Finding the perfect book designer

You know how sometimes everything just clicks into place? That’s how it’s been with my upcoming book, Welcome to Eureka Springs: The I-Sh*t-You-Not History of America’s Quirkiest Town.

Early on, when researching what’s involved in self-publishing, I learned I would need a book designer.

Book designers are skilled professionals who lay out the cover, format the pages and chapters, and add flourishes like photo cutouts and quote boxes, all in a way that appears invisible to the reader yet enriches the reading experience. On top of all that, it needs to be done twice, once for print and once for the electronic edition.

By luck or fate, when I mentioned my book to a friend, he told me his wife was a professional graphic designer looking to branch out into book design.

That sounded promising, and when I researched Sol Kawage, I was blown away.

Based in her home on Italy’s border with Austria, Sol has done masterful work with everything from business logos and brand packaging to concert posters and guerrilla action guides, from programs for the International Science Council and the Main-Frankfurt Baroque Orchestra to a child’s board game that teaches foreign languages.

Sol was part of a team that helped London’s Isokon Gallery win a Camden Design Award when it opened in 2015.

I look forward to seeing how Sol will bring that modern, cosmopolitan, playful spirit to my book. Thanks to 19th-century architecture and a Bohemian reputation, Eureka Springs is often described as one of America’s most European towns, and I think this collaboration will be a great fit.

You can find out more about Sol and see examples of her work at uauage.org.