Writing Tips - Image is Everything?

I just read a book (Book Marketing is Dead by Derek Murphy).
In it he talks about the importance of the author bio, amongst other things.

Just in case he raised a very good point I set about rewriting mine.
The image at the top of this post is my new mini me bio.
And I've updated all my social media bios to reflect my new mission statement.

But it got me wondering.
How important is this?
Has anyone ever really looked at anyone's bio before buying a book?

I don't think I've ever done so.

• Personally, I'm initially drawn by a book's cover. It has to stand out in a sea of other books as I trawl through Amazon. 
• Then I read the synopsis; is the story something I'm looking for?
• And I will glance at the reviews, taking them with a pinch of salt. If there's a good spread across the board then fine. But if there's only 5* reviews I start to get suspicious and if they're all 1* clearly I won't go near it. 

I know a lot of readers who utilise the 'look inside' option, which will give you a clear indication if you like the writer's style before finally pushing that 'buy' button.

I've followed my own book buying principles to create what I hope are attractive books.

We're all different, I know. And there's no such thing as pleasing everyone.

Some people, when looking for romance novels, love a rippled torso on the front, but for some this is a turnoff.
Some love seeing a handsome face, and again, some are totally put off by this.

It's a narrow tightrope we authors have to traverse.
It is not enough to have a good book. You have to make the cover & blurb appealing enough for readers to even reach the wonders you've written.

So, what do you look for when selecting books to read?


Always in love and light,
TL

(btw you can view my full author bio and book selection on Amazon)