The Dreaded Author Photo

Ah yes, the dreaded author photo. As I near self-publishing my novel into an eBook, I look for ways to make my online profile look professional. I did design the novel cover myself but am very happy with the result and hope it looks more pro than many eBook covers I’ve seen. But when it came to the author photo, I decided to go with a pro.

 

I decided to fork out the dough for a pro because I was afraid of the cliché photo I’ve seen a million times on the backs of many a novel: the overly posed GQ chin-resting-on-closed-fist pensive and cheesy author photo.

 

It screams, “Look how deep and smart I am.” In reality, to me anyways, it says ,"I’m trying way too hard to be interesting."

 

When I’ve read a book I’ve deeply connected with or enjoyed, I want to know more about the author and how they were able to write a novel that has affected me so. When I see this GQ pose, I’m immediately disappointed. I was hoping for some spark of personality in the photo, for some hint of the mind behind the prose.

 

Even worse are the photos of authors wearing ball gowns and heaps of expensive jewelry, or sitting in expensively furnished rooms.

 

 

Really? Is that who you want to be to your readers?

 

I would like to take an author photo that helps me connect to my readers. For a photo that humanizes me, a perfect stranger, to my readers. A photo that tells a bit of a story in its self.

 

So, I did a photo shoot a few weeks ago with a really talented photography team and am currently sorting through all of the photos. I’m excited. I can’t wait to share some photos with you and hopefully you can tell me if I reached my goal.

 

So excited!!

 

 

Stella out!