a biography structure

How to Write a Biography

Biographies are big business. Whether in book form or Hollywood biopics, the lives of the famous and sometimes not-so-famous fascinate us.

While it’s true that most biographies are about people who are in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. Primarily, though, famous or not, the person who is written about has led an incredible life.

In this article, we will explain biography writing in detail for teachers and students so they can create their own.

While your students will most likely have a basic understanding of a biography, it’s worth taking a little time before they put pen to paper to tease out a crystal-clear definition of one.

What Is a Biography?

A biography is an account of someone’s life written by someone else . While there is a genre known as a fictional biography, for the most part, biographies are, by definition, nonfiction.

Generally speaking, biographies provide an account of the subject’s life from the earliest days of childhood to the present day or, if the subject is deceased, their death.

The job of a biography is more than just to outline the bare facts of a person’s life.

Rather than just listing the basic details of their upbringing, hobbies, education, work, relationships, and death, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of the subject’s personality and experience of life.

Full Biographies

Teaching unit.

Teach your students everything they need to know about writing an AUTOBIOGRAPHY and a BIOGRAPHY.

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Features of a Biography

Before students begin writing a biography, they’ll need to have a firm grasp of the main features of a Biography. An excellent way to determine how well they understand these essential elements is to ask them to compile a checklist like the one-blow

Their checklists should contain the items below at a minimum. Be sure to help them fill in any gaps before moving on to the writing process.

The purpose of a biography is to provide an account of someone’s life.

Biography structure.

ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Open your biography with a strong hook to grab the reader’s attention

SEQUENCING: In most cases, biographies are written in chronological order unless you are a very competent writer consciously trying to break from this trend.

COVER: childhood, upbringing, education, influences, accomplishments, relationships, etc. – everything that helps the reader to understand the person.

CONCLUSION: Wrap your biography up with some details about what the subject is doing now if they are still alive. If they have passed away, make mention of what impact they have made and what their legacy is or will be.

BIOGRAPHY FEATURES

LANGUAGE Use descriptive and figurative language that will paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read. Use time connectives to link events.

PERSPECTIVE Biographies are written from the third person’s perspective.

DETAILS: Give specific details about people, places, events, times, dates, etc. Reflect on how events shaped the subject. You might want to include some relevant photographs with captions. A timeline may also be of use depending upon your subject and what you are trying to convey to your audience.

TENSE Written in the past tense (though ending may shift to the present/future tense)

THE PROCESS OF WRITING A BIOGRAPHY

Like any form of writing, you will find it simple if you have a plan and follow it through. These steps will ensure you cover the essential bases of writing a biography essay.

Firstly, select a subject that inspires you. Someone whose life story resonates with you and whose contribution to society intrigues you. The next step is to conduct thorough research. Engage in extensive reading, explore various sources, watch documentaries, and glean all available information to provide a comprehensive account of the person’s life.

Creating an outline is essential to organize your thoughts and information. The outline should include the person’s early life, education, career, achievements, and any other significant events or contributions. It serves as a map for the writing process, ensuring that all vital information is included.

Your biography should have an engaging introduction that captivates the reader’s attention and provides background information on the person you’re writing about. It should include a thesis statement summarising the biography’s main points.

Writing a biography in chronological order is crucial . You should begin with the person’s early life and move through their career and achievements. This approach clarifies how the person’s life unfolded and how they accomplished their goals.

A biography should be written in a narrative style , capturing the essence of the person’s life through vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and quotes. Avoid dry, factual writing and focus on creating a compelling narrative that engages the reader.

Adding personal insights and opinions can enhance the biography’s overall impact, providing a unique perspective on the person’s achievements, legacy, and impact on society.

Editing and proofreading are vital elements of the writing process. Thoroughly reviewing your biography ensures that the writing is clear, concise, and error-free. You can even request feedback from someone else to ensure that it is engaging and well-written.

Finally, including a bibliography at the end of your biography is essential. It gives credit to the sources that were used during research, such as books, articles, interviews, and websites.

Tips for Writing a Brilliant Biography

Biography writing tip #1: choose your subject wisely.

There are several points for students to reflect on when deciding on a subject for their biography. Let’s take a look at the most essential points to consider when deciding on the subject for a biography:

Interest: To produce a biography will require sustained writing from the student. That’s why students must choose their subject well. After all, a biography is an account of someone’s entire life to date. Students must ensure they choose a subject that will sustain their interest throughout the research, writing, and editing processes.

Merit: Closely related to the previous point, students must consider whether the subject merits the reader’s interest. Aside from pure labors of love, writing should be undertaken with the reader in mind. While producing a biography demands sustained writing from the author, it also demands sustained reading from the reader.

Therefore, students should ask themselves if their chosen subject has had a life worthy of the reader’s interest and the time they’d need to invest in reading their biography.

Information: Is there enough information available on the subject to fuel the writing of an entire biography? While it might be a tempting idea to write about a great-great-grandfather’s experience in the war. There would be enough interest there to sustain the author’s and the reader’s interest, but do you have enough access to information about their early childhood to do the subject justice in the form of a biography?

Biography Writing Tip #2: R esearch ! Research! Research!

While the chances are good that the student already knows quite a bit about the subject they’ve chosen. Chances are 100% that they’ll still need to undertake considerable research to write their biography.

As with many types of writing , research is an essential part of the planning process that shouldn’t be overlooked. If students wish to give as complete an account of their subject’s life as possible, they’ll need to put in the time at the research stage.

An effective way to approach the research process is to:

1. Compile a chronological timeline of the central facts, dates, and events of the subject’s life

2. Compile detailed descriptions of the following personal traits:

•      Physical looks
•      Character traits
•      Values and beliefs

3. Compile some research questions based on different topics to provide a focus for the research:

• Childhood : Where and when were they born? Who were their parents? Who were the other family members? What education did they receive?
• Obstacles: What challenges did they have to overcome? How did these challenges shape them as individuals?
• Legacy: What impact did this person have on the world and/or the people around them?
• Dialogue & Quotes: Dialogue and quotations by and about the subject are a great way to bring color and life to a biography. Students should keep an eagle eye out for the gems that hide amid their sources.

As the student gets deeper into their research, new questions will arise that can further fuel the research process and help to shape the direction the biography will ultimately go in.

Likewise, during the research, themes will often begin to suggest themselves. Exploring these themes is essential to bring depth to biography, but we’ll discuss this later in this article.

Research Skills:

Researching for biography writing is an excellent way for students to hone their research skills in general. Developing good research skills is essential for future academic success. Students will have opportunities to learn how to:

• Gather relevant information
• Evaluate different information sources
• Select suitable information
• Organize information into a text.

Students will have access to print and online information sources, and, in some cases, they may also have access to people who knew or know the subject (e.g. biography of a family member).

These days, much of the research will likely take place online. It’s crucial, therefore, to provide your students with guidance on how to use the internet safely and evaluate online sources for reliability. This is the era of ‘ fake news ’ and misinformation after all!

COMPLETE TEACHING UNIT ON INTERNET RESEARCH SKILLS USING GOOGLE SEARCH

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⭐How to correctly ask questions to search engines on all devices.

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⭐ Essential Research and critical thinking skills for students.

⭐ Plagiarism, Citing and acknowledging other people’s work.

⭐ How to query, synthesize and record your findings logically.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip #3: Find Your Themes In Biography Writing

Though predominantly a nonfiction genre, the story still plays a significant role in good biography writing. The skills of characterization and plot structuring are transferable here. And, just like in fiction, exploring themes in a biographical work helps connect the personal to the universal. Of course, these shouldn’t be forced; this will make the work seem contrived, and the reader may lose faith in the truthfulness of the account. A biographer needs to gain and maintain the trust of the reader.

Fortunately, themes shouldn’t need to be forced. A life well-lived is full of meaning, and the themes the student writer is looking for will emerge effortlessly from the actions and events of the subject’s life. It’s just a case of learning how to spot them.

One way to identify the themes in a life is to look for recurring events or situations in a person’s life. These should be apparent from the research completed previously. The students should seek to identify these patterns that emerge in the subject’s life. For example, perhaps they’ve had to overcome various obstacles throughout different periods of their life. In that case, the theme of overcoming adversity is present and has been identified.

Usually, a biography has several themes running throughout, so be sure your students work to identify more than one theme in their subject’s life.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip: #4 Put Something of Yourself into the Writing

While the defining feature of a biography is that it gives an account of a person’s life, students must understand that this is not all a biography does. Relating the facts and details of a subject’s life is not enough. The student biographer should not be afraid to share their thoughts and feelings with the reader throughout their account of their subject’s life.

The student can weave some of their personality into the fabric of the text by providing commentary and opinion as they relate the events of the person’s life and the wider social context at the time. Unlike the detached and objective approach we’d expect to find in a history textbook, in a biography, student-writers should communicate their enthusiasm for their subject in their writing.

This makes for a more intimate experience for the reader, as they get a sense of getting to know the author and the subject they are writing about.

Biography Examples For Students

• Year 5 Example
• Year 7 Example
• Year 9 Example

“The Rock ‘n’ Roll King: Elvis Presley”

Elvis Aaron Presley, born on January 8, 1935, was an amazing singer and actor known as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Even though he’s been dead for nearly 50 years, I can’t help but be fascinated by his incredible life!

Elvis grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, in a tiny house with his parents and twin brother. His family didn’t have much money, but they shared a love for music. Little did they know Elvis would become a music legend!

When he was only 11 years old, Elvis got his first guitar. He taught himself to play and loved singing gospel songs. As he got older, he started combining different music styles like country, blues, and gospel to create a whole new sound – that’s Rock ‘n’ Roll!

In 1954, at the age of 19, Elvis recorded his first song, “That’s All Right.” People couldn’t believe how unique and exciting his music was. His famous hip-swinging dance moves also made him a sensation!

Elvis didn’t just rock the music scene; he also starred in movies like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.” But fame came with challenges. Despite facing ups and downs, Elvis kept spreading happiness through his music.

Tragically, Elvis passed away in 1977, but his music and charisma live on. Even today, people worldwide still enjoy his songs like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Elvis Presley’s legacy as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll will live forever.

Long Live the King: I wish I’d seen him.

Elvis Presley, the Rock ‘n’ Roll legend born on January 8, 1935, is a captivating figure that even a modern-day teen like me can’t help but admire. As I delve into his life, I wish I could have experienced the magic of his live performances.

Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis faced challenges but found solace in music. At 11, he got his first guitar, a symbol of his journey into the world of sound. His fusion of gospel, country, and blues into Rock ‘n’ Roll became a cultural phenomenon.

The thought of being in the audience during his early performances, especially when he recorded “That’s All Right” at 19, sends shivers down my spine. Imagining the crowd’s uproar and feeling the revolutionary energy of that moment is a dream I wish I could have lived.

Elvis wasn’t just a musical prodigy; he was a dynamic performer. His dance moves, the embodiment of rebellion, and his roles in films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock” made him a true icon.

After watching him on YouTube, I can’t help but feel a little sad that I’ll never witness the King’s live performances. The idea of swaying to “Hound Dog” or being enchanted by “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in person is a missed opportunity. Elvis may have left us in 1977, but he was the king of rock n’ roll. Long live the King!

Elvis Presley: A Teen’s Take on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Icon”

Elvis Presley, born January 8, 1935, was a revolutionary force in the music world, earning his title as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Exploring his life, even as a 16-year-old today, I’m captivated by the impact he made.

Hailing from Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis grew up in humble beginnings, surrounded by the love of his parents and twin brother. It’s inspiring to think that, despite financial challenges, this young man would redefine the music scene.

At 11, Elvis got his first guitar, sparking a self-taught journey into music. His early gospel influences evolved into a unique fusion of country, blues, and gospel, creating the electrifying genre of Rock ‘n’ Roll. In 1954, at only 19, he recorded “That’s All Right,” marking the birth of a musical legend.

Elvis wasn’t just a musical innovator; he was a cultural phenomenon. His rebellious dance moves and magnetic stage presence challenged the norms. He transitioned seamlessly into acting, starring in iconic films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.”

However, fame came at a cost, and Elvis faced personal struggles. Despite the challenges, his music continued to resonate. Even now, classics like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” transcend generations.

Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is undeniable. He was known for his unique voice, charismatic persona, and electrifying performances. He sold over one billion records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling solo artists in history. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including three Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Elvis’s influence can still be seen in today’s music. Many contemporary artists, such as Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, and Justin Timberlake, have cited Elvis as an inspiration. His music continues to be featured in movies, TV shows, and commercials.

Elvis left us in 1977, but his legacy lives on. I appreciate his breaking barriers and fearlessly embracing his artistic vision. Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is timeless, a testament to the enduring power of his artistry. His music has inspired generations and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING TEACHING IDEAS AND LESSONS

We have compiled a sequence of biography-related lessons or teaching ideas that you can follow as you please. They are straightforward enough for most students to follow without further instruction.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 1:

This session aims to give students a broader understanding of what makes a good biography.

Once your students have compiled a comprehensive checklist of the main features of a biography, allow them to use it to assess some biographies from your school library or on the internet using the feature checklist.

When students have assessed a selection of biographies, take some time as a class to discuss them. You can base the discussion around the following prompts:

• Which biographies covered all the criteria from their checklist?
• Which biographies didn’t?
• Which biography was the most readable in terms of structure?
• Which biography do you think was the least well-structured? How would you improve this?

Looking at how other writers have interpreted the form will help students internalize the necessary criteria before attempting to produce a biography. Once students have a clear understanding of the main features of the biography, they’re ready to begin work on writing a biography.

When the time does come to put pen to paper, be sure they’re armed with the following top tips to help ensure they’re as well prepared as possible.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 2:

This session aims to guide students through the process of selecting the perfect biography subject.

Instruct students to draw up a shortlist of three potential subjects for the biography they’ll write.

Using the three criteria mentioned in the writing guide (Interest, Merit, and Information), students award each potential subject a mark out of 5 for each of the criteria. In this manner, students can select the most suitable subject for their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 3:

This session aims to get students into the researching phase, then prioritise and organise events chronologically.

Students begin by making a timeline of their subject’s life, starting with their birth and ending with their death or the present day. If the student has yet to make a final decision on the subject of their biography, a family member will often serve well for this exercise as a practice exercise.

Students should research and gather the key events of the person’s life, covering each period of their life from when they were a baby, through childhood and adolescence, right up to adulthood and old age. They should then organize these onto a timeline. Students can include photographs with captions if they have them.

They can present these to the class when they have finished their timelines.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 4:

Instruct students to look over their timeline, notes, and other research. Challenge them to identify three patterns that repeat throughout the subject’s life and sort all the related events and incidents into specific categories.

Students should then label each category with a single word. This is the thematic concept or the broad general underlying idea. After that, students should write a sentence or two expressing what the subject’s life ‘says’ about that concept.

This is known as the thematic statement . With the thematic concepts and thematic statements identified, the student now has some substantial ideas to explore that will help bring more profound meaning and wider resonance to their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 5:

Instruct students to write a short objective account of an event in their own life. They can write about anyone from their past. It needn’t be more than a couple of paragraphs, but the writing should be strictly factual, focusing only on the objective details of what happened.

Once they have completed this, it’s time to rewrite the paragraph, but they should include some opinion and personal commentary this time.

The student here aims to inject some color and personality into their writing, to transform a detached, factual account into a warm, engaging story.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING BIOGRAPHIES

Teach your students to write AMAZING BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES using proven RESEARCH SKILLS and WRITING STRATEGIES .

• Understand the purpose of both forms of biography.
• Explore the language and perspective of both.
• Prompts and Challenges to engage students in writing a biography.
• Dedicated lessons for both forms of biography.
• Biographical Projects can expand students’ understanding of reading and writing a biography.
• A COMPLETE 82-PAGE UNIT – NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

FREE Biography Writing Graphic Organizer

Use this valuable tool in the research and writing phases to keep your students on track and engaged.

WRITING CHECKLIST & RUBRIC BUNDLE

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To Conclude

By this stage, your students should have an excellent technical overview of a biography’s essential elements.

They should be able to choose their subject in light of how interesting and worthy they are, as well as give consideration to the availability of information out there. They should be able to research effectively and identify emerging themes in their research notes. And finally, they should be able to bring some of their personality and uniqueness into their retelling of the life of another.

Remember that writing a biography is not only a great way to develop a student’s writing skills; it can be used in almost all curriculum areas. For example, to find out more about a historical figure in History, to investigate scientific contributions to Science, or to celebrate a hero from everyday life.

Biography is an excellent genre for students to develop their writing skills and to find inspiration in the lives of others in the world around them.

HOW TO WRITE A BIOGRAPHY TUTORIAL VIDEO

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BIOGRAPHY WRITING

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15 Awesome Recount & Personal Narrative Topics

Personal Narrative Writing Guide

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Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Posted on Jun 30, 2023

How to Write a Biography: A 7-Step Guide [+Template]

From time to time, nonfiction authors become so captivated by a particular figure from either the present or the past, that they feel compelled to write an entire book about their life. Whether casting them as heroes or villains, there is an interesting quality in their humanity that compels these authors to revisit their life paths and write their story.

However, portraying someone’s life on paper in a comprehensive and engaging way requires solid preparation. If you’re looking to write a biography yourself, in this post we’ll share a step-by-step blueprint that you can follow. 

How to write a biography: 

1. Seek permission when possible 

2. research your subject thoroughly, 3. do interviews and visit locations, 4. organize your findings, 5. identify a central thesis, 6. write it using narrative elements, 7. get feedback and polish the text.

FREE RESOURCE

Biography Outline Template

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While you technically don’t need permission to write about public figures (or deceased ones), that doesn't guarantee their legal team won't pursue legal action against you. Author Kitty Kelley was sued by Frank Sinatra before she even started to write His Way , a biography that paints Ol Blue Eyes in a controversial light. (Kelley ended up winning the lawsuit, however).  

Whenever feasible, advise the subject’s representatives of your intentions. If all goes according to plan, you’ll get a green light to proceed, or potentially an offer to collaborate. It's a matter of common sense; if someone were to write a book about you, you would likely want to know about it well prior to publication. So, make a sincere effort to reach out to their PR staff to negotiate an agreement or at least a mutual understanding of the scope of your project. 

At the same time, make sure that you still retain editorial control over the project, and not end up writing a puff piece that treats its protagonist like a saint or hero. No biography can ever be entirely objective, but you should always strive for a portrayal that closely aligns with facts and reality.

If you can’t get an answer from your subject, or you’re asked not to proceed forward, you can still accept the potential repercussions and write an unauthorized biography . The “rebellious act” of publishing without consent indeed makes for great marketing, though it’ll likely bring more headaches with it too. 

✋ Please note that, like other nonfiction books, if you intend to release your biography with a publishing house , you can put together a book proposal to send to them before you even write the book. If they like it enough, they might pay you an advance to write it.  

Book Proposal Template

Craft a professional pitch for your nonfiction book with our handy template.

Once you’ve settled (or not) the permission part, it’s time to dive deep into your character’s story.  

Deep and thorough research skills are the cornerstone of every biographer worth their salt. To paint a vivid and accurate portrait of someone's life, you’ll have to gather qualitative information from a wide range of reliable sources. 

Start with the information already available, from books on your subject to archival documents, then collect new ones firsthand by interviewing people or traveling to locations. 

Browse the web and library archives

Put your researcher hat on and start consuming any piece on your subject you can find, from their Wikipedia page to news articles, interviews, TV and radio appearances, YouTube videos, podcasts, books, magazines, and any other media outlets they may have been featured in. 

Establish a system to orderly collect the information you find 一 even seemingly insignificant details can prove valuable during the writing process, so be sure to save them. 

Depending on their era, you may find most of the information readily available online, or you may need to search through university libraries for older references. 

For his landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow spent untold hours at Columbia University’s library , reading through the Hamilton family papers, visiting the New York Historical Society, as well as interviewing the archivist of the New York Stock Exchange, and so on. The research process took years, but it certainly paid off. Chernow discovered that Hamilton created the first five securities originally traded on Wall Street. This finding, among others, revealed his significant contributions to shaping the current American financial and political systems, a legacy previously often overshadowed by other founding fathers. Today Alexander Hamilton is one of the best-selling biographies of all time, and it has become a cultural phenomenon with its own dedicated musical. 

Besides reading documents about your subject, research can help you understand the world that your subject lived in. 

Try to understand their time and social environment

Many biographies show how their protagonists have had a profound impact on society through their philosophical, artistic, or scientific contributions. But at the same time, it’s worth it as a biographer to make an effort to understand how their societal and historical context influenced their life’s path and work.

An interesting example is Stephen Greenblatt’s Will in the World . Finding himself limited by a lack of verified detail surrounding William Shakespeare's personal life, Greenblatt, instead, employs literary interpretation and imaginative reenactments to transport readers back to the Elizabethan era. The result is a vivid (though speculative) depiction of the playwright's life, enriching our understanding of his world.

Many readers enjoy biographies that transport them to a time and place, so exploring a historical period through the lens of a character can be entertaining in its own right. The Diary of Samuel Pepys became a classic not because people were enthralled by his life as an administrator, but rather from his meticulous and vivid documentation of everyday existence during the Restoration period.

Once you’ve gotten your hands on as many secondary sources as you can find, you’ll want to go hunting for stories first-hand from people who are (or were) close to your subject.

With all the material you’ve been through, by now you should already have a pretty good picture of your protagonist. But you’ll surely have some curiosities and missing dots in their character arc to figure out, which you can only get by interviewing primary sources.

Interview friends and associates

This part is more relevant if your subject is contemporary, and you can actually meet up or call with relatives, friends, colleagues, business partners, neighbors, or any other person related to them. 

In writing the popular biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson interviewed more than one hundred people, including Jobs’s family, colleagues, former college mates, business rivals, and the man himself.

🔍 Read other biographies to get a sense of what makes a great one. Check out our list of the 30 best biographies of all time , or take our 30-second quiz below for tips on which one you should read next. 

Which biography should you read next?

Discover the perfect biography for you. Takes 30 seconds!

When you conduct your interviews, make sure to record them with high quality audio you can revisit later. Then use tools like Otter.ai or Descript to transcribe them 一 it’ll save you countless hours. 

You can approach the interview with a specific set of questions, or follow your curiosity blindly, trying to uncover revealing stories and anecdotes about your subject. Whatever your method, author and biography editor Tom Bromley suggests that every interviewer arrives prepared, "Show that you’ve done your work. This will help to put the interviewee at ease, and get their best answers.” 

Bromley also places emphasis on the order in which you conduct interviews. “You may want to interview different members of the family or friends first, to get their perspective on something, and then go directly to the main interviewee. You'll be able to use that knowledge to ask sharper, more specific questions.” 

Finally, consider how much time you have with each interviewee. If you only have a 30-minute phone call with an important person, make it count by asking directly the most pressing questions you have. And, if you find a reliable source who is also particularly willing to help, conduct several interviews and ask them, if appropriate, to write a foreword as part of the book’s front matter .

Sometimes an important part of the process is packing your bags, getting on a plane, and personally visiting significant places in your character’s journey.

Visit significant places in their life

A place, whether that’s a city, a rural house, or a bodhi tree, can carry a particular energy that you can only truly experience by being there. In putting the pieces together about someone’s life, it may be useful to go visit where they grew up, or where other significant events of their lives happened. It will be easier to imagine what they experienced, and better tell their story. 

In researching The Lost City of Z , author David Grann embarked on a trek through the Amazon, retracing the steps of British explorer Percy Fawcett. This led Grann to develop new theories about the circumstances surrounding the explorer's disappearance.

Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with jaguars and anacondas to better understand your subject’s environment, but try to walk into their shoes as much as possible. 

Once you’ve researched your character enough, it’s time to put together all the puzzle pieces you collected so far. 

Take the bulk of notes, media, and other documents you’ve collected, and start to give them some order and structure. A simple way to do this is by creating a timeline. 

Create a chronological timeline

It helps to organize your notes chronologically 一 from childhood to the senior years, line up the most significant events of your subject’s life, including dates, places, names and other relevant bits. 

You should be able to divide their life into distinct periods, each with their unique events and significance. Based on that, you can start drafting an outline of the narrative you want to create.  

Draft a story outline 

Since a biography entails writing about a person’s entire life, it will have a beginning, a middle, and an end. You can pick where you want to end the story, depending on how consequential the last years of your subject were. But the nature of the work will give you a starting character arc to work with. 

To outline the story then, you could turn to the popular Three-Act Structure , which divides the narrative in three main parts. In a nutshell, you’ll want to make sure to have the following:

• Act 1. Setup : Introduce the protagonist's background and the turning points that set them on a path to achieve a goal. 
• Act 2. Confrontation : Describe the challenges they encounter, both internal and external, and how they rise to them. Then..
• Act 3. Resolution : Reach a climactic point in their story in which they succeed (or fail), showing how they (and the world around them) have changed as a result. 

Only one question remains before you begin writing: what will be the main focus of your biography?

Think about why you’re so drawn to your subject to dedicate years of your life to recounting their own. What aspect of their life do you want to highlight? Is it their evil nature, artistic genius, or visionary mindset? And what evidence have you got to back that up? Find a central thesis or focus to weave as the main thread throughout your narrative. 

Or find a unique angle

If you don’t have a particular theme to explore, finding a distinct angle on your subject’s story can also help you distinguish your work from other biographies or existing works on the same subject.

Plenty of biographies have been published about The Beatles 一 many of which have different focuses and approaches: 

• Philip Norman's Shout is sometimes regarded as leaning more towards a pro-Lennon and anti-McCartney stance, offering insights into the band's inner dynamics. 
• Ian McDonald's Revolution in the Head closely examines their music track by track, shifting the focus back to McCartney as a primary creative force. 
• Craig Brown's One Two Three Four aims to capture their story through anecdotes, fan letters, diary entries, and interviews. 
• Mark Lewisohn's monumental three-volume biography, Tune In , stands as a testament to over a decade of meticulous research, chronicling every intricate detail of the Beatles' journey.

Finally, consider that biographies are often more than recounting the life of a person. Similar to how Dickens’ Great Expectations is not solely about a boy named Pip (but an examination and critique of Britain’s fickle, unforgiving class system), a biography should strive to illuminate a broader truth — be it social, political, or human — beyond the immediate subject of the book. 

Once you’ve identified your main focus or angle, it’s time to write a great story. 

While biographies are often highly informative, they do not have to be dry and purely expository in nature . You can play with storytelling elements to make it an engaging read. 

You could do that by thoroughly detailing the setting of the story , depicting the people involved in the story as fully-fledged characters , or using rising action and building to a climax when describing a particularly significant milestone of the subject’s life. 

One common way to make a biography interesting to read is starting on a strong foot…

Hook the reader from the start

Just because you're honoring your character's whole life doesn't mean you have to begin when they said their first word. Starting from the middle or end of their life can be more captivating as it introduces conflicts and stakes that shaped their journey.

When he wrote about Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild , author Jon Krakauer didn’t open his subject’s childhood and abusive family environment. Instead, the book begins with McCandless hitchhiking his way into the wilderness, and subsequently being discovered dead in an abandoned bus. By starting in medias res , Krakauer hooks the reader’s interest, before tracing back the causes and motivations that led McCandless to die alone in that bus in the first place.

You can bend the timeline to improve the reader’s reading experience throughout the rest of the story too…

Play with flashback 

While biographies tend to follow a chronological narrative, you can use flashbacks to tell brief stories or anecdotes when appropriate. For example, if you were telling the story of footballer Lionel Messi, before the climax of winning the World Cup with Argentina, you could recall when he was just 13 years old, giving an interview to a local newspaper, expressing his lifelong dream of playing for the national team. 

Used sparsely and intentionally, flashbacks can add more context to the story and keep the narrative interesting. Just like including dialogue does…

Reimagine conversations

Recreating conversations that your subject had with people around them is another effective way to color the story. Dialogue helps the reader imagine the story like a movie, providing a deeper sensory experience. 

One thing is trying to articulate the root of Steve Jobs’ obsession with product design, another would be to quote his father , teaching him how to build a fence when he was young: “You've got to make the back of the fence just as good looking as the front of the fence. Even though nobody will see it, you will know. And that will show that you're dedicated to making something perfect.”

Unlike memoirs and autobiographies, in which the author tells the story from their personal viewpoint and enjoys greater freedom to recall conversations, biographies require a commitment to facts. So, when recreating dialogue, try to quote directly from reliable sources like personal diaries, emails, and text messages. You could also use your interview scripts as an alternative to dialogue. As Tom Bromley suggests, “If you talk with a good amount of people, you can try to tell the story from their perspective, interweaving different segments and quoting the interviewees directly.”

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These are just some of the story elements you can use to make your biography more compelling. Once you’ve finished your manuscript, it’s a good idea to ask for feedback. 

If you’re going to self-publish your biography, you’ll have to polish it to professional standards. After leaving your work to rest for a while, look at it with fresh eyes and self-edit your manuscript eliminating passive voice, filler words, and redundant adverbs. 

Then, have a professional editor give you a general assessment. They’ll look at the structure and shape of your manuscript and tell you which parts need to be expanded on or cut. As someone who edited and commissioned several biographies, Tom Bromley points out that a professional “will look at the sources used and assess whether they back up the points made, or if more are needed. They would also look for context, and whether or not more background information is needed for the reader to understand the story fully. And they might check your facts, too.”  

In addition to structural editing, you may want to have someone copy-edit and proofread your work.

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Importantly, make sure to include a bibliography with a list of all the interviews, documents, and sources used in the writing process. You’ll have to compile it according to a manual of style, but you can easily create one by using tools like EasyBib . Once the text is nicely polished and typeset in your writing software , you can prepare for the publication process.  

In conclusion, by mixing storytelling elements with diligent research, you’ll be able to breathe life into a powerful biography that immerses readers in another individual’s life experience. Whether that’ll spark inspiration or controversy, remember you could have an important role in shaping their legacy 一 and that’s something not to take lightly. 

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How to Write a Biography

Learn how to write a biography with our comprehensive guide.

Last updated on Dec 8th, 2023

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Table of Contents

How to write a biography can be a fun challenge as you share someone’s life story with readers. You may need to write a biography for a class or decide to write a biography as a personal project. Once you’ve identified the subject of your biography, do your research to learn as much as you can about them. Then, immerse yourself in writing the biography and revising it until it’s best. What I am going to share with you in today’s post is how to write a biography. If you want to know the rules of how to write a biography correctly then this post of ours is essential for you. 

Introduction

While it’s true that most biographies involve people in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. But most of the time, famous or not, the person we’re talking about has an incredible life. Although your students may have a basic understanding of How to write a biography, you should take some time before putting pen to paper to come up with a very clear definition of biography.

Before knowing how to write a biography, let’s first understand what a biography is. A biography is an account of a person’s life written by someone else. Although there is a genre called fictional biography, by definition biographies are mostly non-fiction. In general, biographies trace the subject’s life from early childhood to the present day or until death if the subject is deceased. 

Biography writing is not limited to describing the bare facts of a person’s life. Instead of just listing basic details about their upbringing, interests, education, work, relationships, and deaths, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of a person’s personality as well as that person’s life experiences.

Tips and Tricks For How To Write a Biography

1. ask the subject’s permission to write a biography.

Here are the first tips on how to write a biography. Before starting your research, make sure you get your subject’s consent to write their biography. Ask them if they’re ready to be the subject. Getting their permission will make writing a biography much easier and ensure that they are open to information about their lives.

If the theme does not allow you to write a bio, you can choose another theme. If you decide to publish a profile without the subject’s permission, you may be subject to legal action from the subject. 

If the topic no longer exists, you don’t need to ask permission to write about them. 

2. Research primary sources on the topic

Primary sources may include books, letters, photographs, diaries, newspaper clippings, magazines, Internet articles, magazines, videos, interviews, existing biographies, or autobiographies on the subject. Find these resources in your local library or online. Read as much as you can about the topic and highlight any important information you come across in your sources. 

You can create research questions to help you focus your research on this topic, such as: 

What do I find interesting about this topic? Why is this topic important to readers? 

3. Conduct interviews with subjects and their relatives

Interviewing people will turn your research into reality: the people you interview will be able to tell you stories you can’t find in history books. Interview the subject as well as people close to them, such as spouses, friends, business associates, family members, co-workers, and friends. Interview in person, over the phone, or via email.

For in-person interviews, record them with a voice recorder or voice recorder on your computer or phone. You may need to interview the subject and others multiple times to get the documents you need.

4. Visit places important to the topic

Whenever you want to know how to write a biography, to understand the history of the subject, spend time in places and areas that are significant to the subject. This may be the subject’s childhood home or neighborhood. You can also visit the subject’s workplace and regular meeting places. 

You may also want to visit areas where the subject made important decisions or breakthroughs in their life. Being physically present in the area can give you an idea of what your subjects may have felt and help you write about their experiences more effectively.

5. Research the time and place of the subject’s life

Contextualize your subject’s life by observing what’s going on around them. Consider the period in which they grew up as well as the history of the places they lived. Study the economics, politics, and culture of their time. See current events happening where they live or work.

When you studying how to write a biography, ask yourself about time and place: 

What were the social norms of this period? 

What happened economically and politically? 

How has the political and social environment influenced this topic?

6. Make a timeline of a person’s life

To help you organize your research, create a timeline of a person’s entire life, from birth. Draw a long line on a piece of paper and sketch out as many details about a person’s life as possible. Highlight important events or moments on the timeline. Include important dates, locations, and names. 

If you think about how to write a biography You can also include historical events or moments that affect the topic in the timeline. For example, a conflict or civil war may occur during a person’s lifetime and affect their life.

7. Focus on important events and milestones

Major events can include marriage, birth, or death during a person’s lifetime. They may also achieve milestones like their first successful business venture or their first civil rights march. Highlights key moments in a person’s life so readers clearly understand what’s important to that person and how they influence the world around them.

For example, you might focus on one person’s achievements in the civil rights movement. You could write an entire section about their contributions and participation in major civil rights marches in their hometowns.

8. Cite all sources used in  biography

Most biographies will include information from sources such as books, journal articles, magazines, and interviews. Remember to cite any sources that you directly quote or paraphrase. You can use citations, footnotes, or endnotes. If the biography is for a course, use MLA, APA, or Chicago Style citations according to your instructor’s preference.

9. Reread the biography

Check the biography for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Circle all punctuation marks in the text to confirm they are correct. Read the text backward to check for spelling and grammar errors. 

Having a biography full of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can frustrate readers and lead to poor grades if you submit your work to the class.

10. Show your biography to others to get their feedback

It is a momentous step of how to write a biography. Once you have completed your draft biography, show it to your colleagues, friends, teachers, and mentors to get their feedback. Ask them if they have a good understanding of someone’s life and if the biography is easy to read. Be open to feedback so you can improve the biography and make it error-free. Revise profile based on feedback from others. Don’t be afraid to trim or edit your biography to suit your readers’ needs.

11. Use flashbacks

Flashbacks happen when you move from the present to the past. You can start with the present moment, and then bring in a scene from the person’s past. Or you could have one chapter focusing on the present and one focusing on the past, alternating as you go.

The flashback scene must be as detailed and realistic as the present-day scene. Use your research notes and interviews with subjects to better understand their past to reminisce. 

For example, you can move from a person’s death in the present to reminiscing about their favorite childhood memory.

12. Outline Your Story Chronologically 

This is another important step in how to write a biography is to write an outline that describes your story in chronological order. An outline is a tool that helps you visualize the structure and key elements of your story. This can help you organize your story into chapters and sections. 

You can write your plan in a digital document or draw it with pen and paper. Remember to store your outline in an easily accessible place so you can refer to it throughout the writing process.

What citation style should I use for my biography?

Use MLA, APA, or Chicago Style citations based on your instructor’s preference when citing sources in your biography.

Should I include personal opinions in a biography?

No, a biography should be objective and based on facts. Avoid injecting personal opinions or bias into the narrative.

What’s the difference between a biography and an autobiography?

A biography is written by someone else about a person’s life, while an autobiography is written by the subject themselves about their own life.

Can I write a biography about a living person?

Yes, you can write a biography about a living person with their consent. Ensure you respect their privacy and follow ethical guidelines when writing about them.

Conclusion 

Other than creating a sense of closure, there are no set rules about how a biography ends. An author may want to summarize their main points about the subject of their biography. If the person is still alive, the author can inform the reader about their condition or circumstances. If the person has died, inheritance can be discussed. Authors can also remind readers how they can learn from the biographical subject. Sharing a closing quote or about a person can leave the audience with a point to consider or discuss in more detail.

For further insights into writing and to avoid common mistakes, check out our article on Most Common Mistakes in Writing . Additionally, explore the Best Writing Tools for Writers to enhance your writing skills and discover the tools that can assist you. If you’re looking to improve your typing speed and accuracy, our article on How to Type Faster with Accuracy offers valuable tips.

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• Dec 8th, 2023
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Human lives are intricate tapestries woven with experiences, emotions, challenges, and triumphs. Biographies and autobiographies serve as windows into these remarkable stories, offering insight into the lives of individuals who have left their mark on history or those who wish to chronicle their own journeys. 

I n this guide, we will explore the art of writing biographies and autobiographies, delving into the nuances of both genres and providing valuable tips on how to craft compelling narratives.

Understanding Biography and Autobiography

• Biography: Exploring Lives Beyond the Surface A biography is a literary exploration that unveils the intricate layers of a person’s existence, transcending the mere listing of events. It provides a comprehensive account of an individual’s life, offering insights into their achievements, struggles, societal impact, and distinct qualities that define them. These narratives serve as windows into history, allowing readers to traverse time and understand the legacy left by remarkable individuals. Biographies are usually crafted by biographers, individuals skilled in research and storytelling. They undertake a meticulous journey of gathering information from diverse sources, such as historical records, interviews, letters, and secondary literature. The biographer’s role is to curate these fragments of information into a coherent narrative, painting a vivid portrait of the subject. This comprehensive approach lends credibility and depth to the portrayal, enriching the reader’s understanding of the subject’s contributions and character. Example:  Consider the biography of Mahatma Gandhi. A biographer compiling his life story would explore not only his role in India’s fight for independence but also his principles of nonviolence, his experiments with truth, and his impact on the world’s political landscape. By presenting a holistic view of Gandhi’s life, the biography reveals the nuances of his personality, beliefs, and the larger context in which he operated.
• Autobiography: The Intimate Dialogue of Self-Discovery An autobiography is a narrative journey undertaken by the subject themselves—a profound sharing of one’s life experiences, emotions, and reflections. This genre provides readers with an intimate insight into the subject’s psyche, allowing them to witness their life’s trajectory through personal recollections. Autobiographies carry a unique authenticity, as they are composed from the vantage point of the person who lived those moments, providing a firsthand account of their journey. Autobiographies draw from the subject’s reservoir of memories, emotions, and introspections. This self-exploration leads to a narrative that is often more than a linear chronicle; it becomes a tapestry woven with the threads of emotions, thoughts, and personal revelations. By directly communicating with the reader, the autobiographer creates a powerful connection, allowing readers to step into their shoes and experience their story from within. Example:  A notable example of an autobiography is “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank. Written during her time in hiding during World War II, the book offers a candid portrayal of Anne’s life, fears, hopes, and dreams. Through her own words, readers gain a deep understanding of the challenges faced by Jews during the Holocaust, as well as the resilience and humanity that Anne exudes even in the face of adversity.

Writing a Biography:

Research: The Foundation of a Compelling Biography Thorough research is the cornerstone of a captivating biography. Delve into reputable sources like books, articles, interviews, and archives to gather a comprehensive view of your subject’s life. By immersing yourself in these materials, you gain insights into their experiences, motivations, and contributions. Scrutinise the historical context to understand the era’s impact on their journey. Successful research forms the bedrock of your biography, enabling you to present an accurate and nuanced portrayal that resonates with readers. It’s through meticulous research that you uncover the hidden stories and connect the dots, allowing the subject’s essence to shine through the pages.

Selecting a Focus: Defining the Narrative Scope Choosing a focal point is essential for a well-structured biography. Decide whether to cover the subject’s entire life or concentrate on specific periods or achievements. This decision shapes the narrative’s trajectory, preventing it from becoming overwhelming or disjointed. A focused approach allows you to delve deeply into pivotal moments, providing a more profound understanding of the subject’s journey. By clarifying the scope, you enable readers to follow a coherent storyline, making it easier for them to engage with the subject’s life in a meaningful way.

Structuring the Biography: Chronology and Themes The organisation of your biography greatly impacts its readability. Structure your work into logical sections or chapters, employing either a chronological or thematic arrangement. Begin with an engaging introduction that captures readers’ attention and provides essential context. A chronological structure follows the subject’s life in sequential order, offering a clear timeline of events. Alternatively, a thematic structure groups events by themes, allowing you to explore different facets of the subject’s life. A well-structured biography guides readers smoothly through the subject’s experiences, fostering a deeper connection and understanding.

Show, Don’t Tell: Evocative Storytelling Vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and quotes breathe life into your biography. Rather than merely listing facts, employ descriptive language to recreate scenes and emotions, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the subject’s world. Use anecdotes to illustrate key moments, capturing the essence of the subject’s character and the impact of events on their journey. Integrating quotes from the subject, contemporaries, or relevant sources adds authenticity and depth. Through this technique, you transport readers into the subject’s experiences, enabling them to witness the moments that shaped their lives.

Balanced Perspective: Portraying Strengths and Flaws A balanced portrayal adds credibility and depth to your biography. While it’s tempting to focus solely on accomplishments, a well-rounded view includes the subject’s strengths and flaws. This authenticity humanises the subject, making it relatable and multidimensional. By acknowledging both successes and challenges, readers gain a more honest understanding of their journey. Balancing positives and negatives helps readers empathise with the subject, connecting them on a deeper level and offering a more genuine insight into their lives.

Engaging Emotions: Creating Emotional Resonance Emotions are a potent tool in biography writing. Delve into the subject’s feelings, struggles, and aspirations to create an emotional connection with readers. By tapping into their emotional experiences, you make the narrative relatable and engaging. Sharing personal challenges and triumphs allows readers to empathise and reflect on their own lives. This emotional resonance elevates the biography from a mere factual account to a compelling and moving story that lingers in readers’ minds, leaving a lasting impact.

Citing Sources: Ensuring Accuracy and Credibility Accurate information is vital in biography writing. Properly cite your sources to maintain credibility and integrity. Clear citations not only lend authority to your work but also provide readers with the opportunity to explore further if they desire. Accurate referencing safeguards against misinformation and ensures that your portrayal is based on reliable evidence. In addition to enhancing your credibility, thorough citations demonstrate your commitment to thorough research and ethical writing practises, contributing to the overall trustworthiness of your biography.

Complete Guide to Write a Biography. Start Writing Your Biography Now

Writing an Autobiography:

Reflecting on Significant Moments and Experiences Initiating an autobiography involves introspection into your life’s pivotal moments. Delve into memories that have influenced your journey, such as turning points, challenges, relationships, and achievements. Reflect on these experiences, dissecting their impact on your personal growth and development. By contemplating these key events, you gain insight into the narrative threads that weave your life story together. This reflective process sets the foundation for an authentic autobiography that resonates with readers on a profound level.

Developing Your Unique Voice and Tone Crafting an autobiography demands a consistent voice and tone that reflect your personality. Write in a way that feels true to you, capturing your unique perspective and emotions. Authenticity is key, as it allows readers to connect with your narrative on a personal level. Whether your tone is introspective, humorous, or contemplative, ensure it aligns with the essence of your experiences. By embracing your genuine voice, you create an autobiography that not only tells your story but also conveys the essence of who you are.

Structured Storytelling for Engagement While autobiographies can be more flexible in structure compared to biographies, organising your narrative into coherent sections or themes enhances its readability. By grouping related experiences together, you provide readers with a clearer understanding of the themes that have shaped your life. This structure helps maintain their engagement by guiding them through your journey in a logical and compelling manner. While allowing for creativity, a structured approach ensures that your autobiography remains focused and accessible.

Embracing honesty and authenticity Honesty is the bedrock of an impactful autobiography. Share not only your triumphs but also your mistakes and failures. Authenticity creates relatability, allowing readers to connect with your humanity and vulnerabilities. Your journey’s challenges and setbacks are just as integral to your story as your successes. By being candid about your experiences, you demonstrate resilience and growth, inspiring readers to reflect on their own paths. This level of authenticity fosters a deeper connection, making your autobiography a source of empathy and encouragement.

Adding Depth Through Reflection Incorporate reflection to imbue your autobiography with depth and meaning. Explore the lessons you’ve learned from your experiences and the transformations they’ve prompted. Delve into how these moments shaped your beliefs, values, and perspective on life. By offering insights gained from introspection, you provide readers with wisdom and a broader understanding of your journey. Reflection transforms your autobiography from a chronicle of events into a thoughtful exploration of personal growth and the profound impact of life’s moments.

Creating vivid details for immersion Immerse readers in your world by employing sensory details and vivid descriptions. Paint a picture with words, allowing readers to visualise the scenes and emotions you’re describing. By incorporating sensory elements like sights, sounds, smells, and feelings, you transport readers into the moments you’re recounting. This immersive experience draws them closer to your story, fostering a stronger connection. Vivid details not only make your autobiography more engaging but also enable readers to forge a deeper connection with your experiences and emotions.

In the realm of literature, biographies and autobiographies stand as powerful testaments to the diversity and richness of human existence. Whether you’re capturing the life of a historical figure or penning your own life story, the art of writing these genres involves meticulous research, introspection, and a keen understanding of human emotions. 

Through carefully chosen words and evocative storytelling, biographers and autobiographers alike can craft narratives that resonate with readers and offer a deeper understanding of the human experience. So, whether you’re writing about the extraordinary or the everyday, embrace the challenge and privilege of narrating lives through the written word.

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How to Write a Biography: 10 Step Guide + Book Template

POSTED ON Nov 14, 2023

Written by Nicole Ahlering

So you’d like to know how to write a biography. We can help with that! In this guide, we show you how to get from the initial book idea to publishing your book , and we throw in a free template to help you on your way. 

Let’s jump right in. 

This guide teaches you how to write a biography in the following steps:

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Step 1: Read other biographies 

Austin Kleon, Author of Steal Like an Artist , says “the writer tries to master words. All of these pursuits involve the study of those who have come before and the effort to build upon their work in some way.”

In other words, to be a great writer, you need to read the best biographies written by other excellent authors!

In this case, it would behoove you to read several biographies – whether historical or celebrity biographies is up to you and your sub-genre. 

A good author to start with? Walter Isaacson . He’s written highly acclaimed biographies on everyone from Abraham Lincoln and Steve Jobs to Leonardo Da Vinci and Elon Musk. 

Step 2: Identify your subject

Next, it’s time to choose who you’d like to write about – if you don’t already have someone in mind.  

The most important factor will be, of course, your interest in the person you’re planning to write about. You’ll spend months (or even years) deep-diving into this person’s history, so you want to choose someone who you’re unlikely to tire of. 

Here are a few other factors to consider: 

• How impactful has your potential subject’s life been? In other words, will people care to learn more about this person? 
• How readily available is information about your potential subject? Biographies require extensive research, so it’s critical to choose someone who has enough information out there to dig into! Consider whether your subject has done interviews, written journals, has family or a partner willing to speak with you, and more. 
• Are there already books written about your potential subject? Just because there’s an existing biography about the person you’re interested in doesn’t (necessarily) mean you can’t write another one. But if there are two or three biographies, you may want to reconsider. If you do choose to write about someone who has already been well-documented, be mindful about approaching the topic with a new angle or perspective. For instance, there are several biographies about George Washington, but author Alexis Coe wrote one about how Washington isn’t “quite the man we remember.” This brilliant iteration has over 12,000 ratings on Goodreads .
• Is there a market demand for a book about your potential subject? If you’d like to publish your book, you need to be mindful of whether folks will want to read it. Do some research to determine if readers will be receptive to a book about the person you’re interested in. 

Related: Is a Biography a Primary Source?

Step 3: Get permission to write about your subject

We’ll start by stating the obvious. It’s a good idea to get permission to write about your subject, even if you’re not legally required to. For one thing, it’s just good manners. Plus, you’re much more likely to get unfettered access to the information and sources you need to write your book. 

But do you have to get permission? It depends.

In some cases, if your subject is considered a “public figure,” permission may not be required. The definition of a public figure varies depending on your jurisdiction, so you should always consult a lawyer before writing a biography. 

If you do decide to proceed without permission, be mindful of how your book will be received and any legal issues that may arise. 

Related : Difference Between A Memoir and Biography

Step 4: Create an outline

It’s critical to outline your biography before you begin writing it. Among other things, it helps ensure you cover every topic you’d like to and get the book in the correct chronological order. It also helps you identify themes that emerge as you organize your ideas. 

Need help creating your outline? Learn how to do it (and take advantage of free templates!) in our guide to outlining a book . 

Step 5: Select a working title (using a title generator) 

Now is the fun part! It’s time to create a working title for your book. A working title is just what it sounds like: it’s a title that works – for now. 

Of course, it’s helpful to have something to call the book as you’re working on it. And it encourages you to think about the message you’d like your book to convey. When your biography is complete, you can always do a little more research on how to write book titles for your specific sub-genre and update your working title accordingly.

Or, you can decide you still love your initial title and publish your book with that one! 

We’ve made it easy for you to develop a working title – or multiple – using our book title generator . 

Don't like it?

Step 6: Write a rough draft 

Okay, now it’s time to start writing your rough draft. Don’t be intimidated; just focus on getting something down on the page. As experts on all things writing and self-publishing, we’ve got a rough draft writing guide to help you get through this phase of writing a biography.

Remember to be as balanced and objective as possible.

Make good use of your primary and secondary sources, and double-check all of your facts. You’ve got this!  

Step 7: Self-edit

There are several different types of editing that we recommend each manuscript undergo. But before you give your rough draft to anyone else to review, you should edit it yourself. 

The first step to self-editing?

Take a break! It’s essential to give your mind some time to recuperate before you go over your work. And never self-edit as you go!

After you’ve completed your break, here are a few things to consider as you edit: 

• Grammar. This one is self-explanatory and usually the easiest. You can use an AI editor to make a first pass and quickly catch obvious spelling errors. Depending on prompts and your experience with the tool, you can also use AI to catch some grammar and syntax issues as well.
• Content and structure . This is the time to make sure the bones of your piece are good. Make sure your content flows logically (and in chronological order), no important pieces of information are missing, and there isn’t redundant or unhelpful information. 
• Clarity and consistency. Keep an eye out for any confusing copy and ensure your tone is uniform throughout the book.
• Try reading your draft aloud. You’d be surprised at how many errors, shifts in tone, or other things you’d like to change that you don’t notice while reading in your head. Go ahead and do a read-through of your draft out loud. 

Step 8: Work with an editor

Once you’ve created the best draft you can, it’s time to hire an editor. As we mentioned, there are multiple types of book editing, so you’ll need to choose the one(s) that are best for you and your project. 

For instance, you can work with a developmental editor who helps with big-picture stuff. Think book structure, organization, and overall storytelling. Or you might work with a line editor who focuses on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and the like. 

There are also specialized copy editors, content editors, fact-checkers, and more.

It’s in your best interest to do a substantial amount of research before choosing an editor since they’ll have a large impact on your book. Many editors are open to doing a paid trial so you can see their work before you sign them on for the entire book. 

Step 9: Hire a book cover designer + get an ISBN 

Once you’ve worked with your editor(s) to finalize your book, it’s time to get your book ready to go out into the world. Your first step is to hire a book cover designer to create a cover that grabs readers’ attention (pssst: did you know that all SelfPublishing authors get done-for-you professional book design? Ask us about it !).

Then, you’ll need to get an ISBN number for your book – or an International Standard Book Number. It’s a unique way to identify your book and is critical for ordering, inventory tracking, and more. 

Bear in mind that each rendition of your book – regardless of when you publish them – will need their own ISBN numbers. So if you initially publish as a softcover and hardcover book and then decide to publish an ebook with the same exact content, you'll need 3 total ISBN numbers.

To get an ISBN, head to ISBN.org and follow the steps they provide.  Or reference our guide right here for step-by-step instructions (complete with photos) on how to get an ISBN number for self-published books.

Step 10: Create a launch plan 

Now is the most exciting part. It’s time to get your book out into the world! You’ll need to map out your plan, schedule events , finalize your pricing strategy, and more. 

We have an entire guide to launching a book to help you figure it out. 

Get your free book template!

Learning how to write a biography can be challenging, but when you have a clear plan and guidance, the process is much easier. We've helped thousands of aspiring authors just like you write and self-publish their own books. We know what works – and how to become a successfully published author faster.

Take the first step today and down the book template below!

And, if you need additional help writing your biography, remember that we’re standing by to help. Just schedule a book consultation and one of our team members will help answer any of your questions about the writing process.

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How to Outline a Biography

Last Updated: July 4, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA . Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada. Stephanie's writing has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut's Avenue, and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 52,273 times.

Writing a biography can seem daunting, as you are trying to explore the entirety of someone's life on the page. The key to writing a good biography is outlining it before you dive in. A strong, detailed outline will work through key events chronologically. To outline a biography, start by discussing early life and childhood. Then, go into adulthood and current life, or later life and death if the person is no longer alive.

Discussing Early Life and Childhood

• For example, you may write, “RuPaul Andre Charles, born November 17, 1960 in San Diego, California.”

• For example, you may write, “RuPaul's mother, Ernestine Charles, was from Louisiana. RuPaul's father was Irving Charles. They divorced in 1967.”

• For example, you may write, “RuPaul grew up in San Diego, California and moved to Atlanta, Georgia with his sister when he was 15.”

• For example, you may write, “At 15 years old, RuPaul attended a performing arts school in Atlanta. After he graduated, he focused on his budding stage career, opting not to attend college.”

• For example, you may write about the person's experience with abuse at the hands of a parent. Or you may mention that the person struggled with a learning disability in middle school that would go undiagnosed until later in their life.

Outlining Adulthood

• For example, you may write, “Martha Graham went to Brown University from 1967-1981, majoring in dance. She worked under famous dancers and choreographers in the performance industry at Brown. She graduated with honors.”

• For example, you may write, “Martha Graham met choreographer Dash Nam in a dance class at Brown. They became romantic and professional partners, collaborating on a number of early performances. Nam would later play a major role in Graham's performing company in New York City.”

• For example, you may write, “Martha Graham worked as a bartender while at Brown to support herself. She then created performances for a small stipend until she was able to open her own performing company in 1987 with the help of Dash Nam.”

• For example, you may write, “Martha Graham was rejected from several major dance companies and was unemployed for several years. In frustration, Graham decided to open her own dance company and studio, using funds from friends and colleagues. It later became the premier dance company in America.”

Detailing Current Life and Impact

• For example, you may write, “RuPaul currently resides on a ranch in Wyoming with his partner of twenty years, Australian painter George LeBar. He continues to produce several successful television shows and is a continued advocate for the LGBTQ community.”

• For example, you may write, “In her later life, Graham fell into a depression and battled alcohol addiction. She died in 1991 at the age of 96 from pneumonia. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Northern New Mexico.”

• You can also include your own opinions about the person's overall life. You may include a short section on the impact the person had, or continues to have, on you.
• For example, you may write about how the person influenced a generation of artists or how the person impacted the way we view technology in the 21st century.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/how-to-write-a-biography.html
• ↑ https://www.apsu.edu/writingcenter/writing-resources/Biography-Outline.pdf
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-bio/

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How to Write an Interesting Biography

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A biography is a written account of the series of events that make up a person's life. Some of those events are going to be pretty boring, so you'll need to try to make your account as interesting as possible!

Every student will write a biography at some point, but the level of detail and sophistication will differ. A fourth grade biography will be much different from a middle school-level biography or a high school or college-level biography.

However, each biography will include the basic details. The first information you should gather in your research will include biographical details and facts. You must use a trustworthy resource to ensure that your information is accurate.

Using research note cards , collect the following data, carefully recording the source for each piece of information:

Including Basic Details

• Date and place of birth and death
• Family information
• Lifetime accomplishments
• Major events of life
• Effects/impact on society, historical significance

While this information is necessary to your project, these dry facts, on their own, don't really make a very good biography. Once you've found these basics, you'll want to dig a little deeper.

You choose a certain person because you think he or she is interesting, so you certainly don't want to burden your paper with an inventory of boring facts. Your goal is to impress your reader!

Start off with great first sentence . It's a good idea to begin with a really interesting statement, a little-known fact, or really intriguing event.

You should avoid starting out with a standard but boring line like:

"Meriwether Lewis was born in Virginia in 1774."

Instead, try starting with something like this:

"Late one afternoon in October, 1809, Meriwether Lewis arrived at a small log cabin nestled deep in the Tennessee Mountains. By sunrise on the following day, he was dead, having suffered gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

You'll have to make sure your beginning is motivating, but it should also be relevant. The next sentence or two should lead into your thesis statement , or main message of your biography.

"It was a tragic end to a life that had so deeply affected the course of history in the United States. Meriwether Lewis, a driven and often tormented soul, led an expedition of discovery that expanded a young nation's economic potential, increased its scientific understanding, and enhanced its worldwide reputation."

Now that you've created an impressive beginning , you'll want to continue the flow. Find more intriguing details about the man and his work, and weave them into the composition.

Examples of Interesting Details:

• Some people believed that Lewis and Clark would encounter elephants in the western wilderness, having misunderstood the wooly mammoth bones discovered in the United States.
• The expedition resulted in the discovery and description of 122 new animal species and subspecies.
• Lewis was a hypochondriac.
• His death is still an unsolved mystery, although it was ruled a suicide.

You can find interesting facts by consulting diverse sources.

Fill the body of your biography with material that gives insight into your subject's personality. For instance, in a biography about Meriwether Lewis, you would ask what traits or events motivated him to embark on such a monumental exercise.

Questions to Consider in Your Biography:

• Was there something in your subject's childhood that shaped his/her personality?
• Was there a personality trait that drove him/her to succeed or impeded his progress?
• What adjectives would you use to describe him/her?
• What were some turning points in this life?
• What was his/her impact on history?

Be sure to use transitional phrases and words to link your paragraphs and make your composition paragraphs flow . It is normal for good writers to re-arrange their sentences to create a better paper.

The final paragraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim about your subject. It should point out your main points, re-name the person you're writing about, but it should not repeat specific examples.

As always, proofread your paper and check for errors. Create a bibliography and title page according to your teacher's instructions. Consult a style guide for proper documentation.

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What Is Biography? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Biography definition.

A  biography  (BYE-og-ruh-fee) is a written account of one person’s life authored by another person. A biography includes all pertinent details from the subject’s life, typically arranged in a chronological order. The word  biography  stems from the Latin  biographia , which succinctly explains the word’s definition:  bios  = “life” +  graphia  = “write.”

Since the advent of the written word, historical writings have offered information about real people, but it wasn’t until the 18th century that biographies evolved into a separate literary genre.  Autobiographies  and memoirs fall under the broader biography genre, but they are distinct literary forms due to one key factor: the subjects themselves write these works. Biographies are popular source materials for documentaries, television shows, and motion pictures.

The History of Biographies

The biography form has its roots in Ancient Rome and Greece. In 44 BCE, Roman writer Cornelius Nepos published  Excellentium Imperatorum Vitae  ( Lives of the Generals ), one of the earliest recorded biographies. In 80 CE, Greek writer Plutarch released  Parallel Lives , a sweeping work consisting of 48 biographies of famous men. In 121 CE, Roman historian Suetonius wrote  De vita Caesarum  ( On the Lives of the Caesars ), a series of 12 biographies detailing the lives of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire. These were among the most widely read biographies of their time, and at least portions of them have survived intact over the millennia.

During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church had a notable influence on biographies. Historical, political, and cultural biographies fell out of favor. Biographies of religious figures—including saints, popes, and church founders—replaced them. One notable exception was Italian painter/architect Giorgio Vasari’s 1550 biography,  The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects , which was immensely popular. In fact, it is one of the first examples of a bestselling book.

Still, it wasn’t until the 18th century that authors began to abandon multiple subjects in a single work and instead focus their research and writing on one subject. Scholars consider James Boswell’s 1791  The Life of Samuel Johnson  to be the first modern biography. From here, biographies were established as a distinct literary genre, separate from more general historical writing.

As understanding of psychology and sociology grew in the 19th and early 20th centuries, biographies further evolved, offering up even more comprehensive pictures of their subjects. Authors who played major roles in this contemporary approach to biographing include Lytton Strachey, Gamaliel Bradford, and Robert Graves.

Types of Biographies

While all biographical works chronicle the lives of real people, writers can present the information in several different ways.

• Popular biographies are life histories written for a general readership.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  by Rebecca Skloot and  Into the Wild  by Jon Krakauer are two popular examples.
• Critical biographies discuss the relationship between the subject’s life and the work they produced or were involved in; for example,  The Billionaire Who Wasn’t: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune  by Conor O’Clery and  Unpresidented: A Biography of Donald Trump  by Martha Brockenbrough.
• Historical biographies put greater understanding on how the subject’s life and contributions affected or were affected by the times in which they lived; see  John Adams  by David McCullough and  Catherine the Great  by Peter K. Massie.
• Literary biographies concentrate almost exclusively on writers and artists, blending a conventional  narrative  of the historical facts of the subject’s life with an exploration of how these facts impacted their creative output. Some examples include  Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay  by Nancy Milford and  Jackson Pollock: An American Saga  by Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh.
• Reference biographies are more scholarly writings, usually written by multiple authors and covering multiple lives around a single topic. They verify facts, provide background details, and contribute supplemental information resources, like bibliographies, glossaries, and historical documents; for example,  Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007  and the  Dictionary of Canadian Biography .
• Fictional biographies, or biographical novels, like  The Other Boleyn Girl  by Philippa Gregory, incorporate creative license into the retelling of a real person’s story by taking on the structure and freedoms of a novel. The term can also describe novels in which authors give an abundance of background information on their characters, to the extent that the novel reads more like a biography than fiction. An example of this is George R.R. Martin’s  Fire and Blood , a novel detailing the history of a royal family from his popular  A Song of Ice and Fire

Biographies and Filmed Entertainment

Movie makers and television creators frequently produce biographical stories, either as dramatized productions based on real people or as nonfiction accounts.

Documentary

This genre is a nonfictional movie or television show that uses historical records to tell the story of a subject. The subject might be a one person or a group of people, or it might be a certain topic or theme. To present a biography in a visually compelling way, documentaries utilize archival footage, recreations, and interviews with subjects, scholars, experts, and others associated with the subject.

Famous film documentaries include  Grey Gardens,  a biography of two of Jacqueline Kennedy’s once-wealthy cousins, who, at the time of filming, lived in squalor in a condemned mansion in the Hamptons; and  I Am Not Your Negro , a biography of the life and legacy of pioneering American author James Baldwin.

Television documentary series tell one story over the course of several episodes, like  The Jinx :  The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst , a biography of the real estate heir and alleged serial killer that focused on his suspected crimes. There are many nonfiction television shows that use a documentary format, but subjects typically change from one episode to the next, such as A&E’s  Biography  and PBS’s  POV .

These films are biographical motion pictures, written by screenwriters and performed by actors. They often employ a certain amount of creative liberty in their interpretation of a real life. This is largely done to maintain a feasible runtime; capturing all of the pivotal moments of a subject’s life in a 90- or 120-minute movie is all but impossible. So, filmmakers might choose to add, eliminate, or combine key events and characters, or they may focus primarily on one or only a few aspects of the subject’s life. Some popular examples:  Coal Miner’s Daughter , a biography of country music legend Loretta Lynn;  Malcom X , a biopic centered on the civil rights leader of the same name; and  The King’s Speech , a dramatization of Prince Albert’s efforts to overcome a stutter and ascend the English throne.

Semi-fictionalized account

This approach takes a real-life event and interprets or expands it in ways that stray beyond what actually happened. This is done for entertainment and to build the story so it fits the filmmaker’s vision or evolves into a longer form, such as a multi-season television show. These accounts sometimes come with the disclaimer that they are “inspired by true events.” Examples of semi-fictionalized accounts are the TV series  Orange Is the New Black ,  Masters of Sex , and  Mozart of the Jungle —each of which stem from at least one biographical element, but showrunners expounded upon to provide many seasons of entertainment.

The Functions of Biography

Biographies inform readers about the life of a notable person. They are a way to introduce readers to the work’s subject—the historical details, the subject’s motivations and psychological underpinnings, and their environment and the impact they had, both in the short and long term.

Because the author is somewhat removed from their subject, they can offer a more omniscient, third-person narrative account. This vantage point allows the author to put certain events into a larger context; compare and contrast events, people, and behaviors predominant in the subject’s life; and delve into psychological and sociological themes of which the subject may not have been aware.

Also, a writer structures a biography to make the life of the subject interesting and readable. Most biographers want to entertain as well as inform, so they typically use a traditional  plot  structure—an introduction,  conflict , rising of tension, a climax, a resolution, and an ending—to give the life story a narrative shape. While the ebb and flow of life is a normal day-to-day rhythm, it doesn’t necessarily make for entertaining reading. The job of the writer, then, becomes one of shaping the life to fit the elements of a good plot.

Writers Known for Biographies

Many modern writers have dedicated much of their careers to biographies, such as:

• Kitty Kelley, author of  Jackie Oh! An Intimate Biography; His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra ; and  The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty
• Antonia Fraser, author of  Mary Queen of Scots ;  Cromwell; Our Chief of Men ; and  The Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Faith in 1605
• David McCullough, author of  The Path Between the Seas; Truman ; and  John Adams
• Andrew Morton, author of  Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words; Madonna ; and  Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography
• Alison Weir, author of  The Six Wives of Henry VIII; Eleanor of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God; Queen of England ; and  Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess

Examples of Biographies

1. James Boswell,  The Life of Samuel Johnson

The biography that ushered in the modern era of true-life writing,  The Life of Samuel Johnson  covered the entirety of its subject’s life, from his birth to his status as England’s preeminent writer to his death. Boswell was a personal acquaintance of Johnson, so he was able to draw on voluminous amounts of personal conversations the two shared.

What also sets this biography apart is, because Boswell was a contemporary of Johnson, readers see Johnson in the context of his own time. He wasn’t some fabled figure that a biographer was writing about centuries later; he was someone to whom the author had access, and Boswell could see the real-world influence his subject had on life in the here and now.

2. Sylvia Nasar,  A Beautiful Mind

Nasar’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize-nominated biography of mathematician John Nash introduced legions of readers to Nash’s remarkable life and genius. The book opens with Nash’s childhood and follows him through his education, career, personal life, and struggles with schizophrenia. It ends with his acceptance of the 1994 Nobel Prize for Economics. In addition to a Pulitzer nomination,  A Beautiful Mind  won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography, was a  New York Times  bestseller, and provided the basis for the Academy Award-winning 2001 film of the same name.

3. Catherine Clinton,  Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom

Clinton’s biography of the abolitionist icon is a large-scale epic that chronicles Tubman’s singular life. It starts at her birth in the 1820s as the slave Araminta Ross, continuing through her journey to freedom; her pivotal role in the Underground Railroad; her Moses-like persona; and her death in 1913.

Because Tubman could not read or write, she left behind no letters, diaries, or other personal papers in her own hand and voice. Clinton reconstructed Tubman’s history entirely through other source material, and historians often cite this work as the quintessential biography of Tubman’s life.

4. Megan Mayhew Bergman,  Almost Famous Women

Almost Famous Women  is not a biography in the strictest sense of the word; it is a fictional interpretation of real-life women. Each short story revolves around a woman from history with close ties to fame, such as movie star Marlene Dietrich, Standard Oil heiress Marion “Joe” Carstairs, aviatrix Beryl Markham, Oscar Wilde’s niece Dolly, and Lord Byron’s daughter Allegra. Mayhew Bergman imagines these colorful women in equally colorful episodes that put them in a new light—a light that perhaps offers them the honor and homage that history denied them.

Further Resources on Biography

Newsweek  compiled their picks for the  75 Best Biographies of All Time .

The Open Education Database has a list of  75 Biographies to Read Before You Die .

Goodreads put together a list of readers’  best biography selections .

If you’re looking to write biographies,  Infoplease  has instructions for writing shorter pieces, while  The Writer   has practical advice for writing manuscript-length bios.

Ranker  collected  a comprehensive list of famous biographers .

Related Terms

• Autobiography
• Short Story

Definition of Biography

A biography is the non- fiction , written history or account of a person’s life. Biographies are intended to give an objective portrayal of a person, written in the third person. Biographers collect information from the subject (if he/she is available), acquaintances of the subject, or in researching other sources such as reference material, experts, records, diaries, interviews, etc. Most biographers intend to present the life story of a person and establish the context of their story for the reader, whether in terms of history and/or the present day. In turn, the reader can be reasonably assured that the information presented about the biographical subject is as true and authentic as possible.

Biographies can be written about a person at any time, no matter if they are living or dead. However, there are limitations to biography as a literary device. Even if the subject is involved in the biographical process, the biographer is restricted in terms of access to the subject’s thoughts or feelings.

Biographical works typically include details of significant events that shape the life of the subject as well as information about their childhood, education, career, and relationships. Occasionally, a biography is made into another form of art such as a film or dramatic production. The musical production of “Hamilton” is an excellent example of a biographical work that has been turned into one of the most popular musical productions in Broadway history.

Common Examples of Biographical Subjects

Most people assume that the subject of a biography must be a person who is famous in some way. However, that’s not always the case. In general, biographical subjects tend to be interesting people who have pioneered something in their field of expertise or done something extraordinary for humanity. In addition, biographical subjects can be people who have experienced something unusual or heartbreaking, committed terrible acts, or who are especially gifted and/or talented.

As a literary device, biography is important because it allows readers to learn about someone’s story and history. This can be enlightening, inspiring, and meaningful in creating connections. Here are some common examples of biographical subjects:

• political leaders
• entrepreneurs
• historical figures
• serial killers
• notorious people
• political activists
• adventurers/explorers
• religious leaders
• military leaders
• cultural figures

Famous Examples of Biographical Works

The readership for biography tends to be those who enjoy learning about a certain person’s life or overall field related to the person. In addition, some readers enjoy the literary form of biography independent of the subject. Some biographical works become well-known due to either the person’s story or the way the work is written, gaining a readership of people who may not otherwise choose to read biography or are unfamiliar with its form.

Here are some famous examples of biographical works that are familiar to many readers outside of biography fans:

• Alexander Hamilton (Ron Chernow)
• Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Caroline Fraser)
• Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)
• Churchill: A Life (Martin Gilbert)
• The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (Simon Winchester)
• A Beautiful Mind (Sylvia Nasar)
• The Black Rose (Tananarive Due)
• John Adams (David McCullough)
• Into the Wild ( Jon Krakauer )
• John Brown (W.E.B. Du Bois)
• Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo (Hayden Herrera)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
• Shirley Jackson : A Rather Haunted Life ( Ruth Franklin)
• the stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit (Michael Finkel)

Difference Between Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir

Biography, autobiography , and memoir are the three main forms used to tell the story of a person’s life. Though there are similarities between these forms, they have distinct differences in terms of the writing, style , and purpose.

A biography is an informational narrative and account of the life history of an individual person, written by someone who is not the subject of the biography. An autobiography is the story of an individual’s life, written by that individual. In general, an autobiography is presented chronologically with a focus on key events in the person’s life. Since the writer is the subject of an autobiography, it’s written in the first person and considered more subjective than objective, like a biography. In addition, autobiographies are often written late in the person’s life to present their life experiences, challenges, achievements, viewpoints, etc., across time.

Memoir refers to a written collection of a person’s significant memories, written by that person. Memoir doesn’t generally include biographical information or chronological events unless it’s relevant to the story being presented. The purpose of memoir is reflection and an intention to share a meaningful story as a means of creating an emotional connection with the reader. Memoirs are often presented in a narrative style that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Examples of Biography in Literature

An important subset of biography is literary biography. A literary biography applies biographical study and form to the lives of artists and writers. This poses some complications for writers of literary biographies in that they must balance the representation of the biographical subject, the artist or writer, as well as aspects of the subject’s literary works. This balance can be difficult to achieve in terms of judicious interpretation of biographical elements within an author’s literary work and consideration of the separate spheres of the artist and their art.

Literary biographies of artists and writers are among some of the most interesting biographical works. These biographies can also be very influential for readers, not only in terms of understanding the artist or writer’s personal story but the context of their work or literature as well. Here are some examples of well-known literary biographies:

Example 1:  Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay  (Nancy Milford)

One of the first things Vincent explained to Norma was that there was a certain freedom of language in the Village that mustn’t shock her. It wasn’t vulgar. ‘So we sat darning socks on Waverly Place and practiced the use of profanity as we stitched. Needle in, . Needle out, piss. Needle in, . Needle out, c. Until we were easy with the words.’

This passage reflects the way in which Milford is able to characterize St. Vincent Millay as a person interacting with her sister. Even avid readers of a writer’s work are often unaware of the artist’s private and personal natures, separate from their literature and art. Milford reflects the balance required on the part of a literary biographer of telling the writer’s life story without undermining or interfering with the meaning and understanding of the literature produced by the writer. Though biographical information can provide some influence and context for a writer’s literary subjects, style, and choices , there is a distinction between the fictional world created by a writer and the writer’s “real” world. However, a literary biographer can illuminate the writer’s story so that the reader of both the biography and the biographical subject’s literature finds greater meaning and significance.

Example 2:  The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens  (Claire Tomalin)

The season of domestic goodwill and festivity must have posed a problem to all good Victorian family men with more than one family to take care of, particularly when there were two lots of children to receive the demonstrations of paternal love.

Tomalin’s literary biography of Charles Dickens reveals the writer’s extramarital relationship with a woman named Nelly Ternan. Tomalin presents the complications that resulted for Dickens from this relationship in terms of his personal and family life as well as his professional writing and literary work. Revealing information such as an extramarital relationship can influence the way a reader may feel about the subject as a person, and in the case of literary biography it can influence the way readers feel about the subject’s literature as well. Artists and writers who are beloved , such as Charles Dickens, are often idealized by their devoted readers and society itself. However, as Tomalin’s biography of Dickens indicates, artists and writers are complicated and as subject to human failings as anyone else.

Example 3:  Virginia Woolf  (Hermione Lee)

‘A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living’: so too with the biography of that self. And just as lives don’t stay still, so life-writing can’t be fixed and finalised. Our ideas are shifting about what can be said, our knowledge of human character is changing. The biographer has to pioneer, going ‘ahead of the rest of us, like the miner’s canary, testing the atmosphere , detecting falsity, unreality, and the presence of obsolete conventions’. So, ‘There are some stories which have to be retold by each generation’. She is talking about the story of Shelley, but she could be talking about her own life-story.

In this passage, Lee is able to demonstrate what her biographical subject, Virginia Woolf, felt about biography and a person telling their own or another person’s story. Literary biographies of well-known writers can be especially difficult to navigate in that both the author and biographical subject are writers, but completely separate and different people. As referenced in this passage by Lee, Woolf was aware of the subtleties and fluidity present in a person’s life which can be difficult to judiciously and effectively relay to a reader on the part of a biographer. In addition, Woolf offers insight into the fact that biographers must make choices in terms of what information is presented to the reader and the context in which it is offered, making them a “miner’s canary” as to how history will view and remember the biographical subject.

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The contents page of a biography or memoir will give you an idea of the structure the author has used. Chapters in biographies are usually around 6-8,000 words in length but there are no hard and fast rules. The occasional short chapter can bring variety to the pace of the book. Some authors punctuate their chapters with short asides in which they pause from the main narrative to expand a particular theme without interrupting the narrative flow. Kathryn Hughes's The Short Life & Long Times of Mrs Beeton is laced with "interludes" in which she explores topics such as Mrs Beeton's awareness of the link between health and diet, and whether Mrs Beeton ruined British cooking. Each adds to the reader's knowledge of the period without causing the narrative drive to stall. Alternatively, you might prefer to weave themes into the central story.

Cradle to Grave

A biography typically starts with the subject's birth (it's surprising how many begin with a description of the weather) and continues in a roughly chronological order until their death. The advantage of this approach, which could equally apply to the history of a family, is that it is easy to follow. The downside is that it can appear plodding - especially if you're writing about someone who had an action-packed early life but whose later days were tame. One solution is to condense your treatment of the less exciting years but this can be difficult to achieve without making the book seem unbalanced. Alexander Masters turned the traditional form on its head in Stuart, A Life Backwards by telling the story in reverse chronological order.

A year in the life of ...

Another approach is to focus on a distinct period, as James Shapiro does in 1599, A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare. This was the year in which the playwright completed Henry V, wrote Julius Caesar and As You Like It and drafted Hamlet, but also a year of great excitement in England - an aging Queen faced the threat of invasion by Catholic Spain, rebellion in Ireland and intrigue at court. Shapiro's book marries both threads together to create an intimate picture of what life must have been like for Shakespeare and the influences that fed into his writing. Shapiro starts with the winter of 1598 and refers to events before and after 1599 to illuminate a single year.

This could work equally well for family history. The year 1948, for example, is significant for many families as it marked the arrival of West Indian immigrants on the ship Empire Windrush. Andrea Levy, herself the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, focussed on this one momentous year in her novel, Small Island.

Richard Benson, a journalist with The Face, based his book, The Farm, on notebooks he kept during the few weeks when he helped his parents to prepare the family farm in Yorkshire for sale after they reluctantly decided they could no longer afford to live there. Although the book focuses on a distinct period in time, he widens its scope to reflect back on his childhood, and the importance of the farm in his life.

Group biographies and biographical pairings

Writing about two or more people whose lives have a natural symbiosis can give the reader more for less. The subjects might share a similar background and context and the interaction between them will give the reader a deeper understanding of each.

This is especially true of family members and in particular siblings. James Fox's The Langhorne Sisters is both a group biography and a family history in which he uses letters and diaries to examine the lives of his great-aunts and grandmother who were born in Virginia, USA, but who made their mark on high society on both sides of the Atlantic

One of the advantages of group biographies is that there is usually at least one figure who is more flamboyant than the others. He or she can sweep the story along, carrying other characters, who may be less compelling, with them. Nancy Astor, who became the first woman to take her seat in parliament, fills this role in The Langhorne Sisters.

In some instances the rivalry and tension between the biographical subjects add a sense of drama to a joint biography whether the figures are Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes or the cousins Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Roland Huntford's joint biography of the polar explorers, Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen, The Last Place on Earth opens with a short description (less than a page) of the two men embarking on their expeditions before doubling back to outline earlier attempts to reach the South Pole and then jumping forward to look at Scott and Amundsen's biographical roots. His approach allows him to tell both their life stories at the same time as he recounts the race to the pole.

Another way of pulling together the lives of a group of people is to use a single event as a unifying theme. In A Night at the Majestic, Richard Davenport-Hines describes a famous dinner party at the Majestic Hotel in Paris in 1922 that was attended by Stravinsky, Joyce, Diaghilev, Picasso and Proust.

The structure of Nigel Slater's memoir, Toast, appears to be little more than a bundle of headings, mostly connected to food and each evoking a 1960s childhood: "Spaghetti Bolognese", "Arctic Roll", "Butterscotch Flavour Angel Delight" (which starts with a list of ingredients: "Sugar, Modified Starch, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Emulsifiers ...)" Each is no more than a few pages long. But, despite its apparent simplicity, the characters develop and the story unravels in a way that is far from haphazard.

Since Slater is a professional cook, recipes provide natural prompts but this is a format that could translate to other subjects. If your parents met through their shared passion for amateur dramatics you could use theatre programmes to tell their story. Or if you have a box full of old photos you could write commentaries to some of the pictures. As you progress you will find that themes start to emerge: the annual camping trip when your mother stayed at home, the different houses you lived in, or family celebrations.

Chapter breakdown

Once you've decided on a structure you will need a chapter breakdown outlining what you will cover in each chapter. This is a valuable way of helping you to organise your material and to assess the overall pace of your book. Are there sections that appear a little "flat" and where you might want to freshen up your writing with extra research so that you can inject some colour into the writing? Or perhaps you need to move material around. Does one chapter contain too many facts or maybe you've revealed too much of the story too soon? Expect your chapter breakdown to change and evolve as your book takes shape. A publisher or literary agent will want to see it, together with at least one sample chapter, as part of your book proposal.

A preface allows you to introduce your book and to tell the reader its scope and why you've decided to write it. This can be useful if you want to explain to younger generations why you've chosen to write a family history. A prologue gives you the chance to write an introductory scene - perhaps from a dramatic moment in the life you're about to write. The aim is to "hook" the reader but the danger in including a preface or prologue - or both - is that the reader doesn't quite know when the book proper has started.

Alexander Masters on structure

I'm rotten at planning books. Certainly I was with my first book, and I don't seem to have improved with the one I'm working on now. I write in blobs a possible chapter here, a couple of paragraphs there - and pray that sooner or later it'll all fit together.

With Stuart, I messed up royally on the first attempt. I used the old-fashioned, orderly biographical structure: begin before the beginning, dole out 20 pages of ancestors until the hero appears, meander on through school etc. Somewhere about page 50 the subject finally does something interesting. Stuart said the result was "bollocks boring", and he was right. It bored me to tears. That type of structure reflected nothing of his character. Stuart was the opposite of orderly: a chaotic, outrageous, alcoholic sociopath who spent much of his adult life on the streets or in jail.

Stuart discovered the solution. Tear up the first version and write the book the other way round, ie backwards, "like a murder mystery": start from the point when we first met, then work back to his childhood to find out "what murdered the boy I was". Not only did this structure offer a strong drive to the story, the telling of it became unpredictable and erratic again, and exciting to write. All that plodding preparation vanished. At last, the structure reflected the man.

· Alexander Masters' Stuart: A Life Backwards won the Whitbread Award for biography in 2005

Exercise: foreground versus background

Decide who the principal characters will be and the background against which their story will be told. If you're writing the biography of a famous fashion designer the background might include rival designers, models, their partners and family. Their story might switch between the east end of London (where they grew up), to Carnaby Street (where they learnt their trade), to Paris (where they worked) to New York (where they lived when they were famous).

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Title: large deviation principles and evolutionary multiple structure alignment of non-coding rna.

Abstract: Non-coding RNA are functional molecules that are not translated into proteins. Their function comes as important regulators of biological function. Because they are not translated, they need not be as stable as other types of RNA. The TKF91 Structure Tree from Holmes 2004 is a probability model that effectively describes correlated substitution, insertion, and deletion of base pairs, and found to have some worth in understanding dynamic folding patterns. In this paper, we provide a new probabilistic analysis of the TKF91 Structure Tree. Large deviation principles on stem lengths, helix lengths, and tree size are proved. Additionally, we give a new alignment procedure that constructs accurate sequence and structural alignments for sequences with low identity for a dense enough phylogeny.

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Uncovering the lignin-degrading potential of Serratia quinivorans AORB19: insights from genomic analyses and alkaline lignin degradation

• Nadia Sufdar Ali 1 , 2 ,
• Subarna Thakur 3 ,
• Mengwei Ye 4 ,
• Fanny Monteil-Rivera 4 ,
• Youlian Pan 5 ,
• Wensheng Qin 2 &
• Trent Chunzhong Yang 1 , 6  

BMC Microbiology volume  24 , Article number:  181 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Lignin is an intricate phenolic polymer found in plant cell walls that has tremendous potential for being converted into value-added products with the possibility of significantly increasing the economics of bio-refineries. Although lignin in nature is bio-degradable, its biocatalytic conversion is challenging due to its stable complex structure and recalcitrance. In this context, an understanding of strain's genomics, enzymes, and degradation pathways can provide a solution for breaking down lignin to unlock the full potential of lignin as a dominant valuable bioresource. A gammaproteobacterial strain AORB19 has been isolated previously from decomposed wood based on its high laccase production. This work then focused on the detailed genomic and functional characterization of this strain based on whole genome sequencing, the identification of lignin degradation products, and the strain’s laccase production capabilities on various agro-industrial residues.

Lignin degrading bacterial strain AORB19 was identified as Serratia quinivorans based on whole genome sequencing and core genome phylogeny. The strain comprised a total of 123 annotated CAZyme genes, including ten cellulases, four hemicellulases, five predicted carbohydrate esterase genes, and eight lignin-degrading enzyme genes. Strain AORB19 was also found to possess genes associated with metabolic pathways such as the β-ketoadipate, gentisate, anthranilate, homogentisic, and phenylacetate CoA pathways. LC–UV analysis demonstrated the presence of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde and vanillin in the culture media which constitutes potent biosignatures indicating the strain’s capability to degrade lignin. Finally, the study evaluated the laccase production of Serratia AORB19 grown with various industrial raw materials, with the highest activity detected on flax seed meal (257.71 U/L), followed by pea hull (230.11 U/L), canola meal (209.56 U/L), okara (187.67 U/L), and barley malt sprouts (169.27 U/L).

Conclusions

The whole genome analysis of Serratia quinivorans AORB19 , elucidated a repertoire of genes, pathways and enzymes vital for lignin degradation that widens the understanding of ligninolytic metabolism among bacterial lignin degraders. The LC-UV analysis of the lignin degradation products coupled with the ability of S. quinivorans AORB19 to produce laccase on diverse agro-industrial residues underscores its versatility and its potential to contribute to the economic viability of bio-refineries.

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Next to cellulose, lignin is the most generic renewable material available on earth, and the primary by-product of lignocellulosic bio-refineries such as pulp and paper, bioethanol and biogas industries. It is a major component found in plant cell walls in association with cellulose and hemicellulose and act as a physical and chemical barrier to biodegradative systems [ 1 ]. Lignin is a crosslinked aromatic polymer comprised of various hydroxy phenylpropanoid units, namely syringyl (S), guaiacyl (G) or p -hydroxyphenyl (H) propanoid units, linked together through ether and carbon–carbon bonds [ 2 ]. Due to its high relative abundance and its high content of phenolic units, lignin is seen as the substrate of choice for the production of value-added aromatic biochemicals.

Microbial and enzymatic lignin degradations hold great potential for the development of bioprocesses which offers sustainable and selective alternatives to conventional thermochemical production [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. However, despite this theoretical potential, lignin valorization into aromatic monomers via thermochemical or biological processes remains limited [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]. One of the major challenges in biological lignin conversion is the complexity of lignin and the fact that proficient lignin degradation requires a range of multiple enzymes working in cascade reactions. So far, enzymes that degrade monomeric phenolic units have been reported to degrade/modify lignin with only low efficiency. Identifying microbial catalysts with enhanced lignin-degrading capabilities is crucial for breaking down lignin into usable fragments and achieving high productivity in bioconversion of lignin.

Serratia is a gram-negative bacterial genus belonging to the large and diverse Yersiniaceae family. There are currently more than 20 recognized species within the genus Serratia , which are differentiated by their characteristics, including morphology, physiology, and biochemical properties. Due to its relevance as an opportunistic human pathogen, much of the research on this genus has focused on the Serratia marcescens . Other related species including S. rubidaea, S. odorifera , and  S. liquefaciens have been also reported to be associated with nosocomial infections. Serratia quinivorans was previously classified as a subspecies of S. proteamaculans and designated as S. proteamaculans subsp. quinivorans [ 8 ]. It was recently included as a separate species in Serratia liquefaciens complex, which contains other species like S. liquefaciens, S. grimesii and  S. proteamaculans [ 9 ], based on average nucleotide identity (ANI) phylogroup analysis. The sub-specific epithet "quinovora" in S. proteamaculans subsp. quinivorans means "quinine-devouring," indicating the strain’s ability to utilize quinate [ 10 ]. They are gram negative, non-pigmented, non-spore-forming rods, facultative anaerobic, motile by means of peritrichous flagella and have been mostly isolated from soil, plants, wild rodents, insects, and water [ 9 ].

Recent studies highlight Serratia quinivorans as a versatile microorganism with potential applications in diverse fields. Previous studies have reported compelling evidence of the remarkable cold-adaptation and biocontrol capabilities of Serratia quinivorans PKL:12 [ 11 ]. In addition, the discovery of a psychrotolerant strain of S. quinivorans , which secretes β-D-galactosidase that remains active in cold environments, highlights the potential of this species for future biotechnological applications [ 12 ]. Furthermore, a novel endophytic strain of S. quinivorans , KP32 was identified which has the ability to produce a variety of lytic and antioxidant enzymes, highlighting its immense potential as a biocontrol agent with promising applications in several fields [ 13 ]. Notably, a S. quinivorans strain 124R was found associated with aromatic metabolism while using organosolv lignin as the sole carbon source under anoxic conditions, demonstrating the potential of S. quinivorans strains for lignin biorefinery applications [ 14 ].Whole genome sequencing can provide insights into the metabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms involved in the process and is important for advancing the understanding of lignin degradation and its potential applications in the production of biochemicals. For example, in a recent study of the lignin-degrading bacteria Streptomyces thermocarboxydus DF3-3, sequencing of the whole genome allowed for the identification of key regulatory genes and pathways involved in the degradation of lignin [ 15 ]. Strain Serratia sp . (AORB19) was recently isolated by our lab from decomposed wood samples that is able to grow on lignin-based medium and produce laccase enzyme [ 16 ].

Industrial processes generate significant lignocellulosic wastes, including agro-industrial residues, palm oil mill effluents, brewing industry by-products, and dairy industry residues [ 17 , 18 ]. Consequently, improper disposal or incineration of these wastes exacerbates soil and water quality deterioration and contributes to air pollution [ 19 , 20 ]. In this backdrop, employing microbial strains capable of utilizing these wastes not only mitigates environmental challenges associated with waste management but also has the potential to yield value-added products and biologically active compounds [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. In line with this aim, recent studies have reported the efficacy of microbial strains in the laccase production utilizing various agro-industrial residues [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. However, there is a limited understanding of the strain Serratia quinivorans in terms of its underlying molecular mechanisms of lignin degradation, and laccase production capabilities in diverse agro-industrial residues in waste valorization applications, particularly in lignocellulosic biorefineries. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the lignin-degrading capabilities of strain AORB19 employing whole-genome sequencing and analysis of its degradative products. Additionally, it will assess the effectiveness of strain AORB19 in enhancing laccase production using various agro-industrial residues.

Results and discussion

General genomic features of serratia aorb19.

The final  Serratia AORB19 genome assembly contained 42 contigs sequences longer than 500 bp with a total consensus genome size of 5587018 bp ( ∼ 5.5 Mb) and GC content of 54.99%, which was comparable to the genome sizes of previously sequenced Serratia genomes. The largest contig size was 1236132 bp, and the N50 size was 370852 bp. The BUSCO evaluation showed 99.7% completeness of this genome, indicating a high-quality genome assembly. All annotation statistics are listed in Table  1 .

The genome had 5655 protein-coding genes, of which 4002 genes were functionally assigned, while the remaining genes were annotated as hypothetical proteins (29.23%). In addition, 108 non-coding RNAs, including tRNAs, rRNAs, and snRNA were identified in the Serratia genome. The circular plot of the genome is represented in Fig.  1 .

Overview of S. quinivorans AORB19 genome. A : Circular plot generated by DNA plotter. Circles indicate, from inside outwards: GC skew (yellow/green); GC content (moss green/purple); putative lignocelluloses enzymes (cyan); putative laccase –like enzyme genes (purple); tRNA coding genes (green) and rRNA (red); protein-coding genes on reverse strand (blue); and protein-coding genes on forward strand (red)

The functional annotation reveals that out of the total protein-coding genes, 4955 genes that have been assigned were annotated with Clusters of Orthologous Genes (COG) terms and grouped into 21 classes, generally covering the essential functions of cellular processes, metabolism, information storage and general function. The top five functional COG terms were transcription, K (10%), amino acid transport and metabolism, E (10%), carbohydrate transport and metabolism, G (8%), inorganic ion transport and metabolism, P (6%), and cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis, M (6%) (Fig.  2 ). In the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotation of the genome, 3320 genes were successfully annotated with 2333 KEGG Orthologous (KO) terms. Detailed analysis of the KEGG pathways (Fig.  3 ) revealed that the genes were enriched in 23 pathways and four major functions of metabolism, including genetic information processing, environmental information processing and cell process. In the category of metabolic processes, 11 pathways were annotated among which 400 and 303 genes were enriched in the carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism pathways, respectively. Five pathways in the genetic information processing category were annotated, with the translation pathway having the most annotations of 82 genes. Under the environmental information processing category, 256 and 159 genes were enriched in the membrane transport and signal transduction pathways, respectively. A total of 2366 genes from AORB19 were annotated in the Gene ontology (GO) database under the three broad categories of biological process (BP), cellular component (CC), and molecular function (MF). As shown in Fig.  4 , the top three annotated BPs were the metabolic processes, cellular metabolic process and organic substance metabolic process, in which 1370, 1216, and 1202 genes were enriched, respectively. There were 1030, 988, and 824 genes enriched in the top three CCs, including intracellular anatomical structure, cytoplasm and cytosol respectively. The top annotated MFs include catalytic activity, binding and ion-binding with 1244, 963 and 496 genes.

Distribution of Clusters of Orthologous Genes (COG) functional categories in the complete genome sequence of S quinivorans AORB19 genome

Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) pathway annotation of the assembled genome of strain AORB19. Percentage of gene sequences assigned to each sub-category of the four top KO categories, namely metabolism (red), genetic information processing (green), environmental information processing (blue), cellular processes (yellow) were calculated and displayed

GO classification of bacterial gene function annotation. MF stands for molecular function; BP for biological process and CC for cellular components

Whole genome comparison

The GenBank now contains numerous whole-genome sequences due to advancements in next-generation sequencing, enabling the utilization of whole-genome sequencing as a novel approach for species differentiation. Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) and in-silico DNA-DNA hybridization ( is DDH) analysis are the most commonly used parameters for taxonomic assignments. In the context of genome-based species delineation, in-silico DDH is widely regarded as a reliable alternative to traditional DDH methods.

ANI is a measure of nucleotide-level genomic similarity between the coding regions of two genomes. The ANI matrix (Fig.  5 ) reveals that the genome of AORB19 showed an ANI < 95% with most of the other type strains in the genus Serratia including the S. proteamaculans CCUG 14510. A 95% ANI cutoff is the most frequently used standard for species demarcation [ 28 ]. However, AORB19 shows a high ANI value (> 95%) with S. quinivorans NCTC11544 and therefore this genome is very close to the S. quinivorans genome . Genome-to-Genome Distance Calculator (GGDC) analyses among the 15 Serratia strains (Fig.  5 ) yielded in-silico DDH estimates greater than 81% between strain AORB19 and S. quinivorans NCTC11544 indicating that they potentially belong to the same species. All other 13 pairwise comparisons with AORB19 indicated that they were different species based on 70% species delimitation threshold [ 29 ].

Matrix showing the values of ANI and in-silico DDH comparison of S. quinivorans AORB19 with 14 other type strains of Serratia . The upper half of the matrix (highlighted in yellow) shows the results of ANI analysis whereas the lower half of the matrix (highlighted in blue) shows the results of in-silico DDH analysis

To further infer the phylogenomic relationship of this genome, 16S phylogenetic neighbour joining type tree was constructed. The 16S rRNA tree (Supplementary file 1: Fig. S1 ) reveals that S. quinivora AORB19 is placed in a clade along with S. proteamaculans, S. liquefaciens, S. grimesii and S. quinivorans CP6a but quite distinctly placed from S. quinivorans NCTC 11544 strain. Classical 16S rRNA gene-based trees might not possess sufficient resolution to differentiate between closely related species like S. liquefaciens, S. grimesii, S. proteamaculans and S. quinivorans [ 30 ]. Core genome-based phylogeny provides a better resolution and is more robust than conventional marker gene-based phylogeny. Thus, we investigated the genetic diversity within the Serratia genus by inferring the phylogenomic relationship based on the core genome. For this purpose, we used the up-to-date bacterial core gene set (UBCG2) consisting of 81 core genes from 3,508 bacterial species covering 43 phyla [ 31 ]. Phylogenetic tree analysis inferred by the maximum-likelihood method based on core genes defined by UBCG2 (Fig.  6 ) clearly indicated that AORB19 belongs to the same clade as S. proteamaculans, S. quinivorans, S. liquefaciens and S. grimesii strains. But AORB19 is closer to S. quinivorans strains than to S. proteamaculans strains in this analysis. The maximum likelihood-based whole genome-based phylogenetic tree (Fig.  7 ) constructed on 74 publicly available Serratia genomes was consistent with the ANI and in-silico DDH results. It also corroborated the fact that this genome is closest to the Serratia quinivorans species although it had close relationships with S. proteamaculans and S. liquefaciens strains . Despite this strain having been previously reported as S. proteamaculans AORB19 [ 16 ] based on its 16S rRNA sequence, comparative genomic analyses of the entire genome suggest that the strain should be designated as Serratia quinivorans AORB19.

Core genome-based phylogenetic tree constructed by UBCG pipeline

Whole genome phylogeny constructed for S . quinivorans AORB19 and 74 publicly available Serratia genomes. Tree was constructed using the BV-BRC system ( https://www.bv-brc.org )

Lignocellulose degrading enzymes of strain AORB19

CAZyme (carbohydrate-active enzyme) annotation for the AORB19 genome was completed utilizing the dbCAN 3 meta server ( https://bcb.unl.edu/dbCAN2/ ). The different classes of CAZymes, including glycosyltransferase (GT), glycoside hydrolase (GH), polysaccharide lyase (PL), carbohydrate esterase (CE), auxiliary activity (AA), and carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), play crucial roles in sugar metabolism, specifically in the synthesis, binding, and breakdown of carbohydrates. The total annotated CAZymes gene number in AORB19 genome was 123 including 47 GTs, 58 GHs, 5 CEs, 8 AAs and 13 CBMs (Supplementary file 2: Fig. S2 ). No gene was assigned to PLs. A few genes were assigned to more than one class of CAZymes. For example, SQAORB19_5091 was assigned to both CBM32 and GH144 classes.

The glycoside hydrolases in the GH23 family were widely represented in this genome, including 8 predicted encoding genes involved in the deconstruction of peptidoglycan along with chitinase activity. The chitin degrading ability of Serratia marcescens has been previously described [ 32 ]. The genome of strain AORB19 contains 5 genes encoding GH1, and 5 for GH4s. GH1 members are a widespread group of enzymes that hydrolyze the glycosidic bond between two or more carbohydrate units. The GH1 family comprises the majority of bacterial β-glucosidases used in cellulose hydrolysis [ 33 ]. Members of GH4 are also involved in cleavage of glycosidic bonds, but exhibit unusual cofactor requirements for activity involving NAD + [ 34 ]. A total of 26 encoded proteins in the AORB19 genome were found to be involved in lignocellulose degradation including chitinase activity (Table  2 ). These included 10 cellulases, which are key enzymes involved in the decomposition of cellulose into glucose; they are members of the GH1, GH3, GH8, GH43, GH45, GH144 families. A variety of annotated GHs and CEs in AROB19 are predicted to participate in hemicellulose degradation. A total of 4 hemicellulases, including xylanases and mannanases were found in the genome belonging to GH43, CE4 and GH2 families.

The second most frequent enzyme family contained in this genome was the glycosyltransferases GT family (47 encoding genes). The transfer of sugar residues from activated donor molecules to saccharide or non-saccharide acceptor molecules to form glycosidic linkages is facilitated by GTs. The most abundant GTs belong to the GT2 family including cellulose synthase, chitin synthase, mannosyltransferase, glucosyltransferase, galactosyltransferase. The output from dbCAN2 also included multiple hits corresponding to carbohydrate esterases (CEs) represented with 5 predicted genes attributed to CE11, CE14, CE4 and CE9 families. CEs accelerate the degradation of polysaccharides by acting on ester bonds in carbohydrates, thereby facilitating the access of glycoside hydrolases. The most abundant CEs in the genome belonged to the CE4 family acting on acetylated xylan and chitin. The genome also had 13 genes predicted to encode carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs). The majority of predicted CBMs belonged to CBM50 and CBM48. CBM50 proteins play a crucial role in the binding of enzymes with cleavage activity of chitin or peptidoglycan, whereas CBM48 encodes specific modules with glycogen-binding function and is appended to GH13 modules.

The bacterial strain AORB19 also possessed an array of CAZymes and lignin-degrading enzymes (including aromatic compound-degrading and detoxifying enzymes) for the degradation of lignocellulose. CAZymes database ( www.cazy.org ) includes a class AA (Auxiliary Activities) which hosts a wide range of catalytic modules related to lignocellulose conversion and involved in plant cell wall degradation. The AA class works together with PL, CE and GH enzymes to get access to the carbohydrates within the cell wall of plants and facilitate lignin degradation. Within the AA classes, lignin oxidizing enzymes (LO) are classified into three subclasses including AA1, AA2, and AA3; and lignin degrading enzymes are classified into four: AA4, AA5, AA6, and AA8 [ 35 ]. Currently, the AA class encompasses 9 families of ligninolytic enzymes and 7 families of lytic polysaccharide mono-oxygenases. Our study revealed the presence of eight genes encoding ligninolytic enzymes under the AA class in the AORB19 genome. The genes among the AA class were: one in AA1 class which encodes the laccase enzymes, one from AA2 class, two from AA3_2 class, which comprise enzymes like aryl alcohol oxidase and glucose-1-oxidase, and one gene in the AA6 class and three in the AA10 class, known as copper-dependent lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs, Table  3 ). LPMOs are copper-dependent enzymes with multiple functionalities in plant biomass degradation and play a crucial role in lignin breakdown [ 36 ]. The presence of specific genes for different classes of lignin degrading enzymes indicates the strain’s ability for efficient break down of lignin and provides the evidence of the potential of AORB19 to be further genetically modified on specific metabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms based on practical applications.

Analyses of lignin degradation pathways of Serratia quinivorans AORB19

Microbial lignin degradation is a complex process involving multiple enzymes and intermediate products. The specific pathway and products produced may vary depending on the specific microorganisms, conditions involved in the degradation process, as well as source or type of lignin. Degradation process can be broadly categorised into two stages based on conditions and nature of compounds: i) the peripheral, or upper pathway that includes lignin depolymerization to central intermediate products such as catechol and protocatechuate and ii) the central, or lower pathway that includes aromatic ring opening to precursor molecules and compounds such as muconic acid derivatives, acetyl-CoA, succinyl-CoA and pyruvate [ 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 ].

Liquid chromatography with UV detection (LC-UV) was employed to identify (using UV spectra) and monitor potential intermediates produced during the degradation of the alkali lignin by Serratia quinivorans AORB19 over an 8-d period (Fig.  8 ; Supplementary file 3: Table S1). Alkali lignin medium without bacterial inoculation was used as a negative control. In the negative control, a number of lignin-derived phenolic compounds were detected including p -hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillic acid, and vanillin. The detection of compounds in the negative control can be attributed to the residual by-products from the alkali treatment during the manufacturing process [ 40 ].

Zoomed LC-UV (λ = 280 nm) chromatograms of Alkali Lignin (Sigma Aldrich) incubated for 168 h without strain (control) or for increasing times (48–168 h) with Serratia quinivorans AORB19

In the treated samples, three phenolic compounds were observed with concentrations varying as follows: p -hydroxybenzaldehyde, a typical phenolic compound derived from the degradation of lignin, was found to gradually increase over time; vanillin, which experienced a significant decrease after 48 h compared to the control, then gradually rose over the remaining time period of the study; and vanillic acid, which was completely consumed after 48 h, remained undetectable until the end of the experiment (Fig.  8 ; Supplementary file 3: Table S1). The preponderance of vanillin and vanillic acid in the supernatants is in agreement with the origin of alkali lignin used in this study, i.e ., softwood. The increasing concentration of p -hydroxybenzaldehyde and vanillin in the samples is indicative of lignin degradation by the Serratia quinivorans AORB19 bacterium. Both chemicals result from the cleaving oxidation of the benzyl carbon adjacent to the p- hydroxyphenyl (H) and guaiacyl (G) units, respectively [ 41 , 42 , 43 ]. The Serratia quinivorans AORB19 genome harbored several oxidative lignin degrading enzymes including a few potential laccase-like genes—multi multicopper oxidases (SQAORB19_2332; SQAORB19_1606; SQAORB19_2924), DyP-peroxidases (SQAORB19_3208; SQAORB19_3467; SQAORB19_3468) and dehydrogenases (SQAORB19_610; SQAORB19_635) contributing to the formation of the two difunctionalized aldehydes. In similar lines, a thermoalkaliphilic laccase from Caldalkalibacillus thermarum TA2.A1 has also been reported to depolymerize kraft lignin to p -hydroxybenzaldehyde as a metabolic intermediate [ 44 ]. Once formed, the aldehydes can be oxidized into p -hydroxybenzoic acid or vanillic acid by the action of dehydrogenase enzymes, as previously reported [ 45 , 46 ]. In agreement, two aldehyde dehydrogenases genes (SQAORB19_5141; SQAORB19_610) were identified during the genome analyses of strain AORB19. Similarly, an aldehyde dehydrogenase gene responsible for the conversion of syringaldehyde to syringic acid was identified in a previous study [ 39 ].

The fact that vanillic acid, present in the controls appeared completely depleted in the presence of S. quinivorans AORB19 suggests that the latter has the capability to transform the acid. The genome of strain AORB19 possessed the candidate genes of vanillate O-demethylase oxygenase (SQAORB19_2890; SQAORB19_5632) that is known to convert vanillic acid into protocatechuic acid [ 47 ]. The o -catechol and protocatechuate obtained from the depolymerization of lignin monomers can then be converted to cis,cis -muconate and 3-carboxy- cis,cis -muconate, respectively, by the ring opening dioxygenases (SQAORB19_3419; SQAORB19_3420) identified in the genome of strain AORB19. The β-ketoadipate pathway plays a vital role in the degradation of aromatic compounds, including lignin, by enabling microorganisms to utilize carbon from complex polymers, and derives its name from the characteristic intermediate, β-ketoadipate, which serves as a branching point for further metabolism [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. The genome of strain AORB19 also possessed numerous key genes for the β-ketoadipate pathway that could be involved in the degradation of aromatic compounds. SQAORB19_989 and SQAORB19_3417 encode CMD γ -carboxymuconolactone decarboxylase; SQAORB19_1365 encodes ELH, enol lactone hydrolase; SQAORB19_616, SQAORB19_1321, SQAORB19_1366 encode TH, β-ketoadipyl-CoA thiolase; SQAORB19_1367 (subunit B), SQAORB19_1368 (subunit A) encode TR, β-ketoadipate:succinyl-CoA transferase; SQAORB19_3416 encodes CMH, β-carboxymuconolactone hydrolase and CMLE, β-carboxy-cis, cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme; SQAORB19_3419 (alpha chain) and SQAORB19_3420 (beta chain) encode P3,4O, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase.

Notably, genes for additional pathways linked with lignin degradation such as the gentisate, anthranilate, homogentisic and phenylacetate–CoA pathways were also detected in the genome analyses (see Supplementary file 4: Table S2; Supplementary file 5: Table S3). These degradation pathways allow prokaryotes to break down and utilize aromatic compounds as a carbon and energy sources. Taken together, the results of Serratia quinivorans AORB19 genome analysis and the formation of detectable traces of transient aromatic compounds in LC-UV analysis validated each other and confirmed the lignin-degradative traits of the strain Serratia quinivorans AORB19. More so, with the genetic pathways characterized, the strain Serratia quinivorans AORB19 has the potential to undergo genetic modification and optimization in order to enhance the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of lignocellulosic biorefineries, addressing the urgent need for efficient techniques to convert lignin into bioproducts.

Determination of laccase production using agro-industrial biomasses

Considering the strain's inherent capacity for natural extracellular laccase production and its lignin-degradative traits identified through genomic analysis, the strain was tested for its ability to enhance laccase production in various agro-industrial biomasses sourced from Canadian industries. Various industrial waste biomasses including pea hull, flax seed meal, canola meal, okara and barley malt sprouts were used separately as a carbon source to assess their impacts on the strain’s laccase production. It was observed that for all substrates, the enzyme activity maximized at 48 h. At this time, flax seed meal exhibited maximum laccase activity of 257.71 U/L, which was three-fold higher than the laccase activity observed when alkali lignin (Sigma Aldrich) was utilized as the carbon source (83.65 U/L). It was followed by pea hull activity of 230.11 U/L, canola meal activity of 209.56 U/L, okara activity of 187.67 U/L and barley malt sprouts activity of 169.27 U/L (Fig.  9 ). These results indicated the excellent adaptability of the strain to grow well on a broad range of substrates, particularly on flax seed meal leading to enhanced laccase production. Of note, the strain Serratia quinivorans AORB19 efficiently produced laccase enzymes using these heterogeneous biomasses without requiring further substrate optimization.

Laccase production by Serratia quinivorans AORB19 using different agro-industrial biomasses as carbon source

Microorganisms that encompass broad substrate utilization including lignocellulose-rich plant or agricultural residues are deemed essential for robust enzymatic degradation of lignocellulose [ 52 , 53 ]. Agro-industrial residues such as pea hull, flax seed meal, canola meal, okara, and barley malt sprouts are the most common feed ingredients for poultry and livestock in Canada [ 54 ]. Multiple cohesive enzymes, including laccases are required to facilitate the degradation of intact cell walls of these agro-industrial residues. Apart from the impressive growth characteristics and laccase production observed in this study using flax seed meal, other research has also reported the induction of laccase production in different organisms using various substrates. For instance, pea peels induced laccase production (0.85 U/mL) in Bacillus aquimaris AKRC02 through submerged fermentation [ 55 ]. Similarly, the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus DAOM 197961 was able to produce laccase when grown in canola meal and was found to decrease the meal’s phenolic content upon solid-state fermentation [ 56 ]. Moreover, a 2.11-fold increase in laccase production was observed when 0.1% okara was used in submerged fermentation with gram-negative Rheinheimera sp. [ 57 ].

Bacterial laccases are exceptional environmentally friendly catalysts known for their wide substrate specificity, offering numerous potential applications in areas such as bioremediation, lignocellulose processing, waste valorization and beyond. In the study of bioprocessing using mixed cellulosic feedstocks for ethanol production [ 58 ], the increased release of reducing sugars was attributed to the synergistic action of cellulases and ligninolytic laccase, which potentially enhances the accessibility of holocellulolytic enzymes to holocelluloses, consequently leading to improved production of fermentable sugars. Similarly, strain AORB19’s ability to thrive and produce laccase using low-cost raw substrates as carbon sources suggested it may, at the same time, produce holocellulolytic enzymes that synergistically work together with laccase to efficiently hydrolyze lignocellulose. The existence of relevant gene encoding sequences in the genome sequence supports such a hypothesis that can be confirmed by enzymatic activity analyses in future research. Our results suggested the great potential for strain AORB19’s applications in low-cost enzyme production, biomass pretreatment and valorization.

The complete genome sequence of Serratia quinivorans AORB19 strain has unveiled that it harbors a multitude of genes for carbohydrate-active enzymes, which facilitates growth of this bacterium on lignocellulosic biomasses. More so, eight key lignin-degrading enzyme genes in class AA, including lignin oxidizing and lignin degrading genes, were also identified along with an array of enzymes responsible for the degradation of lignin-derived aromatic compounds. The utilization of whole genome sequencing analyses, coupled with LC-UV analyses provided additional evidence supporting the involvement of Serratia quinivorans AORB19 in the process of lignin degradation in nature. Furthermore, the demonstrated high potential for laccase production across all tested agro-industrial residues highlights the strain's broad adaptability and underscores its potential application in the valorization of lignocellulosic waste in biorefineries.

The complete genome sequence of Serratia quinivorans AORB19 strain has unveiled its extensive repertoire of carbohydrate-active enzyme genes, enabling its proficient utilization of lignocellulosic biomasses. Moreover, the identification of eight crucial lignin-degrading enzyme genes, including those involved in lignin oxidation and degradation within class AA, alongside a diverse set of enzymes responsible for metabolizing lignin-derived aromatic compounds, underscores the strain's pivotal role in lignin breakdown. The integration of whole genome sequencing analyses, along with LC-UV analyses, furnishes additional evidence bolstering the strain's involvement in lignin degradation processes in natural environments. Furthermore, the demonstrated high potential for laccase production across all tested agro-industrial residues highlights the strain's broad adaptability and underscores its potential for application in lignocellulose bioprocessing and valorization of biomass residues within the context of biorefineries.

Chemicals and reagents

The lignin used in this study, i.e ., Lignin, alkali (CAS8068-05–1, Catalog number 370959), was purchased from Sigma Aldrich (Oakville, ON, Canada). Based on the generic structure provided by Sigma-Aldrich (primarily G units, and an -SH group on the benzylic carbon of the propanoid chain), Lignin, alkali can be assimilated to a partially ionized Kraft lignin obtained from softwood;

The growth medium used in laccase assays was Czapek dox broth containing the following reagents per liter of distilled water: 30.0 g sodium nitrate, 3.0 g magnesium sulfate, 0.5 g potassium chloride, 0.5 g potassium phosphate dibasic, 1.0 g ferrous sulfate, and phenolic substrate 2,6-dimethoxyphenol.

Microorganism and laccase assays

In this study, a bacterial strain AORB19 isolated using a high throughput screening (HTP) method and characterized from decomposed wood samples [ 59 ] was used. The lignin degrading potential of this strain was previously evaluated by its growth in culture media with alkali lignin as the carbon source and laccase activity assays employing quantitative and qualitative methods with different substrates such as 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (2,6 DMP), syringaldazine, and guaiacol.

Genome assembly and annotation

The genomic DNA of strain AORB19 was extracted using DNA isolation kit (Biobasic Inc. Canada) and the next-generation sequencing libraries were sequenced based on the Illumina NovaSeq sequencing platform. FastQC was used to evaluate the quality of the raw reads, and Trimmomatic (v.0.39) [ 60 ] was employed to perform trimming of low-quality bases and adapters. Low quality nucleotides and reads that were less than 50 bp were clipped. De novo assembly of genome sequences was performed with SPAdes (v.3.15.4) [ 61 ]. The assembled genome contiguity was evaluated with QUAST [ 62 ] and genome completeness was assessed with BUSCO [ 63 ]. The assembled genome was annotated utilizing RASTk under Patric (3.6.12) ( https://www.patricbrc.org ). The functional annotation was completed utilizing eggNOG ( http://eggnog.embl.de ) for COG prediction, whereas, metabolic pathways prediction was completed using KEGG Automatic Annotation Server (KAAS) ( https://www.genome.jp/kegg/kaas/ ). The gene ontology (GO) annotation was carried out using InterProScan 5 [ 64 ].

Whole genome sequence analysis

Average nucleotide identity (ANI) was determined for Serratia quinivorans AORB19 genome along with 14 other type strain genomes of Serratia using the ANI calculator of EzBiocloud [ 65 ]. The ANI values were presented in a matrix-like manner. The ANI cutoff value to circumscribe prokaryotic species boundaries was considered to be approximately 95%. In-silico DNA–DNA hybridization ( is DDH) was also performed using the Genome-to-Genome Distance Calculator (GGDC) ( http://ggdc.dsmz.de/home.php ) [ 29 ]. The estimation of is DDH values involves utilizing formula 2 from GGDC, which calculates the sum of identities found in HSPs (High scoring Segment Pairs) divided by the total length of all HSPs [ 66 ]. The results of formula 2 were adopted and a cutoff value in DDH was chosen to be 70% for delimitation of species.

Phylogenetic analysis

16S rRNA phylogeny was constructed using the neighbor-joining algorithm in MEGA11 Software [ 67 ]. Bacterial core genome-based phylogeny was also constructed along with 20 other strains of Serratia utilizing the UBCG2 pipeline [ 31 ]. The UBCG2 pipeline employs the prevailing approach for constructing phylogenetic trees based on core genes. Core genes are defined as: 1) Genes that are present in a majority of species and 2) Genes that are present as a single copy (likely orthologous but not paralogous).

In another approach, a whole genome phylogenetic tree for 74 Serratia genomes was generated using the codon tree method within BV-BRC 3.28.22 ( https://www.bv-brc.org ) [ 68 ]. This method utilizes BV-BRC PGFams as homology groups and analyzes aligned proteins and coding DNA from single-copy genes using the tree building program RAxML [ 69 ]. The Codon Tree option was selected with gene number 100. The generated tree was visualized using FigTree v1.4.4 ( http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/figtree/ ).

Analysis of CAZymes and mining of lignocellulose degrading genes

The integrated dbCAN3 meta server was used with default settings to classify the carbohydrate active enzyme (CAZyme) encoding genes in the genome of strain AORB19. This classification was performed using the dbCAN database (with HMMER), the CAZy database (with DIAMOND), and the dbCAN-Sub database (with HMMER) [ 70 ]. The resulting data was imported into R studio and organized. Manual screening was conducted to further analyze CAZyme genes, and confirmation was based on the requirement that the sequence must be recognized by at least two of the aforementioned databases. The lignocellulose degrading genes were further revealed by cross-checking with the annotations available in CAZy database [ 71 ].

Analytical method for lignin degradation products

The Strain AORB19 was grown in 50 mL of culture medium with 0.1% Lignin, alkali from Sigma Aldrich as the carbon source and cultured at 27 °C on a shaker for 8 d. Every 48 h, a sample was sacrificed and centrifuged at 15,000 rpm for 10 min to remove the bacteria, and the culture supernatant was separated for further analysis. A control sample (culture media devoid of bacterial strain) was also prepared and subjected to the same treatment and analytical path. Phenolic compounds typical of lignin degradation ( i.e ., phenol, o -catechol, 3-methylcatechol, guaiacol, syringol, p -hydroxybenzaldehyde, p -hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillin, vanillic acid, syringaldehyde, syringic acid, acetovanillone, acetosyringone, ferulic acid) were qualitatively monitored in the supernatant using an Agilent 1260 Infinity II HPLC system equipped with a diode array detector (Agilent Technologies, Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA). Separation of analytes was carried out with a Gemini® NX-C18 column (3 µm, 110 Å, 150 mm × 4.60 mm, Phenomenex, Torrance, CA, USA), at a temperature of 40 °C and a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. A gradient of 5 to 95% MeOH in 0.044 N H 3 PO 4 was used and detection was conducted at 280 nm. The injection volume was 100 μL.

Determination of laccase production using industrial biomasses

Lignocellulosic residues were sourced from various Canadian companies including pea hull (NutriPea), flax seed meal (Pilling Foods), Okara (Sunrise Soya Foods), canola meal (Richardson), and barley malt sprouts (Mad Barn). After being oven dried overnight at 60 °C, the residues were grinded in a coffee grinder and stored at 4 °C. Culture media was prepared using 0.1% biomass waste as carbon source separately, and the strain AORB19 was cultivated using submerged fermentation conditions. The crude enzyme was obtained from the centrifuged culture supernatant subjected to 13,000 rpm for 5 min. The assay mixture, comprising 2,6 DMP (2 mM) in 160 µL of sodium acetate buffer (0.1 M, pH 5), and 50 µL of crude enzyme, added up to a total reaction volume of 210 µL. The change in absorbance, indicative of DMP oxidation, was monitored at 469 nm over a 20-min period at 1-min intervals. Laccase activity was quantified as the enzyme amount required to oxidize 1 µmol of 2,6-DMP within a one-minute time interval, defining one unit of laccase activity [ 59 ]. The production of laccase was measured periodically through spectrophotometry and compared to the control media prepared using alkali lignin as the carbon source.

Statistical analysis

The laccase production by Serratia quinivorans AORB19 using different biomass was performed in triplicate, and the results were expressed as mean ± standard error in GraphPad Prism software. Post-hoc comparisons were conducted using GraphPad Prism 9.0.0 by applying one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's multiple tests.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during the study are included in this published article and its Supplementary files. The datasets featured in this study are accessible in online repositories. The specific repository or repositories can be located at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ , with the accession number (BioProject accession—JAYJMV000000000).

Abbreviations

Auxiliary activity

Aryl alcohol oxidases

Average Nucleotide Identity

Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologous

Bacterial and Viral Bioinformatics Resource Center

Carbohydrate-binding modules

Carbohydrate esterase

DNA-DNA hybridization

Genome-To-Genome Distance Calculator

Glycoside hydrolase

Gene Ontology

Glycosyl transferase

Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes

KEGG Orthology

Liquid chromatography with UV detection

Lytic polysaccharide monoxygenase

Polysaccharide lyase

Up-to-date Bacterial Core Gene

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Bioprocessing and Biocatalysis Team of ACRD Research Center, National Research Council Canada; to Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, for their funding and financial support of this research, and to Dr. Michele C. Loewen, for critical review of the manuscript.

The manuscript corresponds to the National Research Council communication #58421. The research project was supported by the NRC New Beginning Project Funds of the National Program Office Ideation Programs and the NRC Industrial Biotechnology program awarded to TCY. NSA received support from the graduate scholarship of Lakehead University.

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Nadia Sufdar Ali & Trent Chunzhong Yang

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Nadia Sufdar Ali & Wensheng Qin

Department of Bioinformatics, University of North Bengal, Siliguri, India

Subarna Thakur

Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, Canada

Mengwei Ye & Fanny Monteil-Rivera

Digital Technologies Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Youlian Pan

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NSA: Conceptualization, methodology, investigation, writing; ST: Conceptualization, formal analysis (Bioinformatics), writing; MY & FMR: Investigation, Analysis (LC-UV), writing; YP: conceptualization, writing (Bioinformatics); WQ & TCY: Conceptualization, resources, supervision, funding acquisition, writing. All authors reviewed the final manuscript.

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Ali, N.S., Thakur, S., Ye, M. et al. Uncovering the lignin-degrading potential of Serratia quinivorans AORB19: insights from genomic analyses and alkaline lignin degradation. BMC Microbiol 24 , 181 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-024-03331-3

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Received : 04 December 2023

Accepted : 13 May 2024

Published : 25 May 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-024-03331-3

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