Author resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what authors actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most authors should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Author with a portfolio of long-form fiction and non-fiction, comfortable moving from first draft through structural edits to a publisher-ready manuscript. Researches deeply, pitches original work to agents and commissioning editors, and manages multiple projects across book, script and essay formats.
Key skills
- Content creation and writing
- Project management for long-form works
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Time and deadline management
- Digital literacy
- Creative software production
- Scrivener
- Microsoft Word
- Google Docs
- ProWritingAid
- Adobe InDesign
Experience: example bullet points
- Developed and revised a full-length manuscript through three structural edits, delivering a clean draft to the publisher's copyedit stage on schedule.
- Researched and wrote long-form features and essays, interviewing sources and verifying facts across multiple drafts.
- Pitched proposals to commissioning editors and agents, securing a two-book contract for a non-fiction series.
- Managed concurrent book and script projects, meeting all deadline milestones across a six-month period.
- Cut production time for print-ready files by streamlining InDesign templates and standardising manuscript formatting.
- Edited drafts in response to feedback from editors, tightening pacing and strengthening character arcs without losing the original voice.
Education
Bachelor degree in creative writing, English, journalism or a related field is common; many authors also enter through diplomas, advanced diplomas or industry short courses.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Australian Society of Authors
- Copyright Agency
- ISBN
- commissioning editor
- literary agent
- manuscript assessment
- structural edit
- copyedit
- proofread
- book publishing
- Australian publishing
- Scrivener
- ProWritingAid
- Adobe InDesign
- Microsoft Word
- Google Docs
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.