Maybe we *should* be judging books by their covers
Chapter #16: An interview with a cover designer
Feeling My Shelf is a bi-weekly newsletter about books, life, and well, life with books. Grab your favorite caffeinated beverage and get comfy. First up, some recent reads.
You, Again by Kate Goldbeck
If you love When Harry Met Sally, then you’ll love this enemies-to-friends-to-lovers rom-com following a carefree, commitment-phobe and a strait-laced, hopeless romantic. When they meet, they instantly hate each other, though after repeatedly crossing paths years later, their mutual hatred turns to friendship and soon something more. The characters are messy, unlikeable, and hilarious. You’ll find yourself rolling your eyes at them one minute and rooting for them the next.
The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade
“My sister is a bitch, but that doesn't mean I want her dead.” That opening line sets the tone for this YA mystery-thriller about a teen named Casey whose older sister, Sutton, goes missing, before reappearing with a strange case of amnesia. The incredibly sassy Casey thinks it is all a ruse orchestrated by her manipulative (and equally sassy) sister for attention but soon discovers something more supernatural afoot. The ending was a bit rushed, but I loved the magical realism elements.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Hands down, one of the best books I’ve read this year. Clementine, an overworked, grief-stricken book publicist inherits her late aunt’s apartment. Her aunt always said that the apartment was magical, but she didn’t believe it until she comes home one day and finds a strange man standing in her kitchen...only to discover that he lives seven years in the past. What follows is pure magic—funny, poetic, romantic magic. And I’m not ashamed to say that I was crying a lot by the end.
Have you ever found yourself judging a (literal) book by its cover? Or simply wondering how a particular cover came to be?
Introducing Ask the Prose, a new interview series where I chat with publishing professionals about how our favorite books come to life. Kicking off the series with a conversation* with Dominique Jones, a book cover designer at Penguin Random House and founder of Blk + Brwn Book Designers, a platform for Black and Brown book creatives to connect and share their work and experiences within the publishing industry. *This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Tell me about your path to becoming a book designer.
I became a book designer in 2018, right after college. I got an email about applying for an internship at Penguin. At first, I didn't want to because I wanted to enjoy my summer. But something told me to just do it and see what happens. I wound up going on an interview, and like a week or so later, I received an email saying that I got it. The last week of the internship, my current art director said there was an opening but that it was only part-time. I was like, I don't care, I'll take it. And I've been here ever since.
Can you explain your creative approach to projects? How do you go from concept to finished design?
I feel like each book has its own process, but generally, you get the manuscript and take notes on what a character has said or things that happen that might spark an idea. I usually make a visual mood board and do a lot of type research. Sometimes the editor, agent, and author come with a whole presentation of what they want and what the author does not want—whether it's a color or you know, a character to look a specific way. I merge our ideas to create visuals of what the cover could potentially look like. We have a meeting, and everyone gives feedback.
Additionally, every season, we have a sales conference and strategy meeting where they discuss what the covers look like. More feedback may come, and then we go back and make changes to them. The cover could possibly go through rounds and rounds of feedback for months.
What a lengthy process. What aspect do you find most compelling or exciting overall?
For me, it's the very end because then no one can make any changes. [laughs] Also, the fun stuff, when we're wrapping up the book jacket, working on the back cover and spine. That’s when I can think of little details—like a matte finish or adding foil effects.
I've noticed that some genres have covers that are similar in design. Like contemporary romances are illustrated a lot.
Yeah, publishers are often like, “oh, it worked for this one, we're gonna run with it.”
What's a common misconception about your job?
It took me a while to read a book like a designer and not just an avid reader. Like understanding what to look for and what not to look for visually. Another is that people definitely underestimate the amount of revision rounds. You could work on a cover for like the next six months of your life.
I always love getting an idea of the space behind the magic. What's your workspace like?
I have a super long desk that I share with my sister. We have a printer. I have multiple screens. It’s pretty clean and organized. I have a mood board in front of me. My favorite post-it notes and random books under my desk. I also try to venture out to other places, whether it's to the office or a coffee shop. Just to move around creatively outside of my home.
What's been the most memorable cover to design, and why?
Honestly they're all memorable! I feel like I can look at every cover and remember how long that it took and what the sketches looked like. All of 'em have a place in my heart. I can't really choose one.
What sparked your desire to create a community for Black and Brown designers?
It was actually something that came up about a year after I got into the industry. I was like ten months into being a part-time employee, second guessing and wondering if I was supposed to be there. I hadn’t come across many Black or Brown designers, and wanted to stick it out so I started thinking of how to build a community—because I wanted a community. I constantly prayed on it until 2020 when I decided to just do it. And since then, it's been amazing. I've met so many other creatives from all over the world and built so many good friendships.
Blk + Brwn Book Designers is a space for us to come together, connect, have fun, and constantly learn from each other. To make mistakes, have tough conversations, and just be ourselves. It's been a blessing all around.
Is there any particular genre or author that you would love to design for in the future?
I've always wanted to design a rom-com or a cookbook cover.
Follow Dominque on Instagram: @iamdominiqueee
Follow Blk + Brwn Book Designers on Instagram: @bnbbookdesigners
Learn more about Blk + Brwn Book Designers
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Ask the Prose — so clever!
I loved The Seven Year Slip, too! I read it recently and it was such a delight, definitely one of my fav rom coms of the year 🍋