This is a photo of Richard Dawkins, a British evolutionary biologist and author. Possibly most popularly known for his book The God Delusion, Dawkins is part of the group coined "The 4 Horsemen", strong leaders in the New Atheism movement.
This photo is on the back cover of one of Dawkins' books. When I saw it, a thought occurred to me: Authors always have professional, suave looks in their book jacket pictures.
If you know what Dawkins looks like in everyday attire, you know that this is a good picture of him. The hair, the pose, the smile all show professionalism and intellect.
You rarely see a picture of an author and think, "He/She looks better in real life". Why is this?
The publisher tries to affect our reading of the author prior to even opening the book. If an author looks like he knows what he's writing about, if he looks professional and intelligent, we are more inclined to believe or enjoy what he says. Why wouldn't you? Someone who looks so professional clearly has education and status, so they must know what they are talking about.
My initial reaction to this picture was: "this man is smart. this man is a scientist, and looks like he is quite intelligent and professional. What he has written here is probably gold."
Clearly, this is what the publisher wants you to think. It sells books. It persuades us that this author should be bought again and again and again. Believe it or not, a good face probably helps sell writings more than we think.
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