Forget the Cover. What If People Judge a Book By the Author Photo?

“Today, an alluring author photo has become ... a golden ticket for literary success. Interesting, beautiful or unusual photographs ... can dramatically increase one’s chances of getting a feature or catching the eye of a publisher, publicist, or bookseller.”

I have taken some pretty entertaining and unusual author photos myself over the years. They have indeed helped to generate attention and media coverage. It turns out this tradition of having an author’s photo amended to the written word dates back hundreds of years, as writer Cornelia Powers explores in her article on the “insidious rise of the author photo.”

While just as subjective as judging a book by its cover, the author photo has long offered a parallel signal of credibility and thin slice rationale for reading a book. It gives you a peek at the person you’re forging a relationship with through their writing. And unlike Powers, I think that’s a good thing.