Nick Earls was born in Northern Ireland and moved with his family to Australia in 1972. He was educated at the Church of England Grammar School and graduated from the University of Queensland in 1986 with an honours degree in medicine. During the late 1980s and early 1990s he worked in general practice, hospitals and for an insurance company while building his career as a writer.
Earls published a book of poems in 1985 and a collection of short stories in 1992, but he attracted most attention when he published Zigzag Street and the young adult novel After January in 1996. Earls won several prizes for these works and has since pursued a career that produces fiction for adults and young adults. He won more awards for the young adult novel 48 Shades of Brown (1999) and has built a substantial following with adult novels like Bachelor Kisses (1998) and Perfect Skin (2000). Widely admired for the comic elements of his fiction, Earls has performed some of his works at festivals. Some of his works have been adapted for the theatre and several screenplays are also under development. He has written a number of plays that have been performed in Australia and England.
Earls has also written jingles, comedy scripts and corporate videos. He has been involved with several charities and has assisted with the marketing of his home-town Brisbane. In 2006 Earls was named Queensland's Multicultural Champion in recognition of his 'energetic and passionate advocacy for the rights of refugees and the disadvantaged' and also The University of Queensland's 2006 Alumnus of the Year.