What's in a Face?

Just as judging a book by its cover is not necessarily the best method of discovering promising writers, so too the determining factor of the author's appearance may not be a reliable method either; especially when one considers shopping within a genre as diverse as fantasy, horror, young adult, or nonfiction.

For proof, one needs only to take a look at Tolkien, whose bookish appearance is more evocative of the Oxford professor he was, rather than as the foundation for all future high fantasy. Many expected this exceptional scholar to devote his writing career in pursuit of academic causes, such as penning giant tomes reflecting on linguistics, rather than birthing a world populated by elves, dwarves, wizards, hobbits, and orcs. Granted, he conceived The Lord of the Rings in an attempt to create a world vast enough to encompass his multitude of languages, but there is no doubt that this was not what his pipe smoking associates (nor the general public) would have expected.

Could anyone have anticipated
this man defining the fantasy genre
just by looking at his face?

Since we're on the subject, I've come across a couple of interesting articles recently published by The Huffington Post that are focussed on this notion of the author and the (questionable) importance of their appearance. Treat yourself and give both of them a quick read.

The Author Photo

How to Dress an Author

Question for my readers: What significance does an author's appearance have on you? Are you more likely to buy their novels, or attend their book signings if they also happen to be breathtakingly beautiful?