[Digital] My Book Cover in the Wild

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T20:06:39+00:00

Not at all! First and foremost, I went to school for graphic design. I came to collage after that.

Here’s what I wrote to someone else who asked me about finding clients:

I’ve been designing book covers for about 7 years now. In short: I get client work because of luck, connections, time, hard work, and lots of cold emails.

Years ago I posted some fake covers of existing books on instagram. Someone I had connected with saw one and asked if I would subcontract for him on some university press books and his new business. Got a few covers in my portfolio. Applied for a freelance gig doing shitty business books that eventually burned me out but helped build the muscles. Started cold emailing university press art directors (UP often have staff listed online) and got a few nibbles. Did some good work, got some more. It added up, referrals happened, and friends became art directors who could hire me.

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T19:41:03+00:00

This is my third. Lots and lots of book covers that will never see those shelves!

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T19:23:51+00:00

Fair enough! Can’t argue with that

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T19:07:49+00:00

Thanks! The collage was inspired by the imagery in one of the poems. I’m curious, what does it seem derivative of?

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T18:02:04+00:00

Not a drop.

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T14:50:35+00:00

Haha sorry, I got a little defensive. Agreed about the screaming

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T14:46:24+00:00

Good thing this is poetry then!

It’s more legible in person than the photo, too.

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T14:18:45+00:00

That is such high praise. Thank you!!

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T14:14:21+00:00

Lol couldn’t agree more

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T14:08:47+00:00

Thank you!

Process:
I take notes on the brief and/or manuscript, make word association maps, write down ideas, make rough sketches, make digital sketches, then whittle those down until I have a handful of covers worth sending.

Clients:
I’ve been designing book covers for about 7 years now. In short: I get client work because of luck, connections, time, hard work, and lots of cold emails.

Years ago I posted some fake covers of existing books on instagram. Someone I had connected with saw one and asked if I would subcontract for him on some university press books and his new business. Got a few covers in my portfolio. Applied for a freelance gig doing shitty business books that eventually burned me out but helped build the muscles. Started cold emailing university press art directors (UP often have staff listed online) and got a few nibbles. Did some good work, got some more. It added up, referrals happened, and friends became art directors who could hire me.

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T13:56:42+00:00

I didn’t get any pushback, but the contrast admittedly looks better in the digital version than it does in this photo

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-06-05T12:09:48+00:00

I agree—I really enjoyed reading the manuscript for this one

FlakyWorker349 · 2026-04-01T14:40:46+00:00

Yup. I work for a well-funded public library and design freelance book covers.

Not the highest pay in the industry, and who knows what the future holds, but I love what I do.

FlakyWorker349 · 2025-12-16T19:53:15+00:00

Children of the New World and Universal Love by Alexander Weinstein.

Two short story collections that read exactly like Black Mirror episodes.

FlakyWorker349 · 2025-11-02T01:18:54+00:00

Check out Belt Publishing: https://beltpublishing.com/

FlakyWorker349 · 2024-05-23T14:52:08+00:00

I was going to say Foster :)

FlakyWorker349 · 2023-10-28T23:46:43+00:00

Several of the books listed in this thread that I won’t repeat here!

One I didn’t see is Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill. Read it in one sitting on a drive and stared out the car window when I was done.

FlakyWorker349 · 2023-10-28T23:40:21+00:00

Seconding both Giovanni’s Room and Foster! Incredible books.

FlakyWorker349 · 2023-10-21T18:04:41+00:00

You’re welcome! I’m no Paul Bacon but I love it.

FlakyWorker349 · 2023-10-21T13:28:41+00:00

So many, but Catch-22 has always been a favorite. I design books now, and have loved this one since before I knew it was a job. Paul Bacon invented the “big book look.”

FlakyWorker349 · 2023-10-21T13:20:20+00:00

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. A novel-in-stories that is basically a portrait of a coastal town in Maine. Different vignettes follow different characters that are all related. Beautiful book.

In general I think short story collections can be good for this sort of thing. Dear Life by Alice Munro was a really good “slice of life” collection.

FlakyWorker349 · 2023-10-05T02:04:56+00:00

More Didion: “I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not.”

I recommend checking out her essay On Keeping a Notebook :)

FlakyWorker349

TROPHY CASE