{"id":386,"date":"2015-01-01T10:42:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-01T10:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cranswick.org.uk\/judith\/?p=386"},"modified":"2015-02-06T08:18:40","modified_gmt":"2015-02-06T08:18:40","slug":"look-to-your-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/?p=386","title":{"rendered":"Look to your Image!"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you\u2019ve planned your writing goals for the year but what about you marketing goals? They are equally \u2013 if not more \u2013 important and they certainly demand much more soul searching and constructive thinking. But before you get down to the minutiae remember – Your most important marketing tool is YOU!<\/strong><\/p>\n

First impressions<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all know how our novel\u2019s cover must reflect the kind of story our reader can expect \u2013 a dark mysterious cover for a psychological thriller; a colourful cartoon for a cosy or fun chick lit and, if it\u2019s one of a series, it needs to follow the style of the earlier books. So too with your image. If your potential readers look at your Facebook author page or the home page of your website you have only seconds to grab them and let them know what kind of writer you are. They don\u2019t want to click to your About Me or books pages.<\/p>\n

Your image matters!<\/strong><\/p>\n

What do you want it to achieve? Who is it aimed at? Your existing readers or to attract new ones? Is it simply to inform or to create an atmosphere?<\/p>\n

There are two elements to your image \u2013 your cover image and your profile photo.<\/p>\n

Cover Image<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Graham's<\/a><\/p>\n

Straight away, you can tell crime writer Graham Hurley doesn\u2019t write SF, chick lit or historical fiction. Unlike SF novelist Barry Woodham \u2013<\/p>\n

\"barry'scover<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many writers choose to use their book covers as their cover photo \u2013 some successfully but others less so. The ones that work for me are those that evoke a response \u2013 a smile for a comic novel or a sense of unease or foreboding for a suspense thriller.<\/p>\n

What does your cover image say about you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Profile photo<\/strong><\/p>\n

A good head and shoulders photo is essential for Press Releases and all your online media. But the latest most technically produced might not work. I use a different photo for my Facebook Author page from the one on my family and friends page.\u00a0\u00a0The background colouring and the style is in tune with the corresponding cover picture.<\/p>\n

For my Facebook author page I use the same photos as I use on my website which you can see above – dark and moody to indicate I write edgy crime fiction but for my family and friends page I use a far less formal profile picture which repeats the colours in the cover image –\u00a0both photos were taken in the same place.<\/p>\n

\"Facebk<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Facebk\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This profile picture would be far more appropriate for my author image if I wrote cosy crime or chick lit.<\/p>\n

I recently had a new set of photos taken and replaced the one on my website and Facebook author page. After a day or two, despite the fact that the photo is now at least ten years old, I went back to original one. It works better in combination with my cover photo. Yes I could play around with Photoshop and alter the background colour to black, but is it worth the bother? I haven’t changed that much.<\/p>\n

\"barry\"
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

As another illustration, here is\u00a0Barry Woodham\u00a0‘s Profile picture. Appropriate for a SF writer? I think so. A far better choice than a posed studio shot dressed in his best suit with hair brushed to perfection.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Avoid<\/strong> using animal pictures and cartoon avatars on Facebook. As a writer, you need to portray a professional image.<\/p>\n

There is another factor to consider. Unless you are a well-established author and your picture is instantly recognised, there is a great deal to be said for the drip feed effect of always using the same image to reinforce your image. You want your readers to remember you, so…<\/p>\n

Be consistent<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"business<\/a>The sharp eyed amongst you will realise that I use the same cover and profile pictures on my website and my author Facebook page. I use the same cover picture for my business card.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It surprises me that so many writers don\u2019t use the opportunity to reinforce their image. You want your readers to keep coming back to you. Use the same photo for your twitter account, on Goodreads and any other online media you use. Give your audience something to hold onto.<\/p>\n

My advice \u2013 don\u2019t keep changing your image. Find a good one \u2013 one that speaks to your reader about who you are and what you stand for and stick to it. Update your pages\u2019 content NOT your image.<\/p>\n

Take a look at what other writers are doing \u2013 see what works and what doesn\u2019t. Let me know what you think.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So you\u2019ve planned your writing goals for the year but what about you marketing goals? They are equally \u2013 if not more \u2013 important and they certainly demand much more soul searching and constructive thinking. But before you get down to the minutiae remember – Your most important marketing tool is YOU! First impressions We […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-386","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"entry","7":"has-post-thumbnail"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=386"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":414,"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions\/414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.judithcranswick.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}