In keeping with our month long interviews with cover artists,Naughty Nights Press is very fortunate in having the lovely and artistic Valerie Tibbs as our guest today. 
NNP: How long have you been creating book covers for?
VT: I started in August 2008. But I have been a graphic designer for about fifteen years.
NNP:What got you into creating book covers?
VT: I was impressed by many of the covers out there and I was dismayed at others out there and thought I could do a better job. I applied to several publishers, got rejected, and kept trying until Aspen Mountain gave me my big break.
NNP: Is there a certain medium you prefer to work with?
VT: I use Photoshop 99% of the time. Occasionally I need to use Adobe Illustrator for vector images, but I still go back into Photoshop to finish the project.
NNP: How closely do you work with the Author and Publisher when it comes to creating a book cover?
VT: This depends on the publisher. Most of the time I work with the art director and they work with the author. At a particular publisher, I work with the editor, who works with the authors. Then it goes to the art director, then to the EIC. At another publisher, it’s strictly me and the publisher. So it does vary.
NNP: Do you find that it can be frustrating at times trying to get the cover exactly right?
NNP: If you are a photographer, do you use only certain models or do you try and match the models to the characters in the book?
VT: I’m not a professional photographer, but I have taken pictures of scenery that I’ve been fortunate enough to use in a couple of covers.
Thank you Valerie for being here today. It has been lovely learning about your craft and giving our readers a chance to understand what goes on behind the scenes so to speak in preparing the covers of books that jump out at us, screaming “Buy Me”.
To view more of Valerie’s work go to http://tibbsdesign.com
Posted by Ms. Penny Peterssen
Personal Executive Assistant, Director of Marketing and Research
Naughty Nights Press (NNP) Team
