Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Ready for My Closeup

by G.M. Malliet

My most recent stop on the publishing trail was having my author photo professionally taken. I had been getting by for a few years with rather hazy digital vacation snaps taken by my husband. It was explained to me by Midnight Ink that for their catalog, I'd need a headshot taken by a real photographer. They sent a sheet of rather daunting and specific instructions ("Please do not lay your head in your hands on a table" - I wasn't entirely sure what that meant but I vowed to keep my head off any tables), and off I went on my quest for the perfect photographer.

I had never had my photo done professionally before and I faced the whole thing with a certain amount of dread. There were high school and college graduation photos, but those were more assembly-line productions. Then there were my wedding photos, which were largely a matter of capturing everyone on film before they were too drunk to stand. This would be the real thing with various costume changes and a stylist(!).

But it all turned out to be a fun experience which I would highly recommend to anyone. Any excuse will do - birthday or anniversary or whatever. You will probably find you really, really like being fussed over like Oprah for two hours.

I got many good recommendations for photographers from the various writers' listserves I belong to, but I went with Michael Collins, who has a studio near Annapolis. His stylist/makeup artist, Laural Hargadon, also works for national and regional beauty pageants. Just imagine. Just. Imagine. I can think of a few more pressure-cooker jobs, but not many. I must have seemed relatively low-maintenance, since I was not, merciful God, facing a swimsuit competition.

For weeks before my appointment, I studied various author photos on the backs of book covers to figure out what kind of "look" I wanted to aim for. I found an awful lot of mystery authors in raincoats and/or fedoras and/or leather jackets, and I'm still not sure what that is about. It would be a great topic for someone's master's thesis. These authors looked dark and sinister and intriguing but since my books are more satiric than anything, figuring out what a satiric author of traditional mysteries might wear was the biggest challenge. A deerstalker hat? In the end, I packed half of what I owned into a suitcase and set off, hoping for the best. (This was where Laural came in handy, in helping me choose.)

Anyway, don't hesitate...the whole process is a hoot. And you, too, can be Diva for a Day.

p.s. For those in the Mid-Atlantic region, the Dying to Write conference still has openings. Registration information here:http://www.mwa-ma.org/events2.html

11 comments:

Mark Terry said...

Your photo is lovely.

Joe Moore said...

The photo looks great! Congrats.

Candy Calvert said...

Great photo--warm, intelligent, and lovely. Glad you had fun!

Candy

Sue Ann Jaffarian said...

Well done!

Mark Combes said...

But that photo isn't of you! Or is it? That would have been quite a trick on us eh?

I think you made excellent choices in both wardrobe and tone. I'd buy your book!

Nina Wright said...

You struck the perfect balance: You look lovely AND you look like a writer. A happy writer--as opposed to dark, sinister, etc.

Nina

Mark Terry said...

Yes, but some of us dark and sinister-looking writers write dark and sinister stuff :) (and maybe we're, well, kinda dark & sinister--that's what it says on my business card!)

Mark Terry, Writer
Dark & Sinister

Julia Buckley said...

What a pretty photo, GM! I think it's perfect for a book jacket. I especially like the reading glasses at the ready. :)

Nina Wright said...

Mark T.--I aspire to Dark and Sinister. Then I'll need a new author photo for sure since the current one shows me cuddling a cat and dog. I kill off two-leggers only. In this series....

Nina

Felicia Donovan said...

We weren't supposed to rest our heads in our hands on the table? Oh shoot! Then I suppose the bear rug is out too?

Lovely photo. Well done.

Felicia Donovan
Author, THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY Series

G.M. Malliet said...

Thanks to all for all the kind comments here!