A Conversation Between Author Jane Kuo and Her Illustrator Julia Kuo
Photo Credit: Erin Drewitz
Julia Kuo is the author and illustrator of Let’s Do Everything and Nothing and the illustrator of several picture and specialty books including the New York Times bestselling book RISE. She has created editorial illustrations for publications such as the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Vox Media. Julia has taught illustration courses at Columbia College Chicago and at her alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis. She has been an artist-in-residence twice at the Banff Centre for the Arts and was a 2019-2021 fellow with the Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry at the University of Chicago. She currently lives in Seattle, WA.
Jane Kuo is a Chinese and Taiwanese American writer who grew up in Los Angeles. She graduated with a degree in English Literature from UC Berkeley. Also, she once borrowed a pencil from Maxine Hong Kingston. Jane lives in California with her husband and two kids
Jane Kuo’s book, In the Beautiful Country from Quill Tree Books, is a novel in verse about a young Taiwanese immigrant to America who is confronted by the stark difference between dreams and reality. Here, author Jane and illustrator Julia Kuo (no relation) discuss working on this incredible project together.
What do you love about working together?
Jane: I love this question because Julia and I have actually never communicated directly with each other about the covers. From my understanding, it’s pretty standard in the publishing world for the editorial staff and the book design staff to act as intermediaries between the author and cover artist. And so that’s how it’s been.
I have to say, I appreciate this convention in publishing. It allows the work to speak for itself. I had to trust that Julia would “get” my book and then make a compelling piece of art. In this way, even though we never talked directly about what the covers would look like, I think of us as collaborators in the truest sense of the word: it’s as if my words and her art are in conversation with one another.
Julia: When I first started making books, I was surprised by this firm separation of illustrator and author. I see why this safeguard exists now, but I understand when debut authors or illustrators feel differently. All that to say I appreciate your trust here.
I think you’ve captured the collaborative aspect of illustration perfectly! My favorite assignments are those in which I connect with the text and find the text visually inspiring. And if I can relate on a personal level, then that’s icing on the cake. In many ways, making your cover was a dream assignment.
I often think about how there are so many amazing illustrators out there, each with their own personal interpretation of the text and unique execution and style. So I’m always grateful and relieved to hear an author feels my artwork did justice to their text.
Julia, how were you chosen for this project or did you get to choose?
Julia: I don’t know how I was chosen for this project, but that’s typical in my publishing experience.
However, I do get a say in which projects I take on! Book cover projects that come to me are usually vetted by my agent while I decide if I’m interested and available for the job. That can mean reading the whole manuscript before we decide, but sometimes the description alone is sufficient. We accepted In the Beautiful Country based on a description that would have lured me to read the book if I’d seen it in any other setting like a bookstore or a review site. That was enough for me!
Jane, did you have any say in choosing a cover artist?
Jane: No one asked me for a list of my favorite cover artists or anything. And then, very early on in the process, my editor stated that you were “our first choice” and sent over a pdf of your artwork. I was floored. As a newbie in the kidlit space, I was amazed that I actually recognized some of your work, so I wrote back immediately, “Julia Kuo's art looks amazing and it would be an honor for her work to grace the cover. (A fellow Taiwanese American and a Kuo!)”
Jane, did you have expectations for the cover going in and how was the process or involvement on your end? Was there anything that you definitely wanted the illustrations to say to an audience, and that Julia captured?
Jane: The one thing I wanted most for the cover of In the Beautiful Country was that it be "beautiful". After all, the word is in the title! But in all seriousness, I knew that a gorgeous cover would significantly increase the chances of people picking up my book to take a second look. And ironically, I knew that my book would be judged by its cover. So yes, I approached the cover design process fretful, because I knew the stakes were high and yet, I had relatively little control.
I remember within a few weeks of selling the book to Quill Tree, an editorial assistant reached out to ask what I'd like the cover to look like. This is what I wrote in reply: "I like covers that are moody and nostalgic. And beautiful. I’m picturing something like a landscape: Anna on a playground ... with the sky behind her, or an open road with the store in the far background."
So Julia, you can imagine my utter awe and delight when I saw your mock up of the cover – complete with a big sky, an open road, and Anna in the foreground. The cover truly exceeded all my expectations and I knew immediately – with just one glance at the art – that you understood my story. You captured a sense of hope and dignity and for that, I’m grateful.
Design & Illustration: Julia Kuo
Julia, what stood out to you about Jane's work that you wanted to capture in the cover?
Julia: Jane, your story resonated so much with me. We share much more than our last names; my family also immigrated to southern California from Taiwan and my parents ran a brick and mortar shop for almost twenty years. They sold K-12 school supplies, catering to teachers and schools as well as parents. So many of my childhood memories are of working in that shop and learning how to be an adult in that context (doing inventory, packing orders, and manning the cash register). But I also watched how customers interacted with my parents, how some teachers treated them well and how others did not. So reading your story almost felt like reading about myself in a parallel universe.
The ways in which your universe deviated from mine moved me. A handful of friends also had immigrant parents running small businesses, but I didn't personally know of anyone who was undocumented. I'd heard the derogatory term "illegal alien", but real life examples of undocumented people were either absent or so well hidden in my community that the concept remained very fuzzy until much later. If I had read your story as a child, it would have opened my eyes. I had also recently read Qian Julie Wang's book Beautiful Country and both of your stories made me realize how sheltered and naive I was in my small corner of the Taiwanese American immigrant community. I felt so proud to have a small part in your book and to know that it would be available for readers today.
Julia, how was it working on companion novels? How did you want the covers to speak to one another?
Julia: I was thrilled to illustrate the cover of Jane’s second novel - not only so I could extend Anna’s visual world, but because it meant that Jane and the publisher were pleased with the first cover!
Besides keeping Anna front and center, I wanted the two covers to interact in some subtle way rather than feeling overly matchy. I imagine that the physical books will eventually be placed side by side, so I connected the linework where the books would touch. I’m not sure how many people will notice this explicitly, but I hope it leaves readers with a feeling of continuity!
Design & Illustration: Julia Kuo
Land of Broken Promises will be published by Quill Tree Books on June 6th 2023.
Cassie Mannes Murray is an award-winning writer and founder of Pine State Publicity.