People often ask me questions about the process of writing a book. Was it hard to do? How much did it cost? Where did you find your editor? But the question I get the most is about the cover of All But Six.
Last year when I typed the last word of my 115,000 word manuscript, I stared at my computer in disbelief. It had been a long road of processing my feelings, dealing with grief, and believing that I could finish what seemed like such an insurmountable task. I’d written many articles that had been published by other publications, but I’d never written a book before.
Writing my memoir was a deep dive into over 5 decades of my life. I spent years parsing through my mental archives, journals, photos, calendars, my father’s memorabilia, letters, and paperwork.
Organizing and simplifying a complicated process down to “block and tackle” steps is fortunately one of my specialties. So while I was working with an editor on the manuscript, I was also searching for an artist to work on my cover. Knowing that books actually are judged by their covers, picking the right person for the job was critical.
I felt a tremendous amount of pressure to get it right because my book was my father’s legacy. I had deadlines to hit if I was going to launch by Christmas. I also had several website, interior book designer, and other vendors lined up waiting to do their part as the publishing window quickly approached.
Even though my gut was telling me I needed someone different, I started working with a graphic artist from New York. He had worked with all the big publishing houses and seemed to say all the right things, and he could deliver within my tight timelines. But as the project unfolded, despite being very specific about what I wanted the cover to represent, he never delivered any quality options. I felt super frustrated, but not willing to settle—once again, I felt I had one chance to “do it right.”
My husband’s youngest son Jordan, is a talented artist who creates amazing movie posters for the film industry. I asked him to look at what I had been provided to see if I was off base. After getting his feedback about the poor quality, I fired the graphic artist. Then I decided to regroup and focus on what I really wanted, and hopefully manifest something better.
Oddly, I had a book that had been in my office that I looked at a lot and admired the cover. It had the same style and vibe that I wanted. My gut told me I should track down the amazing illustrator that created the art, but I felt like it was such a long shot. I mean after all, I’m just a little writer in Arizona working on her debut book. Why would someone who has worked with New York Times best-selling authors be willing to work with me? But I had to try—I just couldn’t let it go.
I sat up into the wee hours of the night searching the internet for the illustrator. I finally found his contact information but he was located in Sweden. Could I work with someone from Sweden? How do I do this with a different currency? Would he even respond to me? I was sure I could never afford him. But I just knew that if I didn’t try I would always regret not finding out if it was a possibility.
I spent at least an hour crafting the email to sound more like a pitch than a request for a bid. I told him about my story and why I needed someone with his talent to interpret it for me. Then with my heart pounding I hit the send key.
I decided it was up to fate and asked my dad to help me find the right path that would make him proud. I went to sleep praying for a miracle and releasing it to the universe.
The next morning I felt groggy as I sipped from my giant tea cup and scanned my emails on my phone. Much to my surprise there was a return email from Sweden. That was fast! I jumped to my feet and screamed for my husband.
“John! He wrote me back already! He wrote me back!”
John laughed and replied, “Of course he did Beauty. What did he say?”
“I don’t know! I’m too scared to open it,” I answered.
“Open it! I’m dying to know!” he said.
I took a deep breath and opened the note. As I read it out loud it felt like I could feel his kind heart right through the phone. He was sweet and gracious and HE SAID YES! I started to cry as I jumped up and down freaking out. And then out of the blue, John asked me something I had never thought about.
He asked, “Where did you get that book you liked so much anyway?”
I stumbled. Thinking. Scrambling for words. I had never read the book—I just admired the cover for years. When was the last time I was in a book store? Finally it came to me.
I bought that book at the airport in Pittsburg, PA on my way home, a few days after my father passed away.
****
Interview with Patrik Svensson
Meet the amazing cover designer and illustrator who designed the entire book jacket for my memoir, All But Six. I recently had the pleasure of doing a quick interview which I have shared below.
If you get a chance to check out his other work—it’s beyond amazing. Below are a few of my favorites and you can check out more at:
https://www.instagram.com/patriksvensson_/
https://www.illustrationdivision.com/patrik-svensson
BIO
PATRIK SVENSSON’S ILLUSTRATIONS EFFECTUATE THE PROFUNDITY OF THE HUMAN CONDITION. A MASTER OF COMPOSITION AND VISUAL PUN, PATRIK INVESTIGATES THE DUAL NATURE OF HIS SUBJECTS AND CREATES WORK WITH A MESSAGE THAT LIVES LONG BEYOND THE PAGE. HIS WORK WITH THE WASHINGTON POST EARNED HIM A COMMUNICATION ARTS AWARD IN 2016, AND HE WAS THE 2014 RECIPIENT OF THE KOLLA! AWARD FOR EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION.
CLIENTS
BONNIER, BOSTON GLOBE, DAGENS NYHETER, GQ, MEN’S HEALTH, ICON, IKEA, THE INDEPENDENT, JASHANMAL GROUP, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, REAL SIMPLE, SVENSKA DAGBLADET, SONY MUSIC, STARBUCKS, THE TELEGRAPH, WALL STREET JOURNAL
PATRIK SVENSSON INTERVIEW by TERRINA TROY
Q: Patrik, I have such a curious mind and when I meet someone who is unique and thinks in a way that makes me cogitate, I’m totally drawn to them. Perusing your artwork is so much fun, it’s like playing a game of discovery or doing a sophisticated puzzle. How do you explain your artistic perspective?
A: Thanks so much, that’s amazing to hear. At the start of a new project while thinking of the ideas, I try to open my mind as much as I can and not judge too much. Sort of like throwing a fishing net into the ocean and letting the ideas/fish swim like crazy, and then start to be more methodical and pick out what might work ok—99 of 100 ideas are just crap, haha. The actual hands-on work is very much a process of finding the right balance, a work of reducing and adding—a balance of show and tell, concept and style, light and dark, sharp and round, etc., etc.
Q: I know that you are an amazing artist, but when I worked with you on my book cover I thought of you as the guy who brought my cover dreams to life. I waited years for that moment to come to fruition and you became my dream maker. I’m sure that probably felt like a lot pressure, but what specifically was challenging about making the cover of All But Six?
A: That’s so kind of you, I’m always flattered when someone wants to work with me, and it was definitely a special project as it sort of sums up a big part of your life and background, right? I remember I had a tough time finding the right idea for this cover, started over again and again, and then it just felt obvious to me when going through the essentials of the book once again. Some ideas take just a minute, some days or even weeks.
Q: How do you choose your projects?
A: Honestly, I don’t turn down lots of projects. There was a time when I did a lot of editorial jobs. They usually have a quick turnaround and so I couldn’t accept all requests, but these days, if a job sounds interesting, the people involved seem nice and are willing to throw some money at me, I’m in!
Q: Where do you find your inspiration when you are working on a really tough project?
A: I have two kids aged 6 and 4, so to be honest, I don’t have much time left when the day is done. I like to walk, try to be in nature as much as I can, and as you probably know, a breakthrough sometimes comes when you least expect it, like when you’re doing the dishes before bedtime or so.
Q: What projects do you dream about doing?
A: Like many other artists, I’d love to have my work on the cover of The New Yorker someday. I’ve made a few interior illustrations for them in the past, but no cover just yet. I would also love to do more in the entertainment sector—movie/TV show key art, musicals, etc. I’m actually pitching for a new Broadway musical right now, keep your fingers crossed!
T: I could talk to you for hours, your brain is so fascinating to me. Your work is super complicated, but at the same time simple and beautiful. I wanted my cover to have multiple meanings and make people stop and think about it. I think you nailed it and I could not be happier. I hope we can work together again someday—you are the best!
P: So grateful for the opportunity. Thanks Terrina!
