Thoughts on Author Portraits

Clearly, January 2014 turned into 'Author Portrait' month. All of our efforts and opportunities with regards to this blog tend to grow organically with gentle serendipitous nudges. Because we are paying attention to the industry and our careers it truly has been and continues to be a wonderful adventure!

So, to finish up our month long series on Author Portraits, we thought we should offer some final thoughts (for now) on this topic:

• Your professional author portrait should represent your persona and books well. If you write: 

Genre fiction, small touches from the worlds you have created are a plus.
Nonfiction, put your best professional foot forward so you are easy to recognize and remember.
Children's books, convey the fact that you are caring and approachable.

• Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Per Melia Alexander's post, if you are too posed and uncomfortable - those feelings shine through in the final image. If you are comfortable and having fun, those feelings and emotions will shine through, too. :D

Gary D. Robson Book Signing Tips

 Don’t just sign; personalize. When I’m signing the store’s stock after the event (see previous tip), I just write my name. But when I’m signing a book for someone, I write their name and some appropriate saying. With my Who Pooped in the Park? books, for example, I usually write “Watch where you step.” Do remember, however, that once you develop a characteristic autograph, people will come to expect it. I remember talking to Tippi Hedren (the actress from The Birds) at one of her book signings. She drew three little birds above her name, and told me that people actually complained if their book had no birds, or had only two of them.