How to Take an Author Photo: 6 Tips for a Great Look

Appearances don’t matter when you’re a writer, right? The only beauty readers care about is the beauty of your words.

Well, not exactly. Despite the old adage, readers really do judge books by their covers, and as much as you might like to pretend otherwise, they’ll judge your author photo, too.

Since readers rarely get the chance to read your book before deciding to buy it, they rely on external factors to make their decision. These factors include the title, cover, back cover blurb and synopsis, the price, and, yes, even the author’s photo.

But fear not—even if you’re camera shy, we’ll walk you through the steps to taking an awesome author photo that appeals to readers and represents your book.

Why You Need an Author Photo

Unless you’ve chosen to keep your identity under wraps with a pen name, you’ll want to take and publish a photo that readers could actually recognize you with.

Author photos give readers a face to your name, and like it or not, your appearance is an important part of your brand. That’s not to say you need to look like a Hollywood actor; readers just feel more connected and able to trust a writer when they know what they actually look like.

Your author photo should be displayed on the back cover of your book (or on the “About the Author” page) alongside your author bio.

You can also use it on your website, your various social media accounts, your Amazon author profile, or any other platform connected to you or your work as an author.

What Makes a Good Author Photo?

Below are 6 key tips that will help you take an excellent author photo so you can connect with your readers.

1. Know your brand and your audience.

The most important tip for a great author photo is to stay on-brand. You should have a clear idea of the message you want to send to your readers about who you are and what you write.

If you write about business, you should have a photo that makes you look like a business professional, with the attire to match. If you write thrillers, you probably don’t want a photo of you baking cupcakes surrounded by Labrador puppies. You can, however, still smile—see Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn’s photo below:

Your author photo should also look like you. Yes, you might be a better-dressed, more done-up version of yourself that day, but you shouldn’t go totally out of character. You also shouldn’t retouch your pictures to the point you’re no longer recognizable.

If you typically wear glasses, try a few shots with or without them so you have options. Whatever you wear, keep it simple: don’t wear distracting patterns or anything that clashes with your background.

2. Do comparative research.

Check out the author photos of other writers in your genre. You don’t need to (nor should you) copy every element of their photo, but those examples should give you a feel for the style and mood you want to target.

Take note of how they’re dressed, their facial expressions, and the background. But again, don’t feel like you have to stick to every trend: even if you write dark fiction, you don’t need to force a super serious face if that feels unnatural for you, nor do you need to fake a mega-watt smile just because you write romantic comedies.

3. Hire a professional.

For your author photo, you should definitely hire a professional photographer (unless you have a very skilled friend with an excellent camera).

A pro will know how to get the best lighting, find your best angle, achieve the overall look you’re going for, and even do some gentle retouching to eliminate minor blemishes and make you look overall more polished.

A professional shoot is well worth the splurge, since you’ll probably get to keep more than one shot, and you can use those pictures for all of your social media profiles.

4. Consider color schemes.

If you already know what your book cover will look like, you might consider choosing a color scheme that complements the cover. You could also consider how it will look on your website or social media profiles.

Choose backgrounds and colors that generally match the nature of your writing. (If you write crime thrillers, you might lean toward darker hues, as opposed to cheery yellows.)

In the example below, you can see that the author’s attire and the colors in the photo actually work well with the color scheme of the back cover.

5. Make sure your eyes are visible.

Your author photo should clearly show your face and be close enough that readers can see your eyes. In most cases, a head shot is preferable to a full-body image that shows you from a distance.

Check how your photo looks as a thumbnail. Will readers browsing your book’s Amazon page be able to see you clearly?

Here’s an example of a good head shot from our very own Tom Corson-Knowles:

6. The photo should be reasonably recent.

You don’t need to take a new author photo every time you try a new lipstick color, or even every year. But if you no longer look like the you in your photo, it’s time for an update.

A good rule of thumb is every five years or so, or if you make a noticeable, lasting change to your hairstyle or other features.

For example, author Stephen King took the following photo for his 1974 debut novel, Carrie:

But of course he didn’t use that photo forever. Here’s a more recent shot, from the inside flap of End of Watch, published in 2016:

How Much Should You Spend on Headshots?

Professional headshots typically cost anywhere from $150 to $450, but prices can vary widely. You can also find affordable photography services in your area on sites like Snappr.

What Do Authors Wear for Headshots?

For authors and other creative professionals, there’s no hard rule for the style of clothing you should wear for head shots.

However, keeping it simple is generally best. That means avoiding crazy prints, puffy sleeves, too many accessories, or anything else that draws attention away from you and your book.

Try sticking to solid colors and basic pieces, like a T-shirt, maybe a jacket (a tie if you’re going for a very professional look), or a simple, classic dress.

Photos for Anonymous Writers

If you’re writing anonymously and wish to protect your identity, you should still include an author photo.

You can choose a photo that obscures your face, perhaps with a creative angle or shadowy lighting. For example, one of our authors writes under a pen name, Jon Richter. Here is his author photo:

His identity is protected, but you can still see that he is indeed an actual person, and that he’s even smiling. The shadowy image also matches the dark tones of his cyberpunk novel, Auxiliary.

So even if you want to remain anonymous, it’s important that you still include an author photo that tells readers something about you and your book.

Create a Great First Impression

Your author photo is just one of your first opportunities to appeal to your readers, along with your book cover and summary.

Once you’ve hooked a loyal following of readers, be sure to maintain the connection on social media and other outlets so you can keep that special bond.

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

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