Designing the Best Book Cover

You've heard the old adage: Don't judge a book by its cover. Well, we all know that a gorgeous cover is hard to pass by, and those of us in the publishing industry know that a good book cover can be the difference a reader picking it up or leaving it behind.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson are joined by designer Charlotte Strick and writer Zachary Petit to discuss all things book design and book covers!

Zachary Petit is an independent journalist and editor. Previously, he served as the content director of the HOW+PRINT brands, editor-in-chief of the National Magazine Award–winning publication PRINT, managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, and executive editor of several related newsstand titles.

Petit works above a Victorian bowling alley turned illegal gambling hall turned punk club turned cab company turned brewery. His book about Modest Mouse’s The Moon & Antarctica for the 33 1/3 series will be available this fall.

Charlotte Strick is the Founding Designer and Creative Director at Bindery Books. For 14 years prior, she ran Strick&Williams—an award-winning, women-led, Brooklyn, NY-based design firm, which helped brand publishers such as Catapult and Spiegel & Grau, as well as an award-winning rebrand of The Paris Review magazine and website; Strick also served as the magazine's Art Editor and designer for over a decade. Her work has been recognized by AIGA; The Art Directors Club; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; the New York Times; Print and Communication Arts; It's Nice That; The Type Directors Club; as well as many print and digital surveys on memorable book covers. Her writings on art and design have been published by The Paris Review, The Atlantic, and The Huffington Post.