Zoe Norvell

Book Cover Designer.
Book Interior Designer.
Founder of the popular website, INeedABookCover.com.

Short n’ sweet:

I began my career in the Big 5 publishing industry as a professional cover designer in 2011 in NYC.
In 2015, I became a full-time freelancer and have been running my own studio ever since.
I created the website INeedABookCover.com.
I’m based in my hometown of Washington, DC.

For more information, visit the About Me page.

If you wanted to hire me for book interior work, head on over to www.ineedabookinterior.com!

Availability:
The majority of my clients are commerical publishers and independent presses, but I do work with self-publishing authors on a case by case basis.

When it comes to book interiors, I am ALWAYS accepting new interior work—whether for a publisher or a self-publishing author.

When it comes to book covers, I accept new projects on a case-by-case basis. To understand why, please watch this video.

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Links & Press

I've had the privilege of speaking on several podcasts, writing articles about my design process, and presenting in a variety of forums in the publishing world. Below is a selection of press features, interviews, and guest appearances. If you’d like to have me speak at your next event or on a podcast, please get in touch!

Presentation

Women in Publishing Summit Speaker

The Women in Publishing Summit is an annual virtual conference that equips women authors, publishers, and book professionals with the tools, strategies, and support to succeed in today’s publishing industry. In 2025, they invited me to give a presentation that gave self-publishing authors and industry professionals the tools they need to locate and approach the industry’s top-performing book cover designers.

Learn about the WIP Summit Here!
Presented: March 2025

Podcast

Featured Guest on The LitMatch Podcast with Abigail Perry

I joined Abigail K. Perry on her podcast to talk all things book cover design—how to find the right designer, what makes a cover stand out, and why your cover matters more than you think.

Listen to my episode Here!
Published: November 2024

Article

Inside The Many Versions of ‘Dorothy Parker’

A behind-the-scenes look at creating six rounds of cover design for Dorothy Parker in Hollywood for Simon and Schuster—from surreal collages to vintage glam—navigating changing titles, creative pivots, and a dream Round 1 response: “You fucking nailed this cover dumb hard LOL.”

Read My Article Here!
Published: October 2024

Podcast

“How to Find And Work With a Book Cover Designer” on the Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast

I joined Savannah Gilbo’s podcast to answer the big questions about book cover design—where to find the right designer, what to budget, and how to make the process smooth from start to finish.

Listen to my Edpisode Here!
Released: October 2024

Podcast

Guest on Cover Meeting with Steve Leard

An in-depth interview with fellow cover designer Steve Leard in his inaugural podcast season. I discuss how I broke into the publishing world in 2011, why I broke away to go freelance, and the decisions behind building INeedABookCover.com.

Listen to my Episode Here!
Released: October 2023

Featured

Designer Profile on ILoveCreatives.com

Get to know me and my professional interests in this feature from the community-driven design directory, ILoveCreatives.com.

Read My Q&A Here!
Published: September 2023

Guest Post

My Top Ten Cover Picks for PRINT Magazine

As a guest writer, I shared my top 10 book favorite covers of the month—and explained why they work—in this fall feature for PRINT.

Read My Article Here!
Published: September 2023

Panel Speaker

In the Land of Rejected Covers

I joined a panel of six at AUPresses 2023 annual conference to talk about the highs, lows, and lessons of book cover design rejection in publishing.

Read My Article Here!
Event: June 2023

Mentioned

Jessica Simpson’s book cover hits Times Square!

In 2021, I worked on the cover of Jessica Simpson’s Amazon Original Story, Take The Lead with Art Director Tyler Freidenrich. Here’s the final design displayed in Times Square.

See Jessica’s post!
Published: July 2021

Mentioned

Work is Listed as “One of the Best Book Covers of the Year” by PRINT Magazine

Zachary Petit from PRINT named Sea Loves Me by Mia Couto (Biblioasis, 2021) as one of his favorite covers of the year.

Read This Article!
Published: March 2021

Awards

Ducks, Newburyport is shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2019

I designed the cover for Ducks, Newburyport—a famously long, one-sentence novel with a massive spine—published by Canadian indie Biblioasis and shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize.

Read the announcement!
Announced: July 2019

Top 20

Named a “Book Cover Designer to Follow on Instagram” by BookRiot

BookRiot—one of the largest independent editorial book sites in North America—named me one of the top 23 book cover designers to follow on Instagram for eye-catching, inspiring design work.

Read The Article!
Published: September 2018

Article

Designing Book Covers While Traveling in Central America

In 2018, I spent four months working remotely across eight countries in Latin America—designing over 30 book covers while living as a digital nomad and gathering creative inspiration along the way. I wrote about my experience for SpineMag.com.

Read My Article!
Published: May 2018

Article

Designing a Book Cover for a Memoir About Sex Addiction

For SpineMag, I wrote about the exciting challenge of designing a tasteful, upmarket cover for a memoir about sex addiction. The trick here was finding a balance between intrigue and elegance while navigating a topic often considered taboo.

Read The Article!
Published: January 2018

Article

Using Vintage Artwork for a Fresh, New Look

A short little piece on how the book cover for “The Redemption of Galen Pike” was created for Biblioasis, using only found, copyright-free imagery.

Read The Article!
Published: May 2017

Article

The Cover Process behind The Quarter-Life Breakthrough

Bestselling author, Adam Smiley, asked me to write about my cover design process for his bestseller, The Quarter-Life Breakthrough.

Read My Article!
Published: August 2016

Article

How Roy Lichtenstein inspired my cover for Crybaby

In this article for HastyBookList, I go through my design inspirations for certain books, including the memoir Crybaby, which was inspired by the 1963 print “Crying Girl.”

Read The Article!
Published: 2020

Interview

Guest on the Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast

After designing James Moorehead’s book cover, he invited me onto his poetry podcast to talk about book cover and book interior design.

Listen to the Episode!

Article

Judging Books By Their Covers

The 8 Percent is a platform and creative community that celebrates bold thinkers, entrepreneurs, and artists who challenge convention and pursue meaningful, impactful work. They publish interviews, essays, and resources aimed at helping creatives elevate their craft and mindset. In 2016, they invited me to answer a few questions for their blog as part of a series highlighting creatives from around the world.

Read My Article!
Published: August 2016