Lindsey Andrews
Where do you work? What is your title?I am the Assistant Art Director for the Penguin Young Readers Design Group. We specifically focus on designing covers for middle grade and young adult titles.
How many illustrators do you work with a year? How do you work with illustrators?It really varies. Typically, most of our middle grade books will have an illustrated cover. But, depending on style, we hire some for young adult covers as well (while most skew more photographic or graphic). Over the last year, I’ve worked with about 6 illustrators.
I work in an art director capacity and am the link between the artist and the rest of our team. I’m here to answer questions and help guide the illustrator in the direction we feel is best for the book.
What do you usually look for in the work of illustrators you hire?I look for someone who’s style really connects with the tone and voice and audience of the book. It’s always a plus if they have a particular interest in or a piece that immediately lends itself to the plot of the book. It makes my pitch easier when the editor can immediately see how pieces in their existing portfolio could be turned into a book cover. Also, diverse books written by diverse authors has become an important focus in publishing, so sometimes I’m looking for someone not only based on their style, but on their background and if they can relate personally to the story. That’s why sites like Women Who Draw are so great, because if I’m specifically looking for a female illustrator of a certain ethnicity/religion/orientation or from a certain place, I can find them. We love when illustrators want to lend their voice to the project to help connect to readers of all kinds.
What is the process of putting together cover art?Every book cover is its own beast. Sometimes I hire an illustrator for their conceptual abilities alongside their style and I will have them lead the process and bring their own ideas to the table. Other times, we already have an idea in-house that we just need executed in a particular style, so those are more straight-forward.
After selecting an illustrator along with approval from our publisher and editors, I reach out to get the illustrator on board. We always focus on just the front cover first, but oftentimes want the illustrator to expand the art for the whole jacket wrap, which includes the spine, back cover, and flaps as well. We start off with rough sketches to get across concept and composition. We’ll pick an option to be developed further into a tight sketch. We seek approval from our editorial team before also sharing with the author and our Sales teams. Once we are all on the same page, we have the illustrator go to final art. Typically, this process takes 1-2 months to complete, sometimes longer. After the front cover is done and approved, that’s when we finish up with the wrap art.
What are some things for artists to consider when illustrating covers?Know that we hired you for a reason and we want you to express yourself and bring your creativity to the piece, just as you would a personal project. In the beginning, anything is possible. But, once we start to narrow down the ideas and compositions, that’s when we really want to see our feedback incorporated. It’s not only coming from me, it’s coming from a team of people who know our industry and audience well. So, I also ask that you trust us. And it’s always good to keep the audience in mind. For children’s books, we do have to pay close attention to how old the characters look on the cover. But, on a larger level, think about what you would’ve loved to read as a child and what kind of cover would have made you pick that book up.
What is the theme of your curated feature?Who run the world? (Girls)
Why did you choose these artists?I personally love young adult books and want to see even more illustration grace the covers and become more of the norm. These illustrators really show a wide range of what it means to be a teen these days. Their characters not only feel contemporary and very present, but they also show powerful women who are all different shapes and sizes from different backgrounds coming together. An illustrator who can also do hand lettering is always a plus and catches my eye.
Do you have any advice for illustrators who might want to work with you?Just keep putting your work out there in any form you can think of. Update your various social platforms regularly. Mail postcards of your work. Send emails. Network when you can. But, mainly, do what you love. Even if you have a portfolio full of commissioned pieces, I still like to see what you create when you get to create whatever you want. Also, let me know your process!
