Look With Eyes, Think With Brain
An interview with book cover designer Rachel A. Rosen
Artist and fellow novelist Rachel A. Rosen created the beautiful cover for my forthcoming high fantasy novel Maej, and she was kind enough to sit down with me to talk about book covers.
If you’re curious how a cover is designed, from inspiration through execution, read on as she walks me through how the cover of my own book came into existence, then shares examples of her other work and insights into her process — as well as a few salty views on design sins even pros sometimes commit.
DS: Where did the concept for the Maej cover design originate? From what did you draw inspiration?
RAR: No author likes to hear this, but most cover designers don’t read the books we design. We’ll read a chapter or two, or skim. Put in rather crude, mercenary terms: The purpose of a cover is to sell the book to a target audience, not to faithfully illustrate its contents. That doesn’t mean that cover design isn’t an art form, or that we don’t love the books we design! It’s a factor of time, money, and purpose.
That said, I did read Maej, in no small part because I couldn’t put it down once I’d started it. It’s a singular book, and a singular book requires a singular cover. I was struck, in particular, by a passage…