If you are preparing a manuscript for publication or creating a blog to build a platform for your work, you will find tips by fiction writer and publisher Midge Raymond extremely useful. This article is excerpted from her recent book in Everyday Book Marketing: Promotion Ideas to Fit Your Regularly Scheduled Life.

The Author Photo I can still remember the days (long ago) when an author’s photo on a book cover was optional. Sometimes you’d see one, often in black-and-white, and sometimes not. Now, however, in these days of “mediagenic” authors and digital imagery, the author photo is no longer an option. Which is a little stressful for those of us who have a disproportionate number of bad hair days or who may not love the camera. Yet we all have to do it—these days, authors are expected to have a photo not only on a book cover but also on a website and in any publicity material surrounding the book. And given the range of options out there, your author photo can work either for or against you. A great author photo can be inviting and can encourage readers to want to read your book; on the other hand, a poorly taken photo or strangely staged shot can turn off readers. Here are a few tips for making your author photo experience as stress-free as possible, and for making the photo itself as accessible as it can be. Determine your budget, and stay within it. Otherwise, you’re sure to be even more stressed about your author photo. There’s nothing worse than spending money you don’t have—unless it’s on a photo that will remind you of it at every turn. Many wonderful photographers out there know that we writers don’t make a lot of money; find one that you can afford, then relax and enjoy the process. Invest in a good camera. If you can’t afford a photographer—or if a set of author shots costs more than a decent camera—invest in a camera yourself, and learn to use it well (or find someone who already knows). Not only will you be able to use the camera for your Official Author Photo, but the investment will pay off in many other ways. For one, you can take photos on your book tour and at other events, which are always nice to have. Two, you can take a few good shots to offer in addition to your Official Author Photo, just for a little variety. And keep in mind that taking your own, less formal shot might be a great way to go, especially if you’ve got a tight budget or if you don’t like the more formal studio shots. The photo on the cover of my book was taken by my husband (who put himself through college in part by working as a photographer), and while it’s not a professional studio shot, I like  the more casual feel of it. Be yourself. Have you ever been to a reading where you couldn’t identify the author because he/she looked so unlike the photo on the book cover? Beware of this. You’ll want to look your best, but don’t go too crazy with hair, makeup, or clothing; most of all, you’ll want to look like yourself. And, while it’s certainly tempting, avoid using a photo that captures your youthful self but doesn’t at all resemble your current self. And, if possible, replace your author photo every five years, give or take, especially if you’ve published additional books; again, you’ll want to be recognizable, as well as up-to-date. Don’t get too creative. We’ve all seen author photos in which the author looks uncomfortable, angry, or even downright scary in trying to achieve a certain look. While a simple head shot can seem boring, it’s usually better than a bizarre pose or something too staged. Try to go for a casual, friendly, accessible look. And also consider the subject matter of your book. If your novel is about the Holocaust or 9/11, perhaps a beaming author photo isn’t the way to go; on the other hand, if you’ve written a comedy, looking too serious might lead readers to believe you’re not all that witty. Interview photographers. This is a great idea no matter what, but especially if you’re going to spend a lot of money. Once you’ve narrowed down your list based on the portfolios you like the best, schedule a meeting or a chat. Make sure the photographer knows exactly what you want and can achieve this for you. And make sure it’s someone you feel comfortable with, or you won’t be looking very relaxed in your photos. See this Q&A with photographer Rosanne Olson, who photographs many authors and artists. The Author Bio Creating a bio may seem extremely straightforward, but I always like to offer tips for this because many authors find the idea of writing their own mini-biography quite intimidating—and it certainly can be. There are myriad ways to do it, for one; and two, how do you decide what to include and what to leave out? First, spend some time going through books and websites and reading other author bios. You may need to read ten, or you may need to read a hundred—but read until you get a good idea of what you enjoy learning about an author. Be sure to check out the bios of your favorite authors as well as those you’re unfamiliar with. You’ll notice that some bios are very factual; they include a few words about publication history and nothing else. Others include information about an author’s family, non-writing work, hometown, and pets. On many author websites, you’ll find bios that are written by authors in the first person, detailing everything from when they were born up until the time their books were published. After exploring other authors’ bios, you’ll get a feel for what you’d like to do for your own. While there are no rules, I recommend creating two bios—one that is a few sentences long, and another that is a few paragraphs long. This way, you’ll be able to furnish a longer, more detailed bio if anyone ever needs it (a newspaper reporter, for example, or a book reviewer), and you’ll also have a short one ready for those who want only a few words—and both are important to have available so you don’t have to scramble to pull something together. Personally, I am in the less-is-more camp—my standard bio is a few sentences long and includes my books, awards, a few journals I’ve published in, and the general region in which I work and live. Other times, it’s shorter than that— and if I’m asked for something longer, I’ll include a bit more work experience, write about what inspires my writing, and mention that I live with my husband and an opinionated orange cat. That’s about as personal as I get in a written bio—but that’s just me. Other writers are more comfortable revealing information about their childhoods, their families, and other things that inform their writing lives—and this is wonderful, as many readers like learning all there is to know about authors. Just be sure you’re comfortable with what you’re putting out there—it will be in writing for all the world to see—and keep in mind that sometimes more privacy can be better. Most of all, try to find a good balance between offering a sense of yourself as a person and as an author while maintaining a little privacy as well. After all, one nice thing about going on a book tour is to offer readers something they can’t get from your bio—so sometimes a little bit less can be a little bit more in the end. Everyday Marketing Tips Fifteen-minute marketing: Set aside fifteen minutes a day to research photographers in your area and price range. (If you’re getting close to book launch time, up this to thirty minutes until you find the right fit.) Note: Consider friends, family members, neighbors, etc., especially if your budget doesn’t allow for a professional shot—you may find photographic talent lurking where you least expect it. Thirty-minute marketing: Take a few of your favorite author bios and write up yours in exactly the same style, whether it’s formal, informal, academic, personal, long, short, etc. Once you have a few different bios to compare, think about which one you prefer and why. Choose the bio that best fits your personality and style, as well as that of your book. And next, create a short bio and a long one so you’ll be ready for any bio requests you receive. Everyday marketing: As you go about your usual daily routine getting dressed and ready for the day ahead, think about what clothing, hairstyle, etc., you’d like to sport for your author photo. Thinking about this daily will give you a good idea of what you like and don’t like, and can save you a lot of time and stress on the day of the photo shoot.