In the comments trail of the last post, someone said:
(1) You talk so much here about fellow writers’ appearances and how beautiful they are. (2) It’s apparent from your own pictures that you’re very attractive as well and that must certainly help when people come to get a book from you or the author, Gina, you mentioned. How much does this mean for a writer? Obviously your writing still has to be good, but what do us “Plain Jane” authors do to publicize ourselves more when we can’t fall back on natural beauty like so many of the people you mentioned here from BEA. (3) Are looks a hindrance when trying to write in a certain genre? (4) Do you advice writers who get bought to do a makeover, lose weight, get a tummy tuck to hide the three kids you’ve birthed? (ha!) It’s certainly something I fear since I’m anything but glamorous (my husband and kids think I am, of course.)
(1) Wow, first of all, do I talk about how people look a lot? Well, okay, Barack Obama… but I don’t think I’m alone here. That man is seriously smokin’ and seriously smart, and also a U.S. Senator, and those things lend a very definite air of attraction. (Cf. JFK.) And I suppose I mentioned Gena, but I think that was because the lady doth protested WAAAAAAY too much about not getting a chance to fix her hair pre-signing due to flight lateness and I was publicly ribbing her about how she looked stunning even without her curling iron, which, I do these things, because we’re buds and you know, fellow League of Extraordinary Gentlewomen. But when I talk about what writers look like when I meet them at BEA, it’s mostly because before I met them, I had no clue what they looked like. Of course I think finding out what they look like in person is one of the cooler things about actually meeting them in person.
I think any time you meet someone that you know a lot of through some other medium, there is a moment when you coincide what you thought they looked like in your head with what they actually look like. It’s that whole, “Yeah, Mar
ky Mark is so much shorter than I thought he’d be…” moment. I think that the effect is strengthened with writers. At least movie stars and rock stars and stuff you tend to see on television, so you at least have a clue what their facial features are like. Ever meet a radio DJ? Meeting a writer is kind of like that. I read and fall in love with the works of writers and most of them, I wouldn’t know from Adam if I saw them on the street. It’s always interesting to see how well they match up to the way we’ve pictured them (or not)! Like a few years ago, when I met James Patterson? Don’t laugh, y’all, but in my head, he looked exactly like Morgan Freeman. Um, wrong.
(2) Nothing. I think it means absolutely nothing. I don’t think anyone came to pick up a copy of my book because they thought I was cute. I can’t stress this enough. I actually am not really interested in going into it again. Nobody buys books because of what the author looks like. People go to movies because the star of the movie is pretty– there’s that whole joke about turning down the volume and just watching pretty people on film. But that doesn’t work for books. Books are just black text on white pages. So what an author looks like doesn’t matter one little bit. And no writer is “falling back” on what they look like at all. Absolutely, positively, not one bit. Because a book is just words, and it has to stand on its own. The only writers at BEA that seemed to draw folks in any large number were celebrities (the line for Jim Belushi was out the door!) or famous authors (ditto Charles Frazier). I was lucky enough to discover a few famous authors signing on the DL (or at least, discover them before the masses did) and didn’t wait in a long line for Dave Barry, Geraldine Brooks, or Holly Black. And when I met HB, I got to add to my list of “Reasons to be Jealous of HB” a second reason, right behind “1. Frickin’ amazing writer” I put “2. Wears eyeliner like no one’s business.” I must admit a seething envy towards anyone who can figure out eye makeup. I’m hopeless.
(3) It might get a bit sticky if you’re trying to write a beauty manual. Of course, I could be wrong — as long as you know how to make other people beautiful, right? Other than that, see above re: black text, white page.
(4) Holy Scott Westerfeld, no way! One thing you will not be seeing on Diana’s Diversion is a suggestion that anyone get plastic surgery (except for in the case of oh, disfiguring burns or cleft palates or etc.). Which is not to say that I think it is in your best interest to go into any kind of public situation looking slovenly. Take a shower, brush your hair, wear a smart outfit. You know, the usual.
Don’t focus on the wrong stuff. Worrying about what you look like is totally not important in this business. Write well. Just write well.
May 23rd, 2006 at 10:55 am
I would have to agree with you Diana. The length of the lines at BEA had nothing to do with an author’s attractiveness. Nothing. I saw the most beautiful, gorgeous, to die for man signing books at the traditional book signing, but his line was empty. The lines on either side of him were long.
He seemed personable and charming as he chatted, and a few people wandered over as he talked them up, but people weren’t there to get books from an author who looked good, they were there to get books from authors who wrote well, who captured their imaginations with their written word, not their face or their body.
Most readers don’t even know what their favorite authors look like. I think one of the few (of those I’ve never met) I’d recognize is Nora Roberts. Readers don’t pay attention to these things, they don’t care. *I* don’t care, and I’ve met a good number of authors through the conferences I’ve attended. All I care is that they write a book that draws me in.
May 23rd, 2006 at 10:58 am
Gee…
I know I’ve not picked up a book just because the author’s pic looked good. And never will.
I think Miss Snark dealt with a spate of similar questions a while back.
And Angie, I agree. NR and maybe JK Rowling would the only authors I’d recognize on the street.
May 23rd, 2006 at 11:26 am
I’ve never once stood in line to have a book autographed by an author because they were attractive
I’ve stood in line to get a book from an author I’m dying to read.
The ‘pretty’ is on the page. What you look like has nothing to do with selling books. Like Diana said, when at a booksigning, be clean and tidy and wear decent clothing and smile. Other than that, nobody cares what anyone looks like.
We just want the book *g*
May 23rd, 2006 at 12:05 pm
I agree - a writer doesn’t need to worry about a makeover. Unless maybe she’s going to be on the Today Show or Oprah, or something. But I do think that once you are at a certain level - maybe you’re on the times list with your first book, or you got an insanely huge first time deal, etc., that looks can play a big part in the marketing machine. Like, would Lauren Weisberger made it onto the Today show if she weren’t tall, blonde and gorgeous? Or on the flipside, doesn’t it help Stephen King’s image that he’s kind of naturally creepy looking?
I’m just saying, Diana, if your book hits big, VH1 will be calling you for “Best Week Ever,” and not the older, frumpier housewife who’s also writing YA.
Again, it has nothing to do with your writing or whether people will buy or read your books, but it can have an effect on marketing.
May 23rd, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Oops - meant to say “when” your book hits big, not “if.”
May 23rd, 2006 at 12:13 pm
I disagree, Jami. Think of 20 NYT bestsellers. How many are about to win beauty contests?
I think that when looks of the author take a large part in the marketing of the books, it’s a compensation thing. Look how much they talked about how pretty kaavya Viswanathan was… and it all ended in tears.
I’m telling you, I was JUST at BEA, and the publishers there were marketing BOOKS, not pretty people. I have 75 books, and I only know what the author looks like in about 12 cases, because I was handed the book by the author, who had just signed it.
Oh, and SSG is not YA.
May 23rd, 2006 at 12:26 pm
>>Oh, and SSG is not YA.
Doh. My bad. I knew that. Hava YA on the brain because a friend just sold hers.
I think your point about compensation is a good one. And I’m definitely not saying that looks play a big part. I’m just saying image can play a part in marketing your books, as it can with marketing anything else. Yep, that’s me. master of pointing out the obvious.
May 23rd, 2006 at 1:09 pm
I think that’s a damanging assessment, one that leads writers to the kind of neurotic insecurity displayed in the comment at hand as well as in the linked discussion to Miss Snark’s blog. I just looked at the latest NYT bestseller list, and the following is the people who I would recognize if you showed me a picture:
1. James Patterson (because I met him, but see above for why this was not always the case)
2. Maya Angelou, because when I was a kid, there was a poster of her in my school library.
3. Danielle Steele, because there used to be a big color picture of her on teh back of her books.
4. Dan Brown, because his picture was in the paper so much with that recent court case and all.
5. Debbie MaComber, because I met her in February.
6. Jodi Picoult, because I just read a big profile about her.
7. Wendy Wasserstein, because I met her while at Yale.
Seven people out of 35, and almost every single one of them are either people I’ve met personally or are major-league celebrity authors. I think that it goes without saying that most of them are not famous because they’re so gosh darned beautiful, or that they get fewer interviews. I see authors on the Today SHow all the time who aren’t goign to win any beauty pageants.
We’re talking about a situation where a writer — I can only assume in all seriousness — asked me if she should get abdominal surgery in order to publicize her book.
Are there publicity instances where it helps to be pretty? Sure, fine, whatever. There are also those where it helps to be a convicted felon, a member of a fringe religious group, ten years old, or a resident of a certain state. I don’t recommend anyone move, join a cult, pretend to be their daughter, or rob a bank in order to publicize their book.
I don’t think it makes a single difference in your book’s potential to be a success. This isn’t like you’re an actor, where you might not get parts if people don’t think you’re pretty enough for it. No one looks at a book and says, “Well, I’d buy this if the author were more attractive.” That’s bullshit. And I think allowing ANY leeway here is just fanning the flames of neurotic insecurity. For me to advocate that an author hsould make herself pretier to sell her book is tantamount to me telling them to go on a killing spree because it helps their platform. How CHICAGO are we going to get with this?
Writers write. You don’t have to make public appearances to do that. There’s a book on the NYT list right now written by Anonymous. Anonymous doesn’t look like anything. See how little it matters?
May 23rd, 2006 at 1:48 pm
First of all, I do think a writer needs to try and look his or her best whenever they make public appearances. Trust me, I’m no raving beauty, but I can dress well and put my makeup on write and do my hair when I need to. WHEN I NEED TO. My publisher knows this, so I’m sure that if they had to send me out in public for an interview, they wouldn’t be too afraid. But again, I’m no raving beauty and it hasn’t hurt me at all. Look at Harlen Coben. He’s a media darling and he’s not drop-dead gorgeous. However, he knows how to make the most of what he has and comes off very attractive. That’s not that hard to do.
But Diana is totally right in that how you look doesn’t mean squat. Does it mean you might get one promo op that another author didn’t get? Maybe. Do you know how many promo ops it takes to make an author a household name? More than one, that’s for sure. What matters is the books. Harlen Coben is f*ing brilliant writer. No amount of good looking will cover up if you’re not a good writer.
On the other hand, I have a very good friend who is drop-dead gorgeous. (No, not Diana or Gena though I count them both as very good friends). This author is actually an actress (on TV and in movies and everything.) She is a fantabulous writer–and she had just as much trouble getting “press” for the release of her last book as I did.
Point is this–just make the most of what you have so you come across as confident and together if you’re making a public appearance. Published or unpublished. It’s just good breeding.
But it will not help you sell. I’m afraid your work must do that.
May 23rd, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Geez…also meant to say that I consider both Gena and Diana drop-dead gorgeous, too…but they weren’t the particular writer I was talking about!
May 23rd, 2006 at 2:21 pm
Um, I’m really surprised by some of these comments.
Some of the most respected and talented authors alive today are not people I would consider attractive. And honestly, a drop dead gorgeous author with a big picture plastered in the back cover might actually make me not want to place her book at the top of my TBR pile.
But that is only because I’m a petty b*tch and wish I looked like her.
May 23rd, 2006 at 2:38 pm
What an interesting discussion! I think looks matter, in almost every business — but that doesn’t mean everyone has to be drop dead gorgeous. IMO, having an appropriate author photo can help give you legitimacy — if you’re writing a dark YA with a goth protagonist, having a back cover photo that looks like everyone’s image of Betty Crocker probably wouldn’t help your sales. Also, like it or not, we live in a society where people form impressions based on appearance. So while I too would not recommend liposuction, it probably can’t hurt to go to the gym and get your hair done, if, say, you’re writing chick lit and thereby seeking credibility in the fashion and style arena. By the same token, someone writing hard boiled detective stories is expected to look a bit rougher. Even with the same person — look how different Nora Roberts’ photo is when she’s writing as J.D. Robb.
I think if an author’s appearance strikes a discord with their writing persona, leave the cover photo off the book. Just my opinion.
May 23rd, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Leave the cover photo off the book.
Exactly, Phyllis — in that in writing, you CAN leave the author photo off the book and it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. You don’t *need* to hit the gym or get your hair cut or ANYTHING. You odn’t need to look like anything, You’re just writing. Just writing, just writing just writing. I never ever ever knew what The Devil Wears Prada chick looked like until I saw a news article this past year about how much her advance for her second book was. And I don’t think many folks outside the publishing industry read that article. Probably a miniscule percentage of the people who read her book!
Again, I shall reference how much James Patterson does not look like Morgan Freeman. He also does not look like Maximum Ride. And I don’t think Stephen King looks creepy. He looks perfectly normal to me.
There’s not a cover photo in sight for Holly Black’s goth YA, and it’s a hardcover, too which almost always has pictures on it.
And why is this — oh, that’s right, because what a writer looks like IS NOT IMPORTANT.
Period.
May 23rd, 2006 at 3:06 pm
::sigh:: Barak Obama. ::sigh::
Damn, girl.
May 23rd, 2006 at 3:15 pm
leave it to Jo here to bring it back to the important issue — the undeniable hotness of a certain Senator from Illinois.
May 23rd, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Boy, very interesting topic, but it sure seems to have hit a nerve. I think we are talking about two different issues. One, do you have to be attractive/beautiful to be a successful author? That’s easy, no. But I think Jami’s more limited point was a legitimate one–CAN it help (not does it always or will people only buy your books if) in the marketing of your book if you are attractive. Absolutely. Pretty people make good TV/news/etc. Does that mean that every author who appears on the Today show must be gorgeous? Of course not. But if you are a hot commodity anyway (like the Devil Wears Prada author), I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that she’s very attractive when they are booking her for TV appearances. This is not the same thing as whether someone will buy your book because you are attractive (like your example of anonymous). Bottom line, I think we can all agree that if you write a good book, it’s not going to matter what you look like or whether you choose to be indentifiable or not. But on the other side, if you write a good book AND the opportunity to promote it comes up it’s certainly not going to hurt if you are attractive. Someone mentioned JK Rowling. Just think of how much her appearance has changed with success. (BTW I’ve met Mr. King and I can personally attest that he is very strange looking–but it fits.)
May 23rd, 2006 at 4:27 pm
I’ve personally met Mr. King as well. He’s got a vacation home in the town where I used to live. He looks perfectly normal to me.
And yeah, I think my appearance would change too if I went from being a welfare mom to being a millionaire who could afford designer clothes and to have my hair professionally covered and a personal trainer and had to dress up all the time.
I think too much is being made of this “TV Ready” fantasy. Few authors EVER appear on TV. A few months ago,t here wa a segment on Geraldo about erotica writers, and for every cute writer who appeared on that segment, there were writers who were not as cute. (And the most beautiful erotica writer I know declined the offer!) They clearly weren’t picking by attractiveness factor. I do not think it helps one little bit. Look at Julie’s example of the beautiful actress who has as tough a time getting press for her book as anyone else.
You know what i think helps for marketing purposes, in the way Jami mentioned? A good personality. now, I think that a writer like Liz Maverick is as cute as a button, but there were a lot of cute people on that Geraldo show. What made Liz stick out is because she’s a fascinating personality. She’s bright and bubbly and adventurous and well-traveled, and when you get in a conversation with her, you want to stay there and listen to all the fascinating stuff she has to say. Every time I see Liz she commands a room — and it could be a room full of the kind of beautiful people on a WB drama — because she’s so charismatic.
To me, people who have lives are a billion times more ATTRACTIVE than pretty faces with nothing going on behind the eyes.
So yeah, those people give better press. Not people with tummy tucks. No one is going to be put on TV post tummy tuck who wasn’t TV ready pre-tummy tuck.
May 23rd, 2006 at 4:33 pm
I think being “camera friendly” may play a small role in tempting the producers of the Today show or Jon Stewart into having you on. Maybe 2%.
I think the other 98% are what your book is about and whether or not you will have anything to talk about besides “please buy my book”. Also, how composed and well-spoken you will be in front of the camera.
In my opinion, take the money you would have spent on lipo and get some public speaking training instead. This will help when working with print and radio media… speaking at signings… the works!
my two cents,
–Ally Carter
May 23rd, 2006 at 4:37 pm
Anonymous said:
“if you write a good book AND the opportunity to promote it comes up it certainly isn’t going to hurt if you are attractive.”
Unless the attractive person is not a good verbal communicator.
Roxanne St. Claire is very pretty, hip, likes to bathe, and can command a conversation like there is no tomorrow. But there are authors that would be better off at home because they are social nitwits. Even the pretty ones.
May 23rd, 2006 at 4:43 pm
I’m with Ally on the public speaking angle. But I do see where Jami is coming from, although I don’t really agree. Every day in corporate America, brains are passed by for beauty or bra size, so it would be easy for women struggling against those odds to feel it’s applicable to every profession.
Here’s where the difference is - now, I’m an accountant by profession, but I’ve been to more than my share of marketing meetings and the one thing many, many people have always insisted on is “dress to the level of your clientele.” This is a hard and fast rule of sale/marketing no matter the product. So who is our market - well, RWA stats show it’s women of all ages usually with post-secondary educations. So - normal average women.
If I was in a bookstore and saw a woman dressed in a power suit, hose, enclosed toe shoes and pearls, carrying a briefcase and with no color on her nails, I would hesitate approaching her because the “look” is sort of professional/cold. If, however, I see the same woman wearing a turquoise jacket with matching capris and awesome high-heeled sandals, I am completely at ease and want to talk to her.
Beautiful can certainly come in handy at times, especially if you’re writing glitz and glamour pieces. And image in general doesn’t hurt.
But I’m also sure that because Diana is a young former Ivy-leaguer that will help her sales far more than the fact that she’s gorgeous and thin (not fair, I might add if you have that much talent too).
I think so much pressure is put on women to look a certain way that we’re unreasonably hard on ourselves and others. And that’s where I think Jami is coming from. Unfortunately, it’s a place all of us have been before. When we weren’t the prettiest, thinist, tallest, etc. and felt it effected our chances at success. It’s hard not to take that over into writing even though logically we all know it’s all about the book.
May 23rd, 2006 at 5:01 pm
Really, all I meant was that being attractive - however you want to classify that - doesn’t hurt, and that presenting an image that fits with what you write doesn’t either. It’s not the be all end all, and certainly not a necessity to make it as an author. I by no means think that whether or not I’m published has anything to do with what I look like. I know that an editor is going to buy my books because he or she likes my writing, and the same for readers. I think trying to excuse someone’s booksales because he or she is hot/pretty/young, whatever is unfair and untrue. A book sells because people want to read it. I’m just saying that looks, if you have them, can be part of your bag of tricks, and as such, can be useful in marketing yourself and your books if the opportunity presents itself.
And Ally - great point about the dynamic public speaking, and Diana you made it too about Liz Maverick. The ability to be articulate goes a lot farther than a pretty face.
May 23rd, 2006 at 5:48 pm
Well, fine, I’ll concede a “doesn’t hurt” point, but I remain adamant on the “doesn’t help” front. I like Ally’s point about the 2%.
In general, I think the writing community is over-obsessing about the image thing in a way that I think no one in the book buying public does. Look at the furor on one agents’ blog about whether or not her author was wearing her wedding ring in a photo that doesn’t even SHOW HER HANDS? Do you think a single person who bought that book cared or noticed? I don’t. I think that the entire thing was propagated by a writer bitter that the author had a book deal or that the agent had rejected her. I think when writers freak the fuck out on Miss Snark’s blog or Agent 007s blog about author photos, I think when people ask me if they should get ABDOMINAL SURGERY — ABDOMINAL SURGERY, people — in order to sell their books, they are TOTALLY, absolutely, unequivocally thinking about the wrong thing.
And yes, Jami, you’re 100% right that excusing booksales due to looks is untrue. there are thousands of authors, a handful are ever in a situation (like the Today Show) where their looks ever enter into the picture. 99.999% of the time, no one ever sees a picture. How often do we talk about the fact that the whole “famous author” scenario — the whole “Oh, you’re a novelist, you must be so rich” thing is an utter joke? No, we aren’t JK Rowling or Nora Roberts or Stephen King. Most of us are just working folk. I think the whole “authors appearing on TV thing” is a similar fantasy. I *joke* about going on TV. It’s not going to happen. All I’ve got are the words on the page. The words on the page are what matter.
May 23rd, 2006 at 6:09 pm
Diana, this was my favorite line on the comment roll all day, and it was yours:
“To me, people who have lives are a billion times more ATTRACTIVE than pretty faces with nothing going on behind the eyes.”
You’re right–THAT’S what comes across in personal interactions, interviews, whatever.
Better to spend the money on travel, hockey lessons–whatever your honest passion is–than to waste a dime toward plastic surgery. Your face will wrinkle again, your boobs will droop, you’ll keep eating Ben & Jerry’s and get the belly back, but if you can hold a decent conversation and be genuinely interested in another person because you’re out there collecting people and experiences, then THAT’S what will make you a fascinating person and a writer with something to write about.
And don’t you think Jon Stewart would rather talk to someone who can entertain his audience for 8 minutes than to someone whose main achievement is being able to zip into a pair of size 2 jeans?
May 23rd, 2006 at 6:20 pm
Zipping me into a size 2 jeans would be entertainment itself - probably better gymnastic feat than Cirque de Soleil.
May 23rd, 2006 at 6:36 pm
It definitely can help. It’s naive to think otherwise. No, you don’t have to be attractive to sell a book, but if you are, it certainly helps make marketing’s job easier.
There was a really interesting post on this a while back on agent007’s blog,
“YOU’VE GOT THE LOOK, The Author Photo
What I’m about to say won’t be new to anyone who is actually in publishing, but I imagine many readers will leave some colorful comments about this statement:
AN AUTHOR’S LOOKS MATTER.
If a publisher doesn’t include the author’s photo on a hardcover (and usually trade paperback), it’s not because they couldn’t make it fit, or the photo was lost, or someone screwed up. Nine times out of ten it’s because the editor doesn’t think the author is good-looking enough. If the editor thinks the author is attractive, the publisher will figure out a way to showcase it, even if it means having the author sit for another photograph.
If an author is attractive, the publisher will want to promote the book AND the author. If an author is not attractive, the publisher will want to promote the book and pretend the author does not exist.
Let me describe a few true-life scenarios when looks mattered:”
It was one of the most fascinating and controversial posts. She gives several examples from her time as an editor.
http://agentoo7.blogspot.com/2005/10/youve-got-look-author-photo.html
May 23rd, 2006 at 6:42 pm
To clarify, I think the point agentoo7 was making is that you don’t have to be attractive to sell to a publisher. But your level of attractiveness could impact the degree of marketing that you receive, which could then directly affect your sales.
May 23rd, 2006 at 6:49 pm
no, it’s not. It’s naive to think people get book deals because of the way they look. It’s the absolute height of cluelessness and neurotic fixation on things that don’t matter.
I think Agent 007 was trying to make a point about TYPE of marketing, (her exact parting shot was “radio!”) and the response, if I recall, was an enormous, major league hissy fit by authors angry because pretty people had book deals. there was a special amount of virulence saved for celebrities of the nicole ritchie variety, fi I recall, and a sort of “the world hates me” attack on the publishing industry for publishing celebrity tomes.
given two equal books, the one written by the prettier person DOES NOT GET MORE MARKETING. And you know why? Because no one knows what an author looks like.
People keep saying that pretty writers get more television covereage. I’ve yet to see a single example of it. Someone show me the example.
May 23rd, 2006 at 7:31 pm
I will say this on the looks/marketing front: I’m on a diet. It’s not going well, but I’m hoping to improve now that I’m past a deadline. And the reason is because I want to feel better and more confident–especially when I’m at conferences and other book-related places. I want to be able to find clothes that fit better. I want to go on my local morning show and not freeze up because I’m worried about my double chin.
That’s just a confidence thing. Do what you need to do to help yourself feel good.
A very good friend of mine just had “reconstructive” surgery (her word for putting things back in their original places after birthing two babies.)
I saw her for the first time post-surgery last weekend. I noticed she looked a little different. I noticed she acted a *lot* different. It was a good decision for her, and for that reason I’m glad she did it.
She’s not a writer, but rather a stay-at-home mom. So it wasn’t a dollars-driven decision. I think those are the best kind.
–Ally
May 23rd, 2006 at 8:06 pm
Diana,
Not sure if you were responding to me, or in general, but I just wanted to clarify that I never said looks make a difference in whether or not you sell. I do think they affect how you are marketed though.
May 23rd, 2006 at 8:11 pm
I guess all I want to add to this is that “how” is different from “whether.” The original poster was intimating “whether.”
Sailor Boy and I just had a huge discussion about why this issue bothers me so much, and I think a lot of it has to do with me wanting to control my own destiny. I can make myself write better, I can make myself market harder, I can make myself do any of that. I can’t make myself look a certain way. I have no control over that.
May 23rd, 2006 at 8:24 pm
One of the wonderful things about being a writer is that it really doesn’t matter what you look like. This is a public profession where it doesn’t matter how old or fat or tall—or in some cases—even how obnoxious you are. I’ve met some big selling writers who are less than pleasant, but they keep on selling despite it.
Being obnoxious can affect whether the people who meet you at signings etc buy your books. But those people are a tiny percentage of overall sales. The loss of them in the overall scheme of things doesn’t matter.
I am NOT recommending being obnoxious. When you’re a starting out author you want to charm sales & marketing, publicity, booksellers, etc etc. Hell, being polite and decent is a good move for any human being in any profession!
May 24th, 2006 at 11:31 am
Thanks for this. I often worry because I write YA and I don’t look like Meg Cabot or any of those other gorgy YA authors. I look like what I am, a forty someting mom of two teens andformer smoker who still feels the need to put something in her mouth.
Teri
May 30th, 2006 at 9:21 am
i highly doubt your commenter was seriously considering adomniplasty(she did pit “ha!” in her comment) but looks and the marketing of looks is a legitimate argument and question, as apparent by the debate here.
March 9th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Heya, I was curious if you’ve got any further details so I can find out a tad more? Cheers.