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May 12, 2021

Do You Show A Photo?



Susan Reichert



Interesting thing happened the other day. I was searching for an author  and was having  difficulty in finding them. When I did find the author, the icon they used on their site was their book. They did not use a picture of themselves. Do not get me wrong, we want the picture of our books everywhere we can put them, but books change, so that means the next book this author writes will show instead of the one they had there previously. It is not consistent.

Books used in place of the author’s photo probably does not make the reader feel warm and fuzzy towards the author. The reader wants to know who you are. Seeing you tells them a lot about your writing, believe it or not. I think the first question they have is why doesn’t the author have a photo of themselves like other authors do? That is a question I find myself asking.

On Amazon they showed the book instead of their photo. If for some reason an author prefers not to use their personal photo, perhaps they can create a logo that will be their brand and use that in everything such as Amazon, websites, and social medias. Just like corporate America, each company has their own logo and that is what they use to market themselves and their products. Be consistent with it, however.

But I will repeat . . .the author’s best marketing tool is their own professional photo of themselves. Oh, and the photo should not be their dog, cat, or child.

I prefer seeing the photo of the author. Plus, the photo establishes the author with their reader immediately.

Using the photo helps people at conferences, such as agents, publishers, and other writers and staff recognize you as well as readers. Isn’t that what we want as authors?

I can understand why someone would be reluctant to put his or her picture on the internet. If that is the case for you, then hire a professional to create a logo for you to use.

A logo of your initials would certainly be a good branding tool. The important thing is to replace the icon of a silhouette with a picture of yourself or your logo.

Being an author is a business. We need to sell books to our readers. What do you want them to see first about you?

It’s the little things we do that bring us the biggest gains.

Can you think of other things that can be used to brand an author?




Susan Reichert, author of Between Me and You, God’s Prayer Power and Storms in Life. She has written numerous magazine articles and stories in anthology books. She is a speaker at writing conferences, seminars, and libraries.

She is the founder of Southern Author Services, and Editor of Suite T. Also, the founder of

Collierville Christian Writers Group (CCWriters Group), and founder and co-publisher of Southern Writers Magazine. A national magazine for authors and readers (which is retired now). At the time she was the Editor-in-Chief of Southern Writers Magazine.

Reichert has a passion for writing about God in devotionals, prayers, and inspirational works.

She and her husband live in Tennessee. They have four grown daughters with families of their own.


Visit Susan at: https://www.susanlreichert.com/

https://twitter.com/swmeditor

https://twitter.com/SouthrnAuthrSer

https://www.facebook.com/SusanLeeReichert

3 comments:

  1. Susan, I agree an author photo is a wonderful way to connect with the reader. It's like making a new friend.

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    Replies
    1. It really is Kay. It helps make a connection that we would not be able to otherwise since we don't live close to them. It can help establish a friendship as we go forward.

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  2. I'd rather have a root canal that get my photo taken...that said, I still do it because I agree that readers want to 'see' the authors they read.

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