by Kat Latham
Have you ever scheduled a professional photography session, then woken up five minutes beforehand, not taking time to wash, brush your hair or gather enough energy to smile?
Neither have I—at least, not since a hot guy I liked looked at my college ID photo and said, “Ugh! Looks like you just woke up from a crack sleep.”
Authors take a lot of care over the photo that will be printed in the back of their books and all around the internet as they promote their work. Debut authors today even get their blog, Facebook and Twitter followers involved in selecting the best photo.
Why? Because, to a certain extent, it matters what we look like. We all want to present ourselves in a way that makes readers feel connected with us, and humans connect when they can read signals in each other’s faces—like a friendly smile. And thank God we do that, because looking around the animal kingdom, it seems that the alternative is sniffing each other’s rear-bits, and I dread to think how publishers would replicate that in the back of a book.
The problem is that we’ve all got insecurities, right? Please tell me I’m not alone in this. Several weeks ago I asked a professional photographer friend at work if he’d take some pictures of me for my blog. Most of the photos I have of myself are taken on holiday, where I look happy but sweaty or tired. Ever since Mat agreed to take my picture, I’ve been putting off the date. My hair’s too shaggy. My brows are too bushy. My chin’s too…well, let’s be kind and say “undefined”.
Those are mostly things I can control. But what about characteristics that we can’t control—like our age—which can lead to others judging us?
Personally, the only reason I look at author photos is because reading a book is an intimate experience, and when I love a story I want to see the person whose amazing imagination developed it. I don’t care whether I personally find them attractive or not, and I’ve never judged an author for looking a certain way.
This isn’t something I’d thought about much until last week, when the Daily Fail, *cough* excuse me, Daily Mail, printed an article that would offend anyone with half a brain and a smidgen of heart. I recommend you don’t read it.
The journalist (and I do use that term very loosely here) went to the summer party for the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association, and came back with an outrageous article called ”The Blue Rinse and Bodice Rippers: In twin-sets and pearls meet the ladies behind Britain’s steamiest novels”.
The gist of the article is “Ew! Old ladies write pervy books!”
This kind of prejudice against authors seems reserved for romance novelists. In a genre where we tend to write about youth, beauty and sexual attraction, the assumption is that any novelist who doesn’t fit society’s image of those qualities is somehow fair game for mockery. Forget her talent and dedication to staking out a career in a notoriously difficult industry. Forget the years of life experience that she could draw on to create deeply nuanced characters.
Forget everything about her, except that she’s old.
Author Kate Johnson came up with the idea for authors to post pictures of themselves with the title “This is what a romantic novelist looks like”. There’s a Facebook page where writers can come together and celebrate the diversity of our genre by showing you can’t pigeonhole romance novelists as being any one thing.
The Facebook page does brilliantly focus on the diversity of our personalities—as anyone who follows lots of romance novelists online can quickly see we’re a quirky bunch, no matter what we look like.
But is this continued focus on what we look like a good thing? Does it continue to marginalize older authors who might feel their picture would be unwanted because they may fit the stereotype? Or authors who are self-conscious about the way they look anyway? Should it really matter what we look like?
As difficult as it is to make non-romance readers appreciate the genre, should we not focus on that instead?
What do you think? Comment and enter to win Bethany Kane’s ADDICTED TO YOU!
I’m no longer in my twenties heck I’m no longer in my forties. I really don’t care how old or what an author looks like. I read their book for their writing not their looks.
How ridiculous! It’s about THE STORY! I appreciate the author’s creative accomplishments and couldn’t care less how they look or what age they happen to be.
The age of an author doesn’t matter to me. I’ve seen all kinds of author photos from the cliched 1980’s tiara and feather boa to very sophisticated and well done photos. I like when an author has a sense of humor with their picture. Some photos are too posed. I think simple is best.
I really can’t imagine why anyone would think that what one looks like should reflect someone else’s expected image for what they write.
I had my picture up on my profile on Facebook but took it down, not because of how I look (on the dark side of 40 and not exactly model thin) but I wanted my FB page to be more about the writing than me personally. There are some romance writers that are ex-beauty queens, all the power to them. But most of us are middle-aged and rather ordinary. I am proud to be of that group. Oh, and the pic I took to use? I didn’t go to a professional, I looked in a mirror and snapped the shot, LOL!
I cannot imagine reading any genre of book based on what the author looked like. Social and media bias is getting out of hand
Only to close-minded people. The romance community itself is full of wonder, witty, and beautiful people.
The appearance does not influence me. iIwant to read a well written novel and that is the most important ingredient.
It shouldn’t matter in anything unless maybe you want to be a model lol. Do they ask people who write and make movies what they look like for goodness sake!!
I don’t care what an author looks like…makes absolutely no difference to me. I buy the books I like because of story and topic and writing style, etc. Pretty much anything BUT what the author looks like.
An author’s appearance does not matter when it comes to a book. It is the writing that is important. I don’t care what the author looks like. I am interested in the story.
It doesn’t matter to me what an author looks like. If they are a good writer and I enjoy reading their book, the mole on the end of their nose doesn’t make a bit of difference!
Heck no! Even if the author looks like the Elephant Man and Hunchback of Notre Dame combined, as long as the story curls my toes, makes me laugh and cry and fall in love with the hero…it’s all good. The mind is beautiful no matter what the outsides look like. Every author I have ever read and have fallen in love with is beautiful to me, such creativeness and passion. That’s what should matter. Don’tcha think?!
Great article. Its serendipity with my life is amazing. I JUST got my author photos back yesterday and I was anxious as heck. In the age of digital you get instant gratification and I saw the proofs right after they were shot. I worry about putting them out there since I don’t feel like a spring chicken anymore and motherhood and chocolate has given me softer and fuller edges. I found myself judging myself against what I used to look like. More youthful, thinner… *sigh* Never mind who else is judging, lol. And I’m only in my late 30’s. It’s silly, isn’t it? We worry about other people judging us when we judge ourselves just as harshly if not more so. Anyhoo, I hope readers don’t judge a story by the way the author looks. It’s the story that counts, and the imagination behind the story. I had a friend who always said, “As long as your smiling, you can get away with anything!” Remember to smile in your author pic!
It does not matter to me. For me since having my children I left my looks back when I was 18 never to be seen again. Anyone that judges people based on their looks are not worth my time.
Some romance authors are very nice looking in real life, even sans makeup. Some of us (I’m in this group) are unphotogenic on the best of days — I have precisely two nice photographs and one of those was taken 40 years ago.
But most romance authors — as well as most people — can look better in a carefully posed and carefully photographed headshot. My problem is when the resulting photo doesn’t look like the author does in reality.
I adore Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ books. I adored her workshops at RWA National last year. But oh boy does she not look like her publicity photo. I actually think she looks nicer in real life — like the high energy grandmother that organizes the very best block parties — but I understand why her cover photo looks more like she’s the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
I had head shots done by a professional photographer, and they’re just okay. My disappointment is that they don’t much look either like me or the “glossy” version of me. I will probably ask my friends & family on Facebook to pick one, and then I’ll be happy with it.
As long as someone could pick me out of a crowd at RWA after seeing my photo, I’m satisfied. It’s not a beauty contest.
That’s ridiculous. Bologna or baloney, whichever you prefer. I don’t care who writes my swoon-worthy prose.
Cool post. No it doesnt matter to me what the author looks like but I do like to see. I remember when I first read a few Janet Evanovich books I was curious what she looked like. (I know have a picture of the two of us together on my blog LOL)
I also remember being curious on what Diana Gabaldon looked like. It honestly would not have mattered to me what she looked like because she captured me with her writing and I’d read anything she’s publish. So that’s just two examples. I have never not bought a book because of how the author looked. It doesnt stop my curiousity though.
Also when there is an author that has their name like M.K. Kelly, I want to know if the author is male or female. So the picture settles that for me.
MichelleKCanada
http://anotherlookbookreviews.blogspot.com
The age of an author doesn’t matter to me either. But there are some pictures out there of both young and old writers that make me cringe. I figure if you make the choice to have your photo out there, please make it a good shot.
Absolutely not! It doesn’t matter to me at all what an author looks like, nor do I care about gender or sexual orientation.
I hold all authors in very high esteem for the amazing ability they have to create a new world for me to escape into every time I see a beautiful cover, smell the newness of a book, crack the spine and turn to the first page. (Or turn on my Kindle!:))
It doesn’t matter to me what an author looks like. I think its nice to put a face to a name, especially when its a story you love. I know what someone looks like would ever affect what I bought, I buy what I want and what I love.
I don’t really pay attention to the age of the author….I’ll admit to being over 40 and I don’t consider myself old…lol
When I look in the mirror the person I see is the same person I’ve always seen – me. I don’t understand the age bias thing that some people have at all so I won’t judge an author by their age …..I only judge them by their writing:)
Who cares what an author looks like! Okay so the author probably does, but as a reader I care about what’s between the pages not what’s on the back cover.
I think it is terrible to judge anyone by their looks. What matters is what the person is inside. I don’t care whether writers are young or more mature as long as their stories are well written and good. Yes, it is always nice to see their pictures to place them with their names, but that is all.
I’m sometimes surprised by what author’s look like — Susan Elizabeth Phillips looks so conversative, for example — but it doesn’t usually affect my interest in their books. With one exception… I’m always a little peeved when fat authors always write slim heroines. Sisters should hang together. 😉
I don’t care what the author looks like. I buy the book because of their story telling abilities.
I don’t care what an author looks like, I care more about the book/story I’m reading instead. I grew up on Harlequin Presents and I never had a clue what those authors looked like. I guess when I buy a book, especially if it’s an author I like, I may have a vague curiosity to see look at the back of the book, but it doesn’t matter that much. Why should an author look a certain way? It isn’t like they have a career that’s focussed soley on looks, like models, actors, etc. And what does age matter either?
Great post, and thanks for another wonderful giveaway!
It’s what’s inside that counts. Think about how plain a Hershey’s candy bar wrapper is – plain nothing fancy. But inside it’s decadent, delicious, rich, robust, savory and satisfying. If you judge people by their “wrappers” you’re going to surely miss the good-stuff inside! 😀
As long as an author puts out a good book, I don’t care what they look like.
Everyone has their own insecurities about the way they look, but I do not think this should impact whether a book is bought or not. It is the content inside that should matter.
What does it matter what an author looks like? It should be about what is written. I like photos that reveal a little about the person and maybe has a sense of humor.
SO glad to see I’m not the only one who is putting off having a new photo done for her website because of a few insecurities. So many of my favorite romance authors look like models, at least in their photos. But, I have come to realize I don’t buy those books based on the photos of the authors. I buy them for the romance – the pure, simple joy of reading a story that draws me in, breaks my heart and gives me a HEA to sigh over.
My current photo has a very dark, mysterious quality to it. Many people have said “Oh you need to have a lighter photo that shows more than your face. I agree and I will … once I get into shape. Of course when I said those same words to my brother he replied “But, Sis, round IS a shape.” Mom says his nose is almost back to normal.
For me its what’s inside the book that matters to me. I doesn’t matter what the author looks like I just want to read what they write.
I have never let the appearance of a romance author (female) affect my opinion of a book, but there were a few times when I’ve been reading about male authors and been put off by the appearance of the author. Some of them look scary and a bit creepy staring at me from the computer screen….
I would think an older or more experienced woman could have the potential of writing a deeper romance novel than, say, a 20 year old.
Well, what the h**l? I’m no longer a spring chicken, I’m overweight with more than one chin, so what do I care what the author of the books I read looks like? At least if she’s my age, I know she probably knows what she’s talking about….(insert big dirty grin here)…in all rooms of the castle! And a professional photographer can do wonders with the imperfect face! I sort of like to put the face on the author…makes her/him more real to me.
I really don’t care what authors look like as long as their books are great but I will admit then I do sometimes get really surprise by some authors’ pictures.
I don’t care what authors look like. I’m not reading their books because they are pretty…but because they can WRITE! 🙂
I don’t care what the author looks like, it is their stories that I love. I buy the stories they write, not pictures of them. They would not have to put a picture in the book at all if they don’t want to.
I can honestly say that authors and Radio Deejays are comparable in the fact that looks to me don’t matter. I read books for the stories that these wonderful jewel’s of romance write. I listen to the radio to that voice that touches me no matter what they say.
You can’t always judge a book by it’s cover and to be quite honest the pun is warranted in this case. I agree with you Kat. I look for the picture of the author because their story resonated with me and I want to know the face of this wonderful person that changed my life in one way or another.
I think the prejudice basically boils down to romance authors should have romantic lives and of course people who aren’t young, or a size two, or flawlessly pretty can’t have romance. If you don’t fit into our culture why would we care what you think about romance? The irony is older people may have even more to teach us about romance, having lived through more of it and seen it over decades. I personally think that the way an author looks has NOTHING to do with how they write.
I like to imagine the author looking like the hot babe on the cover so, no, it doesn’t matter to me what the author looks like. 🙂
no. definitely not! doesnt matter what any of them look like.