and smile (but not in a sexual way). You know she’s fashionable and has great taste, and you can see her design style. But the photo still makes you take her seriously as an intelligent, professional CEO. Professional photos can be much more challenging for serious female CEOs than for men (for many reasons), and Mona walked that line perfectly. TWO PHOTOS OF THE SAME AUTHOR Patrick Vlaskovits Here is a perfect example of how easy it is to create an air of com- petence and trust with an author photo. In this case, the same author has two different photos. The left is too dark, there is no smile, and it is poorly cropped. The right is well cropped, he has a good smile, and he is dressed in professional but casual clothes. Like I said before, part of the “bad” versus “good” decision is about what signals you are trying to send to whom. If Patrick were an essayist and social commentator, perhaps the first photo would work. But that’s not what his books are about, nor the audience he is trying to signal to. His books are about entrepreneurship, branding, and startups. To speak to that audience, you are better off being opti- mistic, positive, and warm—which the second picture signals. James Altucher The first photo makes James look less like a genius and more like a crazy person. His glasses are off-center, his hair is disheveled, he is wearing a ratty white T-shirt, and he doesn’t even appear to be looking into the camera. hOW TO TAkE ThE righT AUThOr PhOTO · 275