June ‘24: It’s Time to Talk Book Covers!

Plus upcoming book releases and events I'm excited about.

About a week after submitting the first professionally edited draft of my upcoming novel, I received a super exciting email from my editor. 

No, she didn’t reach out to say that my latest draft was absolutely perfect, no notes, no further edits necessary (one can dream!). It was to share that her team was starting to brainstorm about my book cover — did I have any ideas?

A few recent covers I love.

I couldn’t hold back a little elated scream. A book cover. MY book cover! 

So much of this process still exists in the digital ether. And while I enjoyed the tangibility of holding the still-warm, freshly-bound copies of my manuscript that I’ve printed at FedEx Office, nothing will compare to the palpable sense of accomplishment I’ll experience when I hold my actual, final, professionally designed/typeset/and bound book in my hands.

At some point, during one of the countless author interviews I’ve listened to, I learned that authors are often asked for their input on cover art. So when my editor asked for my thoughts, I not only had ideas ready — I had an entire deck! 

It was fun to think about the covers that tend to catch my eye in bookstores, the types of cover art I don’t like, and the visual themes in my own novel that could be captured in a compelling cover. I won’t go into the details of what I shared just yet, though it might be fun to compare my early ideas to the final cover in a future post, once the cover is revealed. 

Since sharing my input with my editor, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much book covers need to accomplish. It’s such an interesting blend of art and commerce, a visual form of branding for a medium rooted purely in words. With a single image, you’re hoping to elicit a visceral, immediate reaction that entices your book’s target audience, provide an accurate hint at the story within its pages, and ensure it’s memorable enough that when people (hopefully) see it on social media and on bestseller lists, they’ll recall it during their next trip to the bookstore. 

There’s so much to consider from a design perspective, beyond purely creating an attractive, intriguing or arresting image. Like all forms of art and branding, book cover design and typefaces are also influenced by cultural and creative trends, which shift over time. Have you ever looked at a shelf of new releases, and noticed that several of the covers have a similar look? Which is why designers likely try to strike the difficult balance between being timely without being overly trendy. Certain design elements have also become expected for different genres, and act as a visual beacon for fans of that genre. For instance, have you noticed that books of historical fiction about female protagonists often feature covers of women in period dress walking away from the viewer, often with a bag in hand?

According to the podcasts I’ve devoured, I know that numerous factors and multiple opinions go into the development of these covers. As this helpful article from Penguin explains, “The art of conveying an entire manuscript into a single image, and making sure it's targeting the right audience, is a task taken on not just by designers, but by editors and the marketing, sales and production teams.” 

It’s a fascinating process, and I’d love to be a fly on the wall during these conversations. I’m so curious about what data the sales team must bring to cover art meetings about how other covers are performing, and trends they’re seeing!

At the end of the day though, while I’m grateful to be included in this process and that my opinion on the cover design is valued, it probably makes sense that the final decision isn’t ultimately up to me. While there’s something so personal about the packaging that will surround my debut novel, and it will be so closely associated with my personal brand for the rest of my life, I’m no branding expert, unlike the people actually in charge of making the final decision. Instead, I can continue to focus on making the content of this novel its absolute best, and begin focusing on my next book.

What are some of your favorite recent covers, or pet peeves when it comes to book cover design? Let me know in the comments!

One of Our Kind  |  By Nicola Yoon  |  Knopf  |  June 11

“Jasmyn and King Williams move their family to the planned Black utopia of Liberty, California hoping to find a community of like-minded people, a place where their growing family can thrive…But Jasmyn struggles to find her place. She expected to find liberals and social justice activists striving for racial equality, but Liberty residents seem more focused on booking spa treatments and ignoring the world's troubles. Jasmyn's only friends in the community are equally perplexed and frustrated by most residents' outlook. Then Jasmyn discovers a terrible secret about Liberty and its founders. Frustration turns to dread as their loved ones start embracing the Liberty way of life. Will the truth destroy her world in ways she never could have imagined?”

Little Rot  |  By Akwaeke Emezi  |  Riverhead  |  June 18

“Aima and Kalu are a longtime couple who have just split. When Kalu, reeling from the breakup, visits an exclusive sex party hosted by his best friend, Ahmed, he makes a decision that will plunge them all into chaos, brutally and suddenly upending their lives. Ola and Souraya, two Nigerian sex workers visiting from Kuala Lumpur, collide into the scene just as everything goes to hell. Sucked into the city's corrupt and glittering underworld, they're all looking for a way out, fueled by a desperate need to escape the dangerous threat that looms over them.”

The Nature of Disappearing  |  By Kimi Cunningham Grant  |  Minotaur  |  June 18

“In this captivating novel of suspense, a wilderness guide must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing.” I LOVED Grant’s previous novel, These Silent Woods, so I can’t wait for this one. 

Same As It Ever Was  |  By Claire Lombardo  |  Doubleday  |  June 18

“Julia Ames, after a youth marked by upheaval and emotional turbulence, has found herself on the placid plateau of mid-life…She's unprepared, though, for what comes next: a surprise announcement from her straight-arrow son, an impending separation from her spikey teenaged daughter, and a seductive resurgence of the past, all of which threaten to draw her back into the patterns that had previously kept her on a razor's edge.”

Middle of the Night  |  By Riley Sager  |  Dutton  |  June 18

“One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul-de-sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again. Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night…The closer Ethan gets to the truth, the more he realizes that no place — be it quiet forest or suburban street — is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present.”

Colson Whitehead presents Crook Manifesto

Virtual & In-Person: NYC  |  June 5  | 7 pm ET | From $11

Hosted by Books Are Magic. “CROOK MANIFESTO is a darkly funny tale of a city under siege, but also a sneakily searching portrait of the meaning of family. Colson Whitehead’s kaleidoscopic portrait of Harlem is sure to stand as one of the all-time great evocations of a place and a time. Colson Whitehead is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eleven works of fiction and nonfiction, and is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, for The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad, which also won the National Book Award. A recipient of MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships, he lives in New York City.” 

Nicola Yoon — One of Our Kind - with Ashley C. Ford — at Union Market

In-Person: Washington D.C.  |  June 13  | 7 pm ET | Free

Hosted by Politics & Prose. “Nicola Yoon is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Instructions for Dancing; Everything, Everything; and The Sun Is Also a Star, and is a coauthor of Blackout. Thrilling with insightful social commentary, [Yoon’s latest novel] One of Our Kind explores the ways in which freedom is complicated by the presumptions we make about ourselves and each other. Yoon will be in conversation with Ashley C. Ford, the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Somebody’s Daughter, published by Flatiron Books. Ford is the former co-host of The HBO companion podcast Lovecraft Country Radio, and the current host of Ben & Jerry’s Into The Mix.”

Kate Spencer LA book launch for One Last Summer

In-Person: Los Angeles  |  June 13  | 7 pm PT | $31 (includes book)

Hosted by The Ripped Bodice. “To celebrate One Last Summer, we're hosting an LA book launch with author Kate Spencer on Thursday, June 13th at 7pm. She will discuss her new romance with Lauren Billings (1/2 of Christina Lauren). There will be a book signing to follow. This is a ticketed event that includes the book. About One Last Summer: From the co-host of the award-winning Forever35 podcast comes a dreamy, laugh-out-loud summer romance that asks: What do you do when the life you've planned isn't what you've dreamed?”

Instagram post by @sarahinwanderland.

To celebrate and honor Pride Month, I encourage everyone to shop from LGBTQ+ owned bookstores all June (and all year) long! And if you can, consider providing a donation to Unite Against Ban Books, an initiative of the American Library Association fighting the book bans and censorship attempts plaguing this country.

Thank you so much for reading! Have a topic you’d like me to cover in a future post? Drop me a line here.