Faceless writers

How many authors would you recognize if you saw them on the street? Probably not very many. Stephen King has a distinctive face, so you it might look familiar if you saw him across a room. James Patterson is sometimes seen promoting his books on television, so his face might ring a bell. Yet most writers, even those who have written bestsellers and have their photographs on each copy, can usually blend into a crowd, even if that crowd includes fans of their books.

This relative anonymity is fine with some authors, even if others may wish for a bit more celebrity. On a recent morning at breakfast I read in Kenneth Slawenski's J.D. Salinger about that Salinger's distaste for his photo on the back of The Catcher in the Rye. He soon had the photo removed from subsequent editions of the novel, and he once commented, "The poor boob who lets himself in for it (publishing a book) might as well walk down Madison Avenue with his pants down." Of course, it was the unexpected popularity of his novel that was most responsible for his unwanted celebrity. The photograph just made him easier to recognize on the street. Probably very few people actually did recognize him on the street by his photo, but the ultra sensitive Salinger wanted to reduce the chances.

One might think that because authors make more public appearances than they once did — thanks to book signings, book festivals and the like — that their faces would become more familiar. Yet relatively few people actually attend these events, just as relatively few people read their books. Nick Hornby in Housekeeping vs. the Dirt mentions that 43 percent of Americans  and 40 percent of Britons never read books, so why would they even care what James Patterson or Nick Hornby looks like?

Writing is in more ways than one an ideal fit for introverts. Not only can they comfortably work alone for long hours to produce their books, but they can achieve considerable success in their field, even to the point of winning awards and writing bestsellers, while staying in the shadows.

Salinger had to go into seclusion to escape public attention. Most writers can just lead normal lives. Even their own neighbors may not know — or even care — what they do for a living.