardia). The publication of her first book in 1965 motivated her to enroll at the University of Maine, where she was graduated with a BA in English summa cum laude. Based on her earlier years of editing experience, she was immediately invited to become an instructor of English at UM and taught there 3 years. She went on to earn the first Master’s in English awarded entirely from UM's southern campus. She then mentored the writing of independent study students for Empire State College of SUNY, and for 9 years taught writing-for-publication for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She also taught teachers of ESL in UNESCO’s Summer English Program in South Korea.

Chris has led more than 350 workshops in the US and Canada, almost all of them for writers, including the 2006 National Speakers Association University and Publishers Marketing Association University. She addressed Sisters in Crime’s first national workshop — one of only 4 invited speakers (including Donald Maass). She is past president of a Midwest trade association of 250 independent publishers and university presses, and past board member of Mystery Writers of America Southeast Region, recipient of its Magnolia Award, and judge and former chair of MWA’s McCloy Scholarship Program. She is also a member of Sisters in Crime and Mensa. www.writersinfo.info