Q&A with Designers

Greetings from Melbourne! Well, Geelong, to be exact. I've been here since Friday morning, and am slowly getting over jetlag. I'm staying with old friends who used to live in NY and am having a great time--getting a taste of what normal life is like, combined with a bit of sightseeing, too. Today I'm off to Melbourne to have lunch with author Karen Healey and her Australian editors at Allyn & Unwin.

Before I left NYC, I arranged a Q&A with two of our fantastic Associate Art Directors at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Thank you so much to Tracy Shaw and Alison Impey for answering some questions! Note: they both answered these questions independently, but I loved arranging this so it seemed more like a conversation--I thought it especially telling that they answered question five in the exact same way.

1) Please list five books you've designed in the last two years.

Alison:

The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky; Huntress by Malinda Lo; You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin; Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes; Reckless by Cornelia Funke.

Tracy:

Bunheads by Sophie Flack, Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce, The Daughters series by Joanna Philbin, Jane by April Lindner, The Duff by Kody Keplinger

2) When you're coming up with concepts for a novel cover, what are the steps you go through?

Tracy:

I start with reading the manuscript and making notes along the way of anything that catches my attention, maybe a visual detail or poetic description. Anything that strikes me as interesting, no matter what it may be. I meet with the editor to discuss what he/she is envisioning for the book's positioning and audience. I then mock up rough covers using anything I can to get my ideas across, from stock images to random magazine ads or even sketches I do myself. I also try to come up with mood boards if the concept is hard to show, to convey an idea without the actual final image. If necessary, I pick illustrators or photographers whose work best matches the overall mood or feeling I'm trying to get across.

Alison:

I usually meet with the Editor before I read the manuscript. This initial meeting is quite brief and the goal is to make sure I understand all the necessary positioning details and expectations for the book. What is the target age group? Does it have more boy or girl appeal? Is it literary or commercial? These are just a few of the positioning questions we'll discuss. 

I love sitting down to read a manuscript for the first time. I don't usually take notes while I read, but as soon as I finish reading I make a list of all the themes in the book. I focus on the mood and tone of the book and jot down everything and anything that comes to mind. I then collect imagery and inspiration that supports the list. This becomes my "mood board" and my point of reference once I begin sketching and concepting. I find it's helpful to keep a brainstorming trail so that I can always go back to it when I get stuck or concepts don't get approved. You often cycle through the concepting process more than once before you get something approved.

3) What is the most unusual place you've found inspiration for a cover?

Alison:

I enjoy browsing bookstores and seeing what's new, but when it comes to searching for inspiration I like to go to places where I can be more indirectly inspired. I can't think of anything that unusual, but I like getting away from my computer and heading to art galleries and museums. I also like looking a fashion and art magazines. Sometimes it is simply the color or the composition of something that inspires me. I also love cosmetic stores, particularly Sephora for packaging ideas.

Tracy:

Sometimes an image will pop into my head in the initial read of the book and I won't be able to forget it, no matter how many other ideas develop. But the weirdest places I've found inspiration would have to be either a chewing gum ad or a perfume sample label.

4) You both have designed novels and picture books--do you have a preference on which type of project you enjoy working on most? How about Middle Grade vs Young Adult?

Alison:

They are very different design projects, and honestly, I like both for that very reason. At the moment I work on mostly novels, both YA and Middle Grade. Compared to picture books, I find novels to be more conceptual projects. You really do feel like you're staring at a blank canvas when you start thinking about the cover for a novel. Picture books are more about the development and art direction of the interior before you even begin to think about the cover. As for Middle Grade vs. YA, I find you can be a little edgier with YA, but I must admit I like both. I like having a mix of projects. I wouldn't want to only work one or the other. It keeps things interesting.

Tracy:

Picture books are so much fun to work on - the interaction with the illustrator and seeing original artwork up close is incredible, and being able to merge the story with the images is such a poignant development in the process. They also serve as a nice break from the challenges that come with designing novel covers. But I'd have to say novels are my favorite, they allow the designer to be more involved in the concept and creation of the cover image.

With that said, I happen to like YA better than middle grade, only because I'm more comfortable with it. For me, middle grade is a tough genre, being in between picture books and teen dramas with more adult content.

5) What are your greatest challenges in terms of your job?

Tracy:

Making everyone happy.

Alison:

Making everyone happy. Ultimately I want the author to be happy, but it's also necessary for the editor, sales, marketing, etc. to all be on board with your idea. It's incredibly subjective and a lot of times your favorite ideas end up on the cutting floor, but that comes with the territory and you develop a pretty tough skin. 

6) What do you like best about your job?

Alison:

Working with incredibly creative and passionate people. I love being part of the storytelling process. You might not judge a book by it's cover, but the cover does play a huge part in whether or not you pick it up in the first place, and hopefully once you do you feel like the design enhances your reading experience.

Tracy:

When you figure out a perfect way to design a cover so it lets the book shine, that really is an awesome, satisfying feeling. Also, being able to hire new artists, they have so much enthusiasm. It's contagious.

7) What does a typical day in the office look like for a designer?

Alison:

Well, it definitely begins with a cup of coffee. It's really a lot of juggling. You always have a lot of projects that are at various stages of completion, so while it may seem like every day is about coming up with great new cover ideas, a typical day also includes a lot of follow up with artists, editors, production, etc. It's busy. 

Tracy:

A typical day involves correspondance with editors and production, checking on the various stages of my books, scheduling meetings, organizing photo shoots, and oh yeah, trying to squeeze in time to concept. That can be the most challenging when what you need is just time to think.

8) Anything else you'd like to add?

Tracy:

This is a job where you have to put yourself out there, and the insecurity and doubt can be overwhelming. But it's also what makes the work so gratifying and why I'm still doing it after eight years.




Alison:
Thanks, Alvina!

Thank you Alison and Tracy! I love hearing how people work--I learned a lot!

Photo Shoot

As I mentioned last Monday, last Wednesday was the photo shoot for the yet-to-be-named cover. On Monday, we reviewed the photos of our top choices from the model call. It was interesting to see that the one model I had thought was gorgeous did not photograph as such. One of the photographer's and designer's faves from the model call also did not photograph well. But our other top choice had absolutely lovely photos--she clearly knew how to model, and her poses were expressive and natural. There were a few other strong options as well. However, the problem was that we only had a "second hold" on our top choice, meaning that someone else had also really liked her and was considering her for a Wednesday job. We decided to challenge the first hold, and as of Tuesday morning, we thought we had her booked.

In the meantime, we were also searching for a male model. We had two top choices from Monday, but were told right away that one had been booked. We wanted to see more options, and so the model agencies told us they were sending two male models to the office.

Only one ended up showing up--it was a little surreal to have this tall, good-looking male model with us in a publishing company's conference room. When I saw him, I thought he looked a little familiar, and as I was flipping through his portfolio, I recognized a shot of his (that happened to be a shirtless photo--hee hee) from Friday.

"We've met you before, haven't we?" I asked him. He looked at me a little confused. "Were you at the model call on Friday?" He didn't remember. The models go to so many different calls that I guess I couldn't expect him to remember us.

At any rate, it was good thing we saw him again, because we realized that we liked his look over the other model we had chosen from Friday. We booked him.

It was all set. We were sent the schedule. And then, around 3:30 on Tuesday afternoon, the day before the shoot, we were told there had been a mix-up with the female model and that she had been booked elsewhere. After a flurry of phone calls, we decided to book our second choice, who luckily we still had a first hold on. Whew.

The day of the photo shoot was a busy one at work, and I knew I couldn't be there for the whole day. The designer, Alison, would be there the whole time to art direct, so I knew everything would go smoothly, but I did want to a least stop by to see how it all worked.

Bethany and I stopped by the studio at 10:30. The male model's call time was 9 am, so his make-up was done by the time we arrived. The female model's call time was 10 am, so she was in a robe about the sit down in the make-up artist's chair.

Alison and the stylist showed up the rack of clothing the stylist had picked out for the girl, ranging from leather jackets, to tank tops, textured dresses, slouchy sweaters, skinny jeans, leggings, etc. There was also a table of accessories. Awesome. "Everything's for sale, by the way," the stylist told us, "selling it would mean there's less for me to return later." Tempting, but I managed to resist.

The photographer started shooting the male model while the female model was getting her hair and makeup done. Different poses, different lighting, two different shirts, sitting standing, etc. Various assistants milled around helping with the lighting. Alison and the photographer discussed the different angles and what effect they wanted to achieve. It was fascinating. I love watching other creative professionals at work--it's rare that I have that opportunity (aside from reality television, that is).

Alas, we had to get back to the office before they started shooting the female model, but I was able to see her finished eye makeup before we left. We had asked for a dramatic eye, and we certainly achieved that. Can't wait to see the photos this week!

If all goes well, I should be able to unveil the cover at the beginning of May.

To be continued...

Model call

On occasion, publishers do photo shoots to get just the right shot for a cover image. Because photo shoots can be pricey, they're generally only done if the right stock photo can't be found.

I've never worked on a book where we've done a photo shoot for the cover...until now.

I won't mention which book it's for just yet, as I'd rather wait until the cover is final, but I was absolutely fascinated by the process, and thought I'd share.

This past Friday was the model call.

The designer takes care of setting everything up (in this case we used a coordinator who scheduled everything), so all I had to do was show up. Before the model call, model agencies send online portfolios of the models that meet the criteria that we've specified (age, height, hair and eye color, etc.). The designer and the photographer will both review the portfolios individually and pick which models they want to show up at the model call. As the editor, I was given the option of reviewing the portfolios as well, but I chose to just look at a sampling to make sure that the designer and I were on the same page. We were.

The model call was in a very simple, spare room. The designer and I (and my assistant for part of it) sat at a table near the entrance. The photographer set up his equipment. The coordinator of the shoot was out in the hallway with the models, taking their names, studio, and giving them numbers on stickers to wear so that we could keep track of who we liked. One by one, the models would come into the room, we would greet them, and look through their portfolios quickly. Most of them had tear sheets we could take and number to remember who we liked. Two had their portfolios on an iPad, which was a cool use of technology, I thought. Then the photographer would take some shots of them at different angles, highlighting the type of shots we would most likely be doing at the photoshoot, making sure to get the important angles. He spent more time with the models he liked.

It was fascinating! And really, really fun. Although it was exhausting, too. I felt like I was a judge on America's Next Top Model--the theme song "you wanna be on top?" kept running through my head. I found it interesting that neither the designer nor the photographer felt the need to take notes--they were both visual people, and remembered the models they liked and didn't like. I took notes, and felt really judgmental as I did: "Nose too big. Nice skin. Neck too short. Too awkward. Not pretty enough." etc. Although, of course, they were all beautiful in different ways. Some were just obviously not right for this project. Some had the right look, but didn't take direction well, didn't know how to pose.

"You must be the editor" the coordinator said to me at the end of the day. "Yes, how did you know?" "You're taking notes. You're into words." Ha.

For the most part, we were all on the same page, although there was one girl that I liked that the others didn't as much. I thought the model was gorgeous. The photographers thought others were better suited. "Her beauty feels a little too generic, a little cheap" the photographer said. "Not unique enough." I could see what he meant.

We chose five or so girls that we were most interested in based on what we saw during the call, although we won't choose officially until we review all the photos the photographer took. I plan on sending our top choices to the author to weigh in, too. The coordinator immediately emailed the agencies to put holds on the models we liked, and got a message back saying that one of them was already booked. The models were going to model calls all day, for the most part. One told us that she had been to eight that day alone. Apparently there were a lot of fashion week calls.

Overall, it was a fascinating look into a part of the business I didn't know much about.

The actual photo shoot is this Wednesday. More next week!

A new cover for LIAR!

Bloomsbury has just announced that they will be designing a new cover/jacket for Justine Larbalestier's LIAR, which I discussed last week. From Publisher's Weekly:

“In response to this concern, and in support of the author’s vision for the novel, Bloomsbury has decided to re-jacket the hardcover edition with a new look in time for its publication in October. It is our hope that the important discussions about race and its representation in teen literature continue. As the publisher of Liar, we also hope that nothing further distracts from the quality of the author’s nuanced and accomplished story, and that a new cover will allow this novel’s many advocates to celebrate its U.S. publication without reservation.”

I think this is the right decision, so good for them, and good for everyone pushing for them to do the right thing. I'll be so curious to see what the new cover looks like.

Update: looks like they have a new cover image up on PW now! Wow!

Beyond the Book: Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin

Beyond the Book: Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin*

Looking back, I was disappointed to discover that I had never written a post dedicated to Sean Beaudoin's debut novel, Going Nowhere Faster, which came out in April 2007. Going Nowhere Faster was a novel about an unmotivated genius, Stan, who has just graduated from high school and is working a dead-end job at a video store. I called it Good Will Hunting meets Clerks. It was hilarious, with a sharp voice and memorable characters, and from the moment I read the proposal, I knew that Sean was a special writer, someone with a bright future.

His second book, Fade to Blue, does not disappoint. In fact, in my mind it changed Sean from "just" a contemporary, humorous, smart writer, to a writer where there are no limits. A writer who can do anything, a writer who will keep surprising.

Fade to Blue is what I call Donnie Darko meets the Matrix. Or maybe it's Charlie Kaufman meets I Am the Cheese. Or perhaps it's Feed meets Be More Chill. However you describe it, this book is crazy. It's crazy good.

Speaking of crazy, the book starts out from the point of view of Sophie, a goth girl who thinks she just might be going crazy. Her father disappeared mysteriously almost a year earlier, on her 17th birthday. And now her 18th birthday is approaching, and she's having these crazy dreams. And did I mention that there's a weird Popsicle Truck stalking her?

Kenny Fade is the opposite of Sophie. He's the big man on campus, basketball star who has everything. But it's not all perfect with him, either, because, like Sophie, he thinks he may be going crazy.

The book alternates chapters between Sophie and Kenny, with some chapters from Sophie's brother O.S. and some other mysterious figures thrown in. It's a mind trip, and above all, it'll take you on a ride. It's innovative, funny, smart, and a little bit scary and sad, too. And it will make you think.

In terms of how this book came to be, this was not one of those books that came to me almost done. This one needed work. Because there were so many twists and turns, and because the mystery element was crucial to the overall success of this book, I needed help--I needed that invaluable "fresh read" several times throughout the revision process. In addition to my assistant, I had to recruit the help of three other editors along the way to give me that fresh read. This was truly a group effort, and a fun one at that. The revision process was as crazy a ride as the book is.

The book's title was also a challenge. The proposal came in called Sour White, which never felt right to me or the acquisitions committee. In the book, Sour White is the name of a soda that plays a key role in the plot. But most of the people we polled, and for some reason mostly women, had a negative reaction to the name. So, the author came up with a long list of other possibilities, including: Scatterblue, Standing Without Permission, Black Kite Blue, Splickity Lit, Sky Blue, Code Blue, Neon Blue Panic, and more. (BTW, Sophie's last name is "Blue")

What do you think? Do any of these appeal more than Fade to Blue? Maybe one will work as the title to a future book.

In terms of the design of this book, a lot came from the idea of having a comic book artist illustrate the cover, as a comic book plays an important part in the plot. But Sean took it a step further and asked if it would be possible to include an actual comic in the book. Now, when he asked this, I think my first thought was "Cool," and I think my second thought was, "How the heck do we do that?" Luckily, the amazing designer, Kirk Benshoff, who at the time had started to work mainly with our graphic novel imprint, Yen Press, was up for the task of figuring this out with me. We started by coming up with a list of possible artists. I believe it was Sean's agent who suggested Wilfred Santiago, who ended up being the artist we chose. And from there, it was working out the budget for the interior comic, having Sean write the text and description, and then Wilfred worked his magic.

Here are some shots of the 12-page interior comic. Does this mean that I can now say that I've edited a comic book?

And finally, check out this fantastic blogger review. Perhaps we'll put a blurb from it on the paperback edition: "This book is nine different level[s] of F*CKING AWESOME!"

I concur.

Sean is hard at work on his third YA novel, tentatively titled You Killed Wesley Payne which is due to pub next Fall. It's a slick, noir-ish mystery set in a high school where the cliques are battling for power. So: What do you think of that title?


*pronounced something like "bo-DWAH"

Some thoughts on Book Design

I was thinking recently about how hard it must be to be a book designer. I admire what they do so much, their thought and creativity that goes into the design of each book. I think I'm especially in awe of how covers of novels come to be--with pictures books, they already have an artist and images to work with and inspire them, but for novels they have to conjure up a design from thin air, sometimes. But what I think must be the hardest thing to deal with is knowing that ultimately their design is not "their own"--that they have to answer to so many different opinions. The editor has to be happy, the author has to be happy (even thought most authors don't officially have consultation or approval of the cover, of course we want them to be happy!), and in most cases, an entire jacket committee consisting of marketing, sales, design, and various editorial sorts have to be happy. And it doesn't stop there--we want the book buyers to also love the cover, and of course you're also trying to make the cover appealing to both the adult buyers (booksellers, librarians, teachers) and the kids, too.

And sure, as an editor, I sometimes think about all of these people while editing a text, too, but I also know that ultimately, the book truly belongs to the author, and although I may ask them to change something, they have every right to say no. When I bring a book to editorial meeting and then on to our acquisitions committee, sometimes (often) different people have different opinions. One person might hate a part of the book that was someone else's favorite part. Some people might dislike a plot twist that others think make the book special. It goes on and on. And so I've come to realize that when it comes time for me to edit the manuscript and work with the author on making the book better, I have to decide in my own heart and mind what I feel the book needs, regardless of whose feedback it goes against. Because I know that in the end, if the author can make it work (and of course they can!), the readers will accept it.

Designers don't have that freedom. They have to answer to all the people I've mentioned above. That's their job. And I know that in the past I've struggled sometimes with trying to balance the designer's vision with that of the author's--it's a shame when they aren't aligned. Personally, I trust our designers and their vision, and love working with them on cover designs. In some cases, I have an idea of what I want the cover to look like, but oftentimes I'll wait and see what the designer comes up with first so as not to taint their creativity. Sometimes I just have a feeling I want to convey. "The cover should be joyful, full of color and light" or "it should be thoughtful and quiet, have a very literary feel" or "I want to make sure that the cover has crossover adult appeal" and so on. And the designer takes this all in and works their magic. And although it might take a few takes, the designer never lets me down. 

There have been times where I'm discussing a novel with the designer and telling them, honestly, that I have no idea what I envision for the cover. One example is for the novel Firegirl by Tony Abbott, which is about what happens when a new girl joins a 7th-grade class. The new girl is a victim of severe burns on her face and body, and because of her appearance, some of the class fear her. The only image that came to mind when thinking about the cover, which I knew would not be appropriate, was to show a photograph of a girl being burned. And so I put it completely in the designer's hands. She came back with an idea I found absolutely perfect. This is one of my favorite covers for a book I've edited. What do you think?
Another thing difficult about book design is that everyone has an opinion about covers. It's inevitable. We judge a book by its cover, after all! And in the case of picture books (as many of my fellow BRGs know) and some novels, you're working with an illustrator or author who is an artist, and sometimes also a designer themselves, and then the designer has to adjust how they work even more, and weigh everything with their own expertise, and their own knowledge about what works and what doesn't in regards to the market and our own jacket committee. It's not an easy task. I feel lucky to work with such talented designers. They rock! Here's a sampling of some recent and upcoming novel covers our designers have done that I especially love:

In somewhat related news, I'll be speaking at the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI conference in October and have been asked to talk about the process of how illustrators are chosen. I'll no doubt be polling our talented design team for some feedback and anecdotes, and I hope to be able to share more posts about book design in the future.

Here are a few blogs dealing with book design:

Mishaps and Adventures is the blog of an art director

Jacket Whys discusses children's and YA book covers

The Book Design Review discusses the cover design of adult books

What are some of your favorite book covers?