I sat down with Emily from Emily’s World of Design this week to talk about the process of designing covers for books. Emily has designed two of my book covers so far, and I’ve been thrilled with the results.

NP: How did you conceive of the cover design for Satan’s Diary?

Emily: The inspiration for the cover of Satan’s Diary came by reading the questionnaire that [you] filled out. The stained glass effect that [you] wanted to have on [your] cover was something that I loved from the first moment. It was something that could be used throughout the whole series and it was very unique because there are not a lot of covers with stained glass effect out there. As the setting for the book, [you] mentioned The Garden of Eden which was used as an inspiration to use the snake on the cover.

NP: Why did you choose the color scheme  you chose for Satan’s Diary?

Emily: The color scheme was inspired by the classic stained glass colors ( blue, gold, green ).I didn’t want to use all of them so we can use them in the next book in the series. The addition of the dark background was important for the title to stand out especially on a thumbnail size.

NP: Does the genre of the book make a big difference in how you design the cover?

Emily: Yes, genre is very important when designing a cover. You don’t want to trick people into buying a book thinking it is one genre and then it turns out to be another. My process is very similar regardless of the genre, I am just looking for different stock photos that can work for the cover and the atmosphere of the cover that fits the genre and the current trends in that genre.

NP: How much input do you get from authors when creating a cover design?

Emily: I have a very detailed questionnaire that I ask the author to fill out before we start with the design. It helps me to get info about the book they wrote so my design can be in cohesion with what they wrote. It helps me to get inspired and to find out what are the main elements or characters of the book. Then my task is to combine all of that into one balanced cover that both looks great, attracts the eye of the readers and fits the story authors wrote.

NP: What genres do you specialize in?

Emily: I design covers for books of all genres except children’s books. I love and enjoy working on the covers of all genres from romance to fantasy to thrillers and horrors. Regardless of the genre, I love getting the opportunity to work with an element that I haven’t used before because then it is a new challenge for me.

NP: Do you have a cover design you are most proud of?

Emily: This is a difficult question which I can’t answer specifically. There are so many of them and my answer could vary depending on the day you ask me. I gave my 100% on every cover that I worked on so I look at them with different eyes, and I am emotionally connected to all of them. You can take a look at my portfolio on my website so you can decide which one is the best for yourself.

I am thankful that I got to design every cover that I designed and I hope to get to do this for the rest of my life.

NP: If someone wants to contact you about your services, where should they go?

Emily: The best way to reach out to me is through my website www.emilysworldofdesign.com or my email which is emilysworldofdesign@gmail.com.

NP: Thank you so much for sitting down to answer a few questions. I hope lots of people discover your work through this interview!