When a reader picks up your book, or lands on your website, or sees you announced for a festival panel, your author photo is part of the story you’re telling. It sits on the jacket flap, the “about” page, the press release. It’s small, but it does a surprising amount of work — it puts a human face to the words and quietly shapes how a reader expects your writing to feel.
I’ve photographed authors at the studio here in Liverpool, and it’s one of my favourite kinds of session, precisely because there’s a person and a body of work to reflect rather than just a job title.
What an author headshot needs to do
Unlike a corporate headshot, an author portrait has a little more room to breathe. It should still be clear and well-made, but it can carry some personality — warmth, thoughtfulness, a hint of the voice behind the pages. A literary novelist and a business author writing about leadership will often want quite different images, and that’s exactly as it should be.
- Versatility. You’ll likely need it in different crops and orientations — a square for social, a portrait for a jacket, something wider for a website banner.
- Longevity. A good author photo should serve you across more than one book, so we keep it timeless rather than tied to a trend.
- A sense of you. Readers connect with people. The photo should feel like the person they’d hope to meet at a signing.
If you’ve never done this before
Plenty of authors are wonderful on the page and deeply uncomfortable in front of a camera. That’s completely normal, and it’s my job to make it easy. There’s no need to know how to pose or what to do with your hands — I’ll guide all of that. Most people settle within the first few minutes once they realise it’s a relaxed conversation rather than a performance.
For first-time and established authors alike
Whether you’re self-publishing your debut and need a professional image for the cover and your Amazon page, or you’re an established author refreshing your look for a new release, the goal is the same: a portrait that feels like you and stands proudly alongside your work.
If you’ve got a launch coming up, it’s worth sorting the photo early so it’s ready for covers, press and pre-orders. See my portrait work or get in touch and we’ll plan a session around your book.
