There’s an old saying that more than anything the image of
the author helps greatly to sell a book. And although I hate to admit it, I
wholly believe that is true. For example, if you had two romance authors
sitting side by side at a book signing; one is a beautiful woman with slender
legs, an hourglass figure, and a face like Aphrodite, and the other looks like
a frumpy housewife… which author’s book would you be more interested in reading?
Let’s be honest. That’s why romance covers feature beautiful people.
Same goes for thrillers. When I see a crazy-looking, long
hair, biker-type author compared to an author who looks like he just came out
of a glee club, I’m going to be interested in what the freak author has to write
about. Different genres have different images. If the same geek writer had a
sci-fi book out, I’d be more inclined to read his than the freak author. The
geek writer would seem know more sci-fi facts and data.
How do you create the image to sell the book? Well, first of
all, the image cannot be fake (Justin Bieber). You have to be true to yourself
and what you feel inside and how you want to present yourself to the world. Don’t
try and be a tough guy if you’re not. And don’t try and be all cuddly and sweet
if you’re not. My advice is to be yourself intensified, don’t fake trying to
emulate someone else.
I believe my image is that of a solitary writer creating art
while letting his physical appearance get a little ragged. I wear old clothes
because they’re comfortable and I let my hair and beard grow long because I’m
writing all the time and mostly alone and don’t get too many visitors. When
people see me they know I’m not a normal 9-5 businessman. That uniqueness stirs
curiosity and that curiosity is what helps sell a book.
