Judging a book by its cover, an interview with a graphic designer

He's got his game face on.

It's something that we all do. Maybe it's wrong or shallow, but we really do judge on appearances. Well, the appearances of books at least.

We do that slow shuffle down our favorite book-aisle, skimming through the titles with our heads bent slightly to the side (so we can actually read the book spines). When one finally strikes our fancy, we pull that book off the shelf to check out the cover, then turn it over and read the synopsis... well sometimes we do that. Other times after checking out the cover we put the book back and start that odd looking shuffle all over again. Most of us don't realize we're doing it, just something about the book wasn't interesting anymore so we forget about it and move on. 

We are visual people, and that's a fact that book publishers are well aware of. A good graphic designer can help turn a great book into a bestseller.

I want to give ya'll an inside scoop on how graphic designers do their job, and to do that I decided to interview Bruce Gore, the art director for Howard Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Bruce, first of all, how long have you been in the industry? What kind of training does an aspiring designer need to get and how can they get their foot in the industry?

I've been in the design industry close to 30 years. In the early days, I did work for publishers on the side as freelance until I went out on my own in the late 80s. Training for work in the publishing world almost always means getting experience working at a publishing company. I am one of the few exceptions: my dad worked for a publisher and I apprenticed under him when I was in college. I'm not sure it was the best way to do it, but that's how I got in the business. Obviously, an eye for design is a must, as well as an interest in books--if you don't like books, you won't like working on them day after day after day. But if that sounds like what you want to do, you need to get some experience somehow, and that means setting your sites on a publisher with your portfolio in hand. [one other exception: there are a few design studios out there that cater to the publishing industry only--they would also be a logical place to gain experience.

How has your job changed over the years, especially concerning the recent popularity of eReaders (like the Kindle or Nook )? Is there anything you do to attract eBook readers?

There's probably a different answer to this question for every person you ask. But for me, a good bit of it hasn't changed much. I'm mostly a print guy--it's what I like and what I'm comfortable with. Some of the jobs I do get converted to electronic media, but I rarely set out to design a book with that in mind. [but the truth is, I'm not sure there's much difference in designing for a physical book cover than an ebook cover. Text designs are a different story, but I don't work in that area very much.] Once in a while, I'll get a client who says their cover "must look good at both 6x9 physical size AND at the small Amazon website size." I just shake my head at this. It's nearly impossible to plan for both of these situations in one design and expect them to both to turn out looking good. I usually tell them I'll design the physical book first, and if necessary I'll create a revised, smaller image for Amazon. As time goes on in this business, I'm sure the balance will shift more and more toward ebooks. But there will still have to be covers to use for marketing & sales purposes, so I don't think the need for them is going to dry up and disappear.

As for ebook covers: if it's an ebook-only cover, the cover design process is often not taken as seriously by either the author or the publisher. It makes for easier approvals, but it's also very unfortunate.

How do you decide which cover or design is right for each book? Do you implement certain design elements for different genres or intended audiences/readers? How about for different editions (hardback, paperback, eBook, etc)? Does the author have much input?

Ah, therein lies the madness--or the art... I'm not sure which it is. But first, I want to address something you said up above about good designers turning books into bestsellers: my personal opinion is, the BEST you can hope for from a cover design is that it will draw attention and get a reader to pick up your book and read the cover copy. At that point, it becomes the job of the book's content to close the sale. CONTENT IS KING, in my opinion--so you should expect only so much from your book cover--the rest comes down to how good of a read it is.

Different genres of books tend to take on different design styles--you'll see this anytime you go in the bookstore. I often jump on Amazon at the beginning of a design job and see what the competition is shaping up like. It gets the wheels turning in my head, and gets me thinking in the right direction. Basically, you want your book to fit with the look of its category, but still stand out. In the end, you're still trying to get the reader to pick it up in a sea of other books. We're all still trying to define just exactly how to do that.

As for author inclusion: Sometimes wonderful, sometimes a nightmare. Authors almost always want to have input on covers, and indeed they should--they know more about the book than anybody. But input is different than total control, and when that line gets crossed is when things can get a little dicey. One of the troubling trends I see happening is more publishers allowing more and more authors to cross that line, and it makes my job exponentially more difficult. Authors have a huge emotional investment in their books, and it's sometimes difficult for them to let go. What I think some authors refuse to realize is that signing with a publisher means that the publisher becomes their partner--as the author, you've done the bulk of your job in writing the book, and now it's the publisher's job to get your product into the market. And that's exactly what the book cover is meant to do: sell your book. Not to look pretty. Not to make the author's spouse or daughter happy. Not even to please the author, although God knows we try. No, the cover is meant to SELL the book. And generally, most publishers know something about how to get that done. I think some authors forget that.

How long do you typically spend on each cover?

It varies. Some of my most successful covers were done in 30 minutes. Some, I've sweated over for days, and they never seem to fully work. I think anyone in the creative business can relate to this--for some reason some jobs just click, and others don't. Hopefully on the whole, you end up with more successful covers than not. I never answered your question though: on average, I like to have a couple full days to work on a cover; some require more time, some require less. 

And do you have any tips for authors on working with their designers to create a great product for them?

Why of course I do! If you're a self-publishing writer, I would seek out the BEST designers that I could find, and be prepared to pay for them. These online outfits that say they will do your book cover for $199 are NOT going to give you a professional product. Yes, everyone DOES judge a book by its cover--so get the best people you can afford to work on it for you. [By the way, the same goes for the text design as well. Nothing say amateur like lousy, ugly typesetting, lots of typos, and a text that has obviously never seen the light of an editor's desk. As for working with a designer directly, whether you hire them or the publisher does, I suggest providing sample covers that you like up front that are in the same genre as your title. I find this cuts through a lot of pointless talk that often doesn't accomplish much in the way of direction. Designers are visual people, and images speak volumes.

During the design process, if you feel the design isn't working well, try to BE NICE. Try to be diplomatic and helpful, not antagonistic and rude. Remember that old saw, "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar"? It's true. I'll work ten times harder for someone making an effort to be pleasant than I will for someone who is just being an ass and trying to get their way. It's a process, and it's a relationship--you have to work at it.

And finally, try to let them to their job. Micromanaging rarely helps. When you make suggestions, try to be specific about what it is you want and why. If they're good at what they do, you'll end up with a very nice book that everyone can be proud of.

I've recently spent some time watching how Bruce does his work (he created my website header!), and let me say that these guys are artists; a weird kind of artist that is equal parts creative and analytical thinking (I guess they use both sides of their brains?).  I will never look at font-types the same way again, and while I will probably still (unconsciously) judge a book by its cover, I'll try to take a little more time to appreciate the art that's adorning it