The wonderful editoresses at Allen and Unwin have let us draw on their collective wisdom to answer the question: What Do Editors Do All Day? Check out their fantastic blog Alien Onion, where this series first appeared.

So we’ve talked about making the insides of a book – but what about the outsides? The cover. That bit we all judge it by.

We are very fortunate to work with many brilliantly talented designers who consistently make us look good. They decipher what it is we want, translate it into something better than we ever imagined, cheerfully put up with us making demands and changing our minds, and give our books the best chance to make their way in the world.

But getting to the right cover is not always simple. On any given day in the House of Onion you will find editors involved in the process of shepherding a cover from initial idea to finished design.

Here’s how we do it:

Thanks, Alien Onions!

The Centre is running the Essentials of Editing starting 19th of April.