Authors: How is your headshot?
So you’ve written a book (or two or three!) and you want to get the word out. The book cover is appealing, you have a social media strategy for the book and you may even have a few book signings scheduled.
But all of that is about the book itself. What about your image? People are increasingly interested in the author of the books they read including what they look like and their interests. It’s also important that readers take you seriously and having a poor photo (or no photo at all) can damage your credibility. It might be easy to submit or use a photo that a family member took or even a “selfie” as your author photo.
What image are you portraying? As a professional photographer, I urge you to include getting a professional headshot as part of your plans for book promotion.
A few tips for getting the best out of your headshot
Get a headshot portfolio instead of a single pose-This will allow you to choose which pose works best for each purpose including author pages, social media and other promotional materials.
Adapt your headshot for your genre-People will expect (and they should) that an author of a specific genre might have a specific look. Do you write romance novels? Perhaps a more dressy or look enhanced with softer lighting would be appropriate. In the same vein, that look would be out of place for a children’s book. This is where you can use props to further enhance your look.
A few notes about genre-specific photography: I personally recommend that romance novelists don’t get the glamour shots taken. It should still look like you, only better. Also, if you author different genres, use a different headshot for each genre.
Make sure to keep different file sizes of each pose-Print and online media will need different sizes of your photograph and more than likely, they will be asking for it at the last minute. By keeping a file where you have low-resolution and high-resolution photos for each pose available, you can send the document without having to contact your photographer.
Linda Richards Photography Facebook