Paul Rogers Studio

Paperback Covers for Random House

MARCH 18, 2008
Finished cover I sent for Death in the Afternoon
Last year I get a call from Random House in London for two Ernest Hemingway paperback covers for the Vintage series. They have a basic cover format using Gill Sans and Bodoni and they want me to create simple images that look like they fit the period of each book. Death in the Afternoon and The Old Man and The Sea. What could go wrong?
I send two pencil sketches each, they pick the ones they like, I finish them up and send them off. Everybody's happy, I get paid and look forward to seeing  the printed books.
Finished cover I sent for The Old Man and The Sea
A few months pass, and I think, "I wonder if those books are in the stores yet?" I'll check the UK Amazon site and take a look.
They're listed...but something looks odd.
Finished covers issued by Random House
It seems like the art director or someone at RH thought the covers needed that little something extra to make them look "Vintage."
I need a drink.
Sketch for Death in the Afternoon
Sketch for Death in the Afternoon
Sketch for The Old Man and The Sea
Sketch for The Old Man and The Sea
Topical: Book Jackets