I did about 2000 covers altogether, for all sorts of books - from Shakespeare to James Bond - and I always had the idea that I must give 100%, no matter who the author was.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I'm such a fangirl when it comes to other writers. I read 250 books a year, and I'm always talking up books by other authors.
I think some people wished I'd kept myself out of the book. But I kind of insist on it because I want the reader to share my engagement with the material, if you like, not pretend that I'm doing it completely intellectually.
It's been said that I am the most widely read writer of the 20th century. The number of books I've sold runs into untold millions.
Now, I had been drawing all this time - especially in France of course - so, when I came back, my father gave me the chance to do a cover for one of the books he published.
I think the response I get to one 'New Yorker' cover outweighs five books that I publish.
I get to show the reader the essence of the book without giving anything away.
Readers are always surprised to learn that authors have little or no input regarding the cover art for their books.
There's a lot of books that I've purchased simply because of the cover design. On the other hand, there's certain books that, even if I'm very curious about the content, I can't bring myself to buy if I really dislike the cover.
I'm lucky enough to work with, I think, the greatest writer there's ever been, Shakespeare. Whose collected works would always be under my pillow if I was only ever allowed one book to keep, and who never bores me.
I picked books by their covers - the worse the cover, the more I wanted to read it.