A Book Cover Revealed… Conviction, Collaboration, and Themes

Every November, we ask 30 designers to create 30 book covers in 24 hours for novels people are writing for NaNoWriMo. The collaboration between designer and author can be incredibly inspiring. Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of the forthcoming Conviction, and NaNoWriMo associate board member shares how she, her designer, and her editor worked together to create her book cover—revealed for the first time here! (And watch out for this year’s 30 Covers, 30 Days announcement soon!)

Book covers have always felt like faces to me, and recognizing one in a bookstore or on another’s shelf is like finding a good friend in a crowded, busy place.

Ever since I sold my YA novel Conviction (releasing May 2015), I’ve quietly obsessed over what my own cover might look like. And in honor of the cover making its way into the world (for the first! time! ever!) today, my editor Laura Schreiber and cover designer Maria Elias are offering a behind-the-scenes look at the design process: