This Book Cover Designer Reveals His Surprising Process

Book Gang

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Faceout Studio book designer Elisha Zepeda as he takes us on a journey from working in a bookstore to navigating his first year in book cover design.

Elisha navigates the challenges of cover rejection through a unique avenue- his TikTok account, where readers can discuss the rejected and accepted designs with him.

Today he shares what he sees as emerging trend in cover design and the struggles he’s faced with everything from font selection to breaking out of the “girl turning away” cover that we can’t seem to escape from as readers.

If you are entertaining a self-publishing journey, Elisha shares valuable tips on communication, budgeting, and bringing your visions to life in your book covers.

We couldn’t have him on the show and not discuss his recommendations for some standout covers that have captured his imagination and hear more about his process of honoring an author’s work through unique details that created reverence for the person who spent months or even years on their books.

Meet Elisha Zepeda

Elisha is a book designer for Faceout Studio in Oregon. He documents his publishing journey on his Tiktok account, where readers can see how his book designs evolve from concept to final product.

When not designing books, he is writing/recording music, toying with a film camera, or defending the merits of decaf over regular coffee. You can view his portfolio on his website, where he curates his work.

Mentioned in this episode:

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