My sister-in-law is staying with us at the moment and as she has a better camera than ours I’ve been taking the opportunity of saying to her, “Hey – stop pointing it at the kids and come take some shots of me.”
Anyone familiar with publishing these days knows that it is almost as important to ‘sell yourself’ as it is to sell the book you’ve written. Whether you’re self-publishing or not. If you are lucky enough to be signed up to a well-known and regarded publisher you still will be required to provide lovely little head-shots or similarly serviceable photos for media use. You will be asked – nay, expected – to do as much if not more of the promoting yourself.
If you think the Author is just a person shut up and away in their castles, depositing their manuscripts through a little mail-hatch under the front gate when they’re ready, then you’d be sadly mistaken. Sure, there are still those J. D. Salinger-types still around, but they’re increasingly rare.
So my hard-drive is now clogged up with god awful photos of myself striking completely ridiculous poses. First there was ‘Karen looking straight into the camera. NO SMILING.’ Then there was ‘SMILING’ (ugh). Then ‘The looking off into the mid-distance with a look of intangible wisdom on my face’ (double-ugh).
Fifty shots or so later – nothing. It wasn’t fair – Kim had given me a great photo. Why couldn’t I get one? I used to be able to; back before all the wrinkles (don’t laugh, I have them) I used to be able to to get one now and then.
Then, finally, this one:
Yes, I suppose I am using my son there as a kind of defensive shied; in a kind of oh-God-I-need-something-to-clutch-and-make-me-not-so-physically-and-emotionally-vulnerable way. You’d think that this being my thing, I’d want to be alone; to distance myself from my offspring. Well, I do and I don’t.
Perhaps it’s what I’m used to. Perhaps I’m used to being lined up, with one baby or the other balanced on the hip, to squint into the camera and squeeze out the smile. And I am certainly more used to deleting the photos in which they turn out bad than I am of deleting the ones where I do. If they have a winning smile or pose and I look like I’ve just eaten a raw onion – then so what? Who’s likely to see them? Only us. It doesn’t matter.
But this time it kind of does matter.
Believe me, I’ve toyed with the idea of using the shot on my ‘About Me’ page; the ‘glamour’ one which, if seen up close, actually, I barely resemble now. I’ve gotten compliments on it. The thing is, despite being somewhat pretentious, it is also ten years old. To use it would be ‘cheating’, wouldn’t it? (Yet I do, elsewhere). Surely this time is the time to be braver?
So maybe I should get a solo shot.
Or not. I mean – look at him. He’s just so darn kissable.
What say you? Use this one or get another?
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Update: It has just occurred to me that some friends and family of mine (Chris B – I’m looking in your direction) might have a decent shot on file. If so, email please?
