When a Cover Says a 1000 Words: Adapting Your Cover to Match Your Mission

Beatriz Perret-Gentil is a perfectionist. She changed her book topic about a dozen times and so it wasn’t a surprise that her cover changed nearly as often — and started from so many diverse and unique places. But when you find the perfect illustration for you, your future and your book… well then everything falls into place. Here’s the story of how a single discussion led to a title, a cover and a mission she loves.

Beatriz Perret-Gentil, like many children throughout the United States, could not wait for summer camp. No schoolwork or chores, just hours spent however she wanted. Swimming or canoeing with new friends, playing games, making crafts in the dry summer air.

“Freedom!” the campers would shout, racing down grassy knolls after scrambling off the busses, luggage abandoned, ignoring the protests of camp counselors concealing pending weariness with blinding enthusiasm and brightly painted welcome signs.

Freedom. Freedom for Beatriz meant more than most any of her cabin mates or camp friends. The counselors told the kids to avoid the boundaries of the camp — and as a result most of them would try to avoid the edges and the boundaries of camp. Not Beatriz. Her her, those boundaries were places she wanted to play, wanted to straddle and wanted to be. Boundaries were signs of safety and freedom for Beatriz.

For a few summers, Beatriz left her home of Caracas, Venezuela for the experience of American summer camps, away from the turmoil and danger of her native country.

“There I experienced freedom and safety, and started to like it better than my country because of this feeling.”

At Georgetown, Beatriz developed a deeper perspective on the good of her country for both the hard work of the citizens within in, and how her accomplishments can reflect positively on Venezuela and encourage others, woman in particular, to accomplish their dreams. Her book is a both a love letter and a how to on living and then establishing a career as an expatriate.

Fittingly enough, “the best part of being abroad is writing my book around the world. Places I’ve written and worked on my book in: Washington, D.C., New York, Caracas, Florida, the 15 hour flight crossing the Pacific, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.”

Beatriz received a welcome packet when she checked into the City University of Hong Kong for the semester. In the paper bag sat a light blue international adapter for outlets. She had already bought one for Hong Kong, which has the same plug as in Great Britain, so she just put the gift in her night stand.

Only a few days after this, I had approved her book for publishing and she started to design cover ideas for her book.

How was Beatriz going to create a title and a cover that would express all of her book was offering?

“Relocated”?

“Fly up the Ladder”?

A couple of images of suitcases or planes?

Her initial attempts at her cover were very directly and obviously trying to connect her book covered of women advancing in the workforce internationally.

Yet Beatriz wasn’t satisfied with any of these, “they didn’t seem to stick or have a powerful meaning to me” as she put it.

They were too easy; too direct. They weren’t enough.

“With this in mind, I sat down in my bed and started playing with the electrical adapter CityU gifted me. I switched from the US mode; then pressed the button to prompt the EU plug; closed that and moved the option to the UK one. It was fun to do so, but also kept me thinking.”

“This small artifact I had in my hands could go around the world and work in most countries. It could follow me along my career, and adapt to the different currents and outlets… kind of what I want to do. I want to be able to be employed anywhere around the world and transition quickly and easily, while taking in a new culture and learning from it.”

Adapter. That’s it!

“I know!!” I texted my dad. “I’m titling my book ADAPTER.”

“That’s exactly it,” he responded in seconds. “You are an Adapter.”

Beatriz pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of the CityU adapter she’d received, loaded it into her laptop and overlaid some text. That would become the new title of her book and the new direction for her cover based entirely on the adapter she received from City University.

What can you say — she was struck by an electric bolt. ;)

She had found her meaningful title that was more than just a book title — it was a way she saw herself and hoped could help others see themselves. But Beatriz believed she needed to adapt the definition of adapter, too.

“I realize that it is hard to try and redefine the word adapter. I am taking it away from an artifact you use to connect electrical equipment or from the person who makes changes to writings so it can be performed. To me an Adapter, which is the essence and result of someone who follows my book, is a person who uses all her knowledge and experiences to embrace change and adapt with a solution-conscious mindset. Moreover, an Adapter does so aware that the new experiences and lessons will help her grow personally and professionally; paving the path towards holding a senior management position in a company.”

But I think her dad’s easy recognition of Beatriz, and not just her book as an Adapter, fits perfectly.

Adapter as a New Mission

This “power to encourage more women” Beatriz was able to recognize and want to pursue directly because of writing the book is clear through Beatriz’s accomplishments in the many nations and nations she has lived in, and enthusiasm to help other women do the same.

She believes if “someone had this issue, someone is at the crossroad and doesn’t want to give up either. Knowing that I can find that type of woman, that niche and answer their questions with my months of works, it’s very encouraging. I can’t wait to talk to them.

The comparison is key to how Beatriz hopes readers receive Adapter.

“You will also be learning about different lifestyles and ways people approach life. That will make you more open minded and a better listener which is important when you’re dealing with clients. Again, you will learn about a different workforce but you’ll also work about different clients which is more important than learning how your office works.”

The adjustments into a new career are facilitated, rather than being more overwhelming, if started abroad and paired with Perret-Gentil’s tips. This presentation of nearly limitless opportunities with these insights provides some of the at times counterintuitive freedom and safety a limited perspective could gather even from Beatriz’s summer camp experience

The title of Adapter remains, although the final cover design shifted away from the the pure analogy of the adapter Perret-Gentil was inspired by. After all, the women she aims to influence are powerful, adaptable, potential Swiss army knives of the corporate world.

As Beatriz would say, “we all need to adapt.”

To connect with Beatriz for speeches, presentations, interviews or consulting work, bep26@georgetown.edu. Purchase Adapter on Amazon. Watch her interview on Youtube at Signal Class.

To learn more about Signal Class visit www.SignalClass.com or to apply for an upcoming experience, visit www.SignalClass.com/apply.