Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Book hounds

If you happen to be the author of way too many mass-market novels, you are faced with the predicament of having to take way too many author photos. Some writers spice things up by posing with their favorite things: Alexander McCall Smith with his musical instruments, Danielle Steel with her tacky ballgowns, James Patterson with his bad mood.

Many authors choose to pose with their dog/s, an option I fully support. I recently came across a stellar example of this, courtesy of Dean Koontz:



Reasons I like this picture:
1) That dog is adorable.
2) The dog seems to be the featured member of this portrait. Did he write the book?
3) These two look like they have a strained marriage and have been forced to sit next to each other and smile at their daughter's wedding.

In conclusion, keep up the good work, bizarre dog-loving novelists.








3 comments:

DAMN said...

Call me puerile, but I'd like to see Koontz's face on dog and dog face on Koontz. Now that would be a bio photo.

Kate said...

Well, this is a photo that's about 20 years old, so a current photo of a more ancient Koontz might meet your wishes.

danielle said...

Hi! New to this blog. But this is a topic that is dear to my heart!! I love seeing how publishers try and jazz up the same old visage of whatever prolific powerhouse they have on the payroll. Particularly exciting are all of the Danielle Steele covers where her giant, Glamour Shot-esque authour photo 'ties in' somehow with the title/theme of the book. I know the ballgowns you speak of; I also fondly remember a yachting outfit, and once, a tiara.