Thinking back, a bandana may have helped persuade me to buy Infinite Jest. Had David Foster Wallace not looked so impossibly grungy on his dust jackets and back covers, I may have assumed the book to be the work of a pretentious jerk who was published at an age alarmingly close to mine. But knowing that this heft of footnoted irony came from a long-haired, affable-looking guy gave the book a hard-to-define appeal. (Yeah, I only got to page 37. There are lots of big, big words.)

Ideally, the way an author looks should have no bearing on the content of a book, but it’s natural to wonder what someone looks like after becoming wrapped up in the workings of his or her mind—and there’s no doubt that a little sex appeal goes a long way when it comes to book promotion. (Some claim that it’s not uncommon for big publishers to ask for a headshot before striking a deal; others say this isn’t the case.) Fortunately, readers usually size up their authors from little thumbnail-sized windows on back covers and flaps, and—unless you’re Thomas Pynchon or something—it’s hard to look too bad.

As in the DFW example, one of the best things about author photos is that they give you a chance to give off calculated authorial vibes. Are you a black-turtlenecked poet? A tweedy pipe-smoking professor? A no-nonsense entrepreneur? You can’t change the face life dealt you, but you can have a big effect on the way readers perceive you and your work with accoutrements and subtleties of expression: a puppy, horn-rimmed glasses, a slight curl of the lip. Think about the persona you want to develop with your photo, and think about how it relates to the content of your book. You could:

• Cause a furor with the languorous-debut-novelist look like Truman Capote. (Although he claimed to be mortified by the uproar, many report that Capote chose the pose himself. He developed a very different aesthetic later. But this frayed-sweater, please-stop-the-voices-in-my-head look is my favorite.)

• Accentuate your eccentricity with some zany hair, ala Malcolm Gladwell.

• Wear a jean jacket to subtly emphasize your populist message like Stephen King.

• Underscore the vibrant multiculturalism of your work with an ethnic headdress like Zadie Smith. (But watch out for imposters.)

And keep the basics we’ve already told you in mind. Unless you’re a household name, avoid putting yourself on the cover. And hire a professional. It’s sad to see nice-looking authors who look like they had their photo shoot done in a Sunday school classroom under florescent lights. Trust us, it’s worth it.