Ever wonder how all the parts of book cover get made and then put together?

Here’s a simplified equation* of one recent cover, Tripping Back Blue by Kara Storti.

picture of feathers***

* NOT PICTURED: all the parts of the equation when I was assembling the file in Photoshop & Indesign. Let’s face it–pictures of me sitting at a computer staring intently at the screen while moving letters up or down a millimeter to get the best composition, or fading the feathers in and out 5% at a time to get the best vibrancy, are not that interesting.

** NOT PICTURED: Me hunched over a table in the photo studio with a cramping right hand, carving letters out of glitter and cake flour in several different flour : glitter ratios, to get the right amount of sparkle.

ALSO NOT PICTURED: Todd the photographer adjusting lighting during the photoshoot, also to get the right amount of sparkle.

*** FUN FACT: Rights-managed photo licenses for our book jackets usually cover usage for a particular photo used within the jacket design only. So while I can show you the feather picture in use in the actual jacket, I can’t show you this image on its own. You get to imagine it.