With my new novel, comes a new author photo. I asked author Susan Straight--one of the coolest people you'd ever want to meet--what she thought of author photos. She replied, "People told me don't smile, you'll look sexy. Or Smile, you'll look friendly. I wondered, What does any of this have to do with my book?"
Indeed, I know readers want to know what the author looks like, but shouldn't the writing itself be the ultimate attraction? Has writing gone the way of the music industry? It's not enough to just have a great voice, you have to be photogenic and be willing to dance.
Ms. Straight manages to have a sense of humor above all else. When I asked her if I should smile in my picture, she suggested that I try "the smoldering stare."
2 comments:
I went through the same thing while figuring out my author photo. I went with the no smile, sexy look, lol. Though... at event photos, I tend to give a toothy friendly smile for pics. Go figure?!?!
I guess it depends on your target audience and how they'll respond to your many looks :-)
fs
All I know is, if I actually have the chance to have an author photo taken, I don't want to be looking straight at the camera. Probably this isn't an option. Sigh.
Susan Straight! Was she at Skylight? How did I miss this? I loved loved loved "Been In Sorrrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots."
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