On the topic of author headshots

Yesterday, Dr. KatPat raised some interesting questions about marketing oneself. Here's my two cents on the subtopic of author headshots:

First, while it may sound trite, be yourself. Middle-year mom, aging punker, chippy college girl, thirty-something preppy striver - whatever. Rock it. If that's who you are, it's a waste of time trying to market yourself as something else. Second, author headshots should be individualistic portraits as opposed to generic corporate photos or the malleable blank canvas you try to achieve with an actor's headshot. You're trying to look like an authentic human being, not a JC Penney catalog model. It's not an image that says "hire me"; it's an image that says "date me."

Consider these photos of Stephen King. First there's the Manager of the Month photo:

King might be able to get away with that, but for the rest of us, a stiffly staged author photo does not bode well for what readers hope will be welcoming, accessible, relatable prose to come. So you want to avoid anything quite as topsytastic as this:

But something like this, I think, is cool and character-driven:

And this is engaging and personal:

Here's Anita Shreve looking like she wants to be cast in an infomercial for a colon bacteria balancing supplement:

Here's Anita Shreve looking like someone who's inviting me to sit on her porch and enjoy a cup of tea and a great story:

One author who has consistently gorgeous photos: Jodi Picoult. This is a gorgeous woman, and she consistently has gorgeous author photos in which she comes off as warm, intelligent, witty and personable, which is exactly what her books are. It's about rockin' who you are, and she is Jodi mo'fo'ing Picoult, gorgeous chick and blockbusting author, and she appears to be enjoying herself.

As my wise daughter has told me many times: "You do you."

For some great nuts and bolts advice on getting a great headshot, check out Danielle LaPorte's White Hot Truth article on how to look hot in a photo.

What's in an (Author) Image?

Like a lot of people, I was struck by the Olympics story of Yang Peiyi, the little girl of the perfect voice but “imperfect” (as judged by Chinese officials) cuteness. In the Chinese “national interest,” another little girl, Lin Miaoke lip-synced “Ode to the Motherland” during the opening ceremonies…

Which in the weirdest, most convoluted way imaginable brings me to the question of the author’s image. I’ve just returned from the Romance Writers of America annual national conference in San Francisco (a city that needs no stand-in), a place with hundreds upon hundreds of authors in attendance. In honor of the gathering, we leave our normal working wear (threadbare pajamas, grubby sweats, and questionable t-shirts, in most cases) at home and dress in our version of grown-up, often with a natty new hairdo to go with it. But few of us would be mistaken for our ageless, airbrushed publicity photographs.

To read more, please stop by (and comment, if you please) at the PASIC 2B Read Blog, where this post continues...