Book Jacket Designs by Elizabeth Connor
Love a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Elizabeth Connor:
I have been designing book covers for almost twenty-five years. Currently Senior Art Director at Grand Central Publishing/Hachette (where I’ve worked for just under fifteen of those), I previously worked at St. Martin’s Press and Putnam. In fact now that I think about it, with the exception of two years away to earn my MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I have lived in New York City and done little else with my adult life but design covers since starting at William Morrow in 1997. Back then everyone lamented that book publishing was a dying business, but, ya know: so far, so good.
Love a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Elizabeth Connor
Inspiration for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter:
It’s hard to pick a single favorite book jacket from all the designs I’ve worked on over the years, but Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is right up there. It was one of only a handful of jobs I’ve done where the inspiration was immediate and—with minimal tinkering at the margins during the approval process—the final product reflected that initial inspiration.
The second book from the writer of the sleeper hit Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, this title was simultaneously straightforward and absurd. I wanted our cover to suggest a well-researched book of historical nonfiction, while also nodding to the supernatural, sci-fi genre thriller actually contained in the pages. With only a few existing photos of Lincoln to choose from—all of which had been used many times over on other books—I needed to find a way to skew one in a clever way, without going overboard with the Photoshop.
When I saw Matthew Brady’s 1864 portrait of Lincoln standing with one hand behind his back, it hit me: he could be holding a large axe in that hand, the top edge peeking out over his shoulder. At first glance, it would look like the photo everyone already knew. But when you picked up the book and turned it over, you would see Lincoln from the back. Not only would he be holding the axe but a severed head as well. I wasn’t sure the higher-ups would go for the concept—editors and publishers often talk about how a book only has a fraction of a second to catch a reader’s attention and don’t always trust an idea that requires more engagement—but they understood the appeal immediately and gave me the green light.
The Brady photo ended at Lincoln’s thighs, though, and I wanted a full-length figure, head-to-toes. Not to mention I wanted a photo of Lincoln’s back, a photo that did not exist. So I hired the incredibly talented photographer and compositor Scott Nobles. He assured me that—with a single photo shoot—we could extend the president’s legs down to the floor and create an image from the back, where were concealed the axe and the head. A tall photographer friend of his, Poul Ober, agreed to act as both assistant and model. The shoot was an incredibly fun collaboration, and Scott delivered three variations of the paired images, from just-a-little-bloody to lots-and-lots-of-gore. I added type (including Lincoln’s own signature), shared the spreads in a cover meeting and got a quick and enthusiastic approval.
I was thrilled that the higher-ups trusted me and allowed me to take the risk. And I loved the final jacket. When it hit the New York Times bestseller list—and stayed there for three months—that was just icing on the cake.
Love a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Elizabeth Connor
Love a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Elizabeth Connor
Other book jackets by Elizabeth Connor:
Love a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Elizabeth Connor
Love a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Elizabeth Connor
Love a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Elizabeth Connor
Other work by Elizabeth Connor:
On the rare occasions when I can find the time, I love to translate photographs—especially Polaroids—into large format watercolor paintings.
