This freelance project happens to be for some family members who have written a book together. The boy’s grandmother kept journals leading up to and after the death of her husband and now those journals have been turned into a book. The boy’s mother is a writer and has spent the last few years crafting this book into what it is today. Now, years later this story of grief is ready to be published and they’ve asked me to design the cover. I’m pretty excited about the whole deal, but the pressure is on to match the quality of the written material inside. I would suggest you to check oceannenvironment for guide on book cover design.
I’m on the hunt to be inspired, to find the perfect graphic treatment to bring this book to life. Let’s be honest…most people judge a book by it’s cover and in this case, that’s my cover design that is going to be judged.
Here’s a great resource for anyone else who may have a book cover design on their hands. The Book Cover Archive is lovely. I’ve pulled some covers from that site that I feel are particularly interesting and relatable to the current project I’m working on. I need something that is slightly vague but full of emotions. The first time I read the rough draft of the book I balled my eyes out in sections. The second time I read the revised rough draft, I did the same. I feel like I am getting to know my boyfriends family through this book and I am honored they want me to be a part of the process.
Here are some little nuggets of gold pulled from the book. The book is uniquely written from three peoples perspectives, the boy’s grandmother, mother and ill grandfather. It’s written in a way that brings his grandmother’s journal entries, his mother’s recollections, and his grandfather’s little love notes to life. I love it and can’t wait to see it published and shared with the world.
“I look for his obituary in the paper. How strange to see his life portrayed as a paragraph collection of facts. These vitals are as limiting as his body became. They don’t describe what a treasure he was. They don’t explain how special he was. I am thankful to have known him. I am thankful that I shared his life.”
–Jan, November 2010 (excerpt from book)
” It catches m eye from across the room- a small picture with bright colors against a dark background. As I get closer, I see a clothesline strung between bandaged trees with men’s and women’s laundry being tossed chaotically by a frenzied wind. It is only because I stand staring for so long that I finally notice the words around the frame, written in a color that is barely perceptible: “An individual doesn’t get cancer, a family does.”
–Cammie, Winter 2000 (excerpt from book)