Tag: cover design

Designing the Cover for The Theory of Flight

Karen Vermeulen

We spend a lot of time talking about what’s inside of our books— and with good reason! But one thing that makes books such a great experience, both inside and out, is the cover art. We’ve been so very lucky to work with artist/writer Karen Vermeulen on a number of book covers, including Love Interrupted, The Thousand Steps, and Unmaking Grace. Karen also did both the cover art and illustrations for Small Mercies, and we’re also proud to be the publisher for her forthcoming illustrated memoir. Stay tuned for more info on that!

Karen’s work has helped tell a piece of the story before the first page is even turned, and that’s really clear in her cover design for the forthcoming release The Theory of Flight by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu. This beautiful novel with hints of magical realism is set in an unnamed African country, and, through the lives of interconnected families, tells the story of decades of national history.

We chatted with Karen about her process of designing the cover for The Theory of Flight. You can read more about her work in this Q&A, and be sure to check out her website, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Designing the Cover for The Thousand Steps

There is a lot that has to happen behind the scenes before we can get our books to readers. Edits, rewrites, marketing, event planning, design—it’s nothing if not exciting! While our author Q&As and From the Editor’s Desk features generally cover many of those (and if you don’t know what those are, all will be revealed if you subscribe to our newsletter!), but we focus on cover design a bit less often. That changes today! We talked extensively with artist Karen Vermeulen last year about her work, and now we’re chatting with Karen again about just one cover— the upcoming YA sci-fi novel The Thousand Steps by Helen Brain.

The Thousand Steps is the first in Helen Brain’s Fiery Spiral Trilogy, and is a dystopic sci-fi Young Adult novel set in Cape Town in 2055. After spending her entire life living in a bunker deep inside of Table Mountain, 16-year-old Ebba is released when the truth of her lineage is revealed. While learning to navigate the unfamiliar “Above,” Ebba must fight for her survival, and that of her friends still below. The Fiery Spiral is an eco-feminist trilogy that examines how class, race, and social identity are foundational to the ways in which society is organized and power wielded. It releases on January 7.

You can learn more about Karen and her work at her website, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Q&A with Karen Vermeulen

Karen and Sir Henry

We think our books are good on the inside. Really, really good, in fact. We also think they’re pretty good on the outside, too. We consider it an added bonus. The reason they’re so nice inside and out, is one Karen Vermeulen. Karen is an illustrator who has designed the covers for We Kiss Them With Rain, The Lion’s Binding Oath, and the upcoming Love Interrupted (not to mention the releases coming next year that will have her special touch). We chatted with Karen to talk about her work, what goes into designing the perfect cover, and what’s next for this talented artist.

Keep up with Karen (and Sir Henry) on her website and on Instagram @Karen_vermeulen_illustration

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