The Development of a Book Jacket

Prior to working in publishing I was unaware of all steps it takes to get a book on the shelf. The design process alone starts about a year before the book hits shelves. In this post I will explain the process I used to create the book jacket for Ethical Chic, published by Beacon Press and on sale June 19th.

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Once a book has been launched, the editor of the book will send around a Design Memo outlining many key elements of the book that should factor in to the design. For instance, the editor may show similar titles and discuss what has or hasn't worked for different covers in the past.

After this initial meeting it's off to the drawing board (so to speak)! Generally, I do a lot of research before starting on a design. I like to read at least a portion, if not all, of the unpublished book to get a better idea of what the book is about. I collect tons of images and color inspiration before I start work in my sketchbook and on the computer.

Once I have several ideas that I'm happy with I present them at a design meeting where I discuss the inspiration for my idea and what the cover is trying to accomplish. Sometimes it takes many rounds before a cover will get approved.

After a cover gets approved in-house it is sent off to the author for approval. Once the author has approved it you have a cover!

Some time goes by before you have to think about this book cover again. Closer to publishing date, I put together a galley that will get sent out to various people for blurbs. These blurbs will be used as copy on the final jacket.

 Once all of the blurbs are in I get flap copy and create the final jacket.

During this stage I also pick case materials, such as the spine, sides, and end-papers. 

Once the jacket design and case materials have been approved, they are sent off to the printer. A couple weeks before the release date the final product is delivered!