A Note From Our Founder
Welcome to “In the Margins,” a new newsletter from your friends at Margins. Just like our app, this is a place to celebrate reading and the people who love it. Every few weeks, we'll interview someone interesting from the world of books and share fun stuff like feature updates, community spotlights, and our favorite reads. I hope you enjoy! — Paul Warren
Under the Covers With Book Designer Elisha Zepeda
Watching Elisha Zepeda create book covers is intoxicating. In quick-cut videos of his process, Zepeda knocks out gorgeous options and then reveals which cover the publisher picked. As a viewer, it's impossible to predict the winner because they all look shelf-worthy. We wanted to know what happens off-camera, so we asked the Portland-based designer to lift the veil on how he crafts covers for Penguin Random House and other clients.
You've been at Penguin Random House for about two years now. How's life in book publishing these days?
Life is good. Things are always moving — there are always books, always covers to be made. My job is a constant ebb and flow of being very busy, and then maybe there's a week where I can breathe.
Do you get to choose which books you design?
To an extent. I'm under an art director, and the job of a good art director is picking the right designer for the book. I can still express interest in something, and if my art director thinks I'm a good fit, I'll get connected with it. I also do freelance work for other Penguin imprints, Simon & Schuster, and independent presses.
Do you have to read a book before you design the cover?
Best practice, yes. At the very least I'm reading a handful of chapters, skimming for visual cues, and making sure the tone of what I think the book is matches what I should be making.
How do you translate the tone into typography, graphics, the art?
That's the magic question. I try to put my process into words, but sometimes it's just as simple as reading a paragraph and it clicks. It's a mix of finding inspiration, seeing what's already out there…there's an alchemy to it that's hard to explain. But tonally, typography and color alone can usually get you into a genre.
How trendy are those influences?
One example I give is the Atomic Habits effect: one book takes off, and then everything else starts looking like it. The Let Them Theory is kind of Atomic Habits flipped, and I see similarities between Outlive and that same gradient look. Once one of those books takes off, it's hard to divert from it and still feel like you're making the book feel unique.
What’s the publisher optimizing for: a known formula, something that stands out on the shelf, or something else?
It depends…
Meet a Book
Thirty years after its publication in 1995, this slim, dystopian novel went viral. At its center are 40 women imprisoned in an underground cage, guarded by silent men. The youngest prisoner chronicles their escape and their attempts to rebuild in a post-apocalyptic world. Written by a Jewish author who lost family in the Holocaust, the book reflects a visceral understanding of what it means to be stripped of everything and still persevere.
Meet a Reader
Alona is a UX designer in Ukraine who reads about 20 books a year, mostly historical fiction set in different cultures, with the occasional cozy read when the stress of war becomes too much. Alona shares recaps with friends on Telegram and takes great care to select editions from her country. Follow Alona if you like books in Ukrainian, literary fiction, and memoirs.
» Also, welcome and thank you to new members Izzie, Rudy, Carly, Winacchi, Jen, Porchia, Sel, Viktoria, Jamie, Anney, and more. Margins is free to use, but a paid membership unlocks extra perks and helps support our small team.
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