The Busiest Art Director in New York

Writers..we yak about our covers endlessly, but who do we talk to? Each other mostly and what do we know?

Today we're getting the chance to listen to someone who actually has some of the answers.

Jungle Red welcomes David Baldeosingh Rotstein, Art Director of Minotaur Books/Palgrave Macmillan, Senior Art Director, St. Martin's Press
DR: Hi Rosemary. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share some thoughts about the book cover design process.

JR: So, first question..How busy are you? We all know lots of books come out every month - how many covers do you work on in an average year?

DR: It’s hard to believe, but I work on well over 150 book covers a year. Some of the covers I design personally, while others I Art Direct. A few colleagues have said that I am the busiest Art Director in New York.

Working on so many projects is certainly challenging, but it has great benefits as well. It requires me to streamline my thinking and trust my instincts. It also gives me the opportunity to work on many kinds of books ranging from mysteries and novels, to biographies and cookbooks. It’s a very stimulating environment for creativity.

JR: I doubt it's possible, but do you read every book that you work on?

DR: All of the books I work on are read in some measure. I need to read enough of a book to understand how to package it.

Books are like people. Sometimes you get a sense of a person within two minutes of meeting them and feel like you’ve known them your entire life. Other personalities require more time and closer examination before you can begin to uncover a core message. This issue is not exclusively a function of the writing style alone, but is also determined by my experiences and familiarities. Sometimes the great idea comes to me on page one, and those covers are just as powerful as ideas that took longer to develop.

Another thing to realize is that book covers are always communicating with an audience that has not yet read the book. I typically need to pull myself back and pretend that I know nothing about the book. Over the years I’ve had so many covers where the payoff to the cover was contingent upon having read a certain passage. This approach is one that authors and editors love because they are so close to the project, but it’s not an approach that targets the real audience.

JR: I adore the cover for Dead Head and can't seem to stop slapping it on postcards, bookmarks and other promotional materials, but what happens if the great idea doesn't come?

What's the longest amount of time you've ever spent designing a cover? (Please don't tell me it was Dirt Nap)

DR: Six months of design is probably the longest span. Some books literally have dozens of versions of a cover. Dirt Nap is certainly on the list, but it is not even close to being among the longest ones.

JR: I'm really glad to hear that! (I have to add if the title of the book had not been changed, the process might not have been so torturous. But, I digress...)

Is there one cover that you are most proud of?

DR: I’m always most proud of solutions where I succeed in trying something new or increase my scope and range. I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite cover, there are just too many.

Your book Dead Head would certainly be on that list though, because it was a new kind of solution for me.

JR: Well, Death Will Get You Sober by Liz Zelvin ranks as one of my favorites..how did you come up with the idea for your dramatic, Anthony-nominated cover?

DR: I wanted to feature a drink but my initial versions of the glass spilling or falling were too static and lacked the sense of energy and violence that I was seeking. So I explained the idea to my photographer and had the image photographed with a high-speed strobe.

JR: Very cool. I'm just about to finish my fourth book and I've already got some ideas for the cover! What information can the author give her publisher to help the art department?

DR: It’s very helpful for authors to communicate what they like, especially if they have strong ideas. But if an author does not feel covers are their strength, then it can cause difficulty. Comparison book jackets can be great. Saying “I want the cover to feel like an Ella Fitzgerald song” can speak volumes.

My favorite questions are: Who is the audience for this book? What emotion, mood or tone should the cover convey? Should the cover feel epic and sweeping or intimate and precious? Dark and moody or bright and sunny? Masculine or feminine?

Authors can also be very specific: photography vs illustration? Full bleed artwork vs small spot art? Or one can suggest a specific a scene to depict, or a conceptual idea.

I have two big cautions. One is to avoid the cover trying to do too much: it can’t be funny but also serious (even though the book itself has both aspects). The best packages focus on one.

Caution two is to not feel that you have to try to come up with cover ideas yourself. Professional graphic designers and art directors struggle to create their solutions. If you are struggling with the cover (or even if you’re not), then don’t be afraid to simply ask the art director figure it out.

JR: David, thanks so much for visiting and JR readers if you have any questions for David, fire away because in the time it took you to read this blog David has already gotten another book cover to design. Check in over the weekend for comments and questions.

On Launch Parties

No Malice Palace
RO: I know, I know...lots of people say they're pointless and a waste of money, but dang it, I finished another book, it's coming out and I want to celebrate! Perhaps it's because my first two parties went so well. When Pushing Up Daisies was released people from every stage of my stage came to the launch party. Old bosses and colleagues showed up. Old boyfriends. Relatives I hadn't seen in years. It was wonderful. I felt like a bride. The party was at Partners & Crime in Greenwich Village and they sold so many books they had to run to B&N five blocks away to buy more. (I enjoy repeating that.) It was a fabulous experience. The next day I flew to Phoenix for an event at Poisoned Pen and signed hundreds of books. I thought..I could get to like this.



Needless to say that never happened again. You can only be a virgin once. I knew I had to do something different for The Big Dirt Nap - which is kind of funny - so I had a party at The Friars Club. I thought if nothing else people will come to see the landmark, members only club. And they did. It went well, I sold books, a good time was had by all.



So now we're up to book three, Dead Head. CBGB's is no more. The Fillmore is long gone, but given the title and the subject matter, I was hellbent on having a party in the village and I think I found the perfect spot - No Malice Palace. First off I love the name. And the place is as cool as it gets, a lounge-y, low key bar with a garden in the back. In fact the website says Bar, Parties, Garden..it had my name all over it.



So on April 15 everyone I know - and that includes all of you - is invited to help me celebrate the release of Dead Head, at No Malice Palace, 197 east 3rd Street, bet. A & B, look for the green lantern (I love this part of the address..it actually says this on their website.)

There is no way I'll sell enough books to justify the cost of the party, but I need that good sendoff
and I like to let my publisher see me selling books and chatting people up. I also like inviting other people from the house to acknowledge their work on the work. (BTW don't forget to stop back tomorrow for our chat with St. Martin's art director, David Rotstein.)



How do you all feel about book parties? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Awkward? Awesome?