A definitive guide to author photos, which are simultaneously the most important and least important thing in your publishing career
Your author photo is hugely important, but probably not for the reasons you might think. My notes on the when, how, and why of getting your headshot done
If you snuck into my closet at home, I’m pretty sure your first impression (after “why is there so much glitter? Is this a clown’s house?”) would be that I am some kind of grandiose narcissist.
Why? Because there’s a large portrait of me hanging in my own closet, that’s why. That’s right: every morning, I get dressed staring at an 18” by 24” regal portrait of my own head. If that’s not some Big Imelda Marcos Energy, I don’t know what is.
I don’t think I’m a narcissist. (Which is exactly what a narcissist would say, though, isn’t it?! OH GOD.) However, I do share one thing with my cluster-B compadres: a yawning void where my self-esteem should be. Yay!
Which brings me to the story of why that picture is on my wall — and the point of this week’s first newsletter1, which is that good headshots have worked deep magic in my life and publishing career, and I suspect they would do the same for you.
Headshots you love are therefore worth chasing with substantial time, research, and money. And you should not listen to a single voice on Earth, including your own, who claims that caring about them is stupid, superficial, or self-absorbed.
Here’s why: