- 1). Make contact with the artist you want to write about. You can do this by contacting the artist's manager. Most artists today have websites that include information about their management and booking availability. Write a letter explaining that you're writing a biography and would like to have the artist's input. Make sure your letter includes a short bio about you and includes any writing credits you have.
- 2). Write an introduction that details who the artist is and what made her famous. The introduction should give readers a brief history of the artist, an overview of her career and any current information that may have inspired you to write the biography.
- 3). Cover the artist's history in detail, starting with his childhood. Base the information primarily on interviews with the artist, but include interviews with friends, family and business associates as well. This will give you a wider, less biased perspective on the artist's life.
- 4). Give insight into the artist's personal and professional influences as well as his or her creative process. Include information about the artist's personal life, including what the artist enjoys doing when he or she isn't working. You want to introduce the public to a more personal side of the artist whenever possible.
- 5). Include information that may be controversial. Let the artist know up front that you intend to write an honest biography and you won't shy away from material that may be unflattering. That doesn't mean you'll be trashing the audience. The object is to write a fair, unbiased account of events in the artist's life without glossing anything over.
- 6). Record all conversations you have. Let the people you interview talk freely and only ask questions needed to clarify something. Interview subjects often offer surprising and intriguing bits of information when you let them do the talking. You can take the recorded interviews and work them into chapters later on.
- 7). Avoid textbook writing. Make your prose engaging and lively. Include anecdotes in the words of the artist who biography you're writing.
Source...