As Senior Art Director for Avid Reader Press, I’ve had the privilege of overseeing and designing all of Lisa Taddeo’s books—from her first book (and Avid Reader’s first publication) Three Women, to her second book Animal, to Ghost Lover, her current collection of short stories. It’s not an exaggeration to say I’m obsessed with her work—she is one of those writers whose voice resonates with me on a very deep level. Although I only read Animal once as an early manuscript two years ago, if you asked me to paint a picture of the setting and characters without ever referring back to the text again, I could. She’s that brilliant.

In book publishing, there are certain genres or themes that repeat year after year. There’s the sweeping historical novel set in WWII, the contemporary coming-of-age story, the confessional memoir… all the usual suspects that make an appearance in different forms each publishing season. As cover designers, we know what type of imagery those books require and the challenge lies in reinventing a familiar look to make it feel fresh and new.