Lit Hub’s managing editor has picked the 12 best book covers of September, and the list reads like a love letter to the people who make those covers look so good. The theme is simple: art matters. The picks range from deranged and playful to restrained and serious, and each one treats the cover as its own argument.
The list comes from Emily Temple, who runs Lit Hub as managing editor. She is also promoting her own debut novel, The Lightness, which was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in June 2020. The book is available to buy. That disclosure sits in the very copy block where she signs off, which makes the whole thing feel like a personal recommendation dressed as a roundup.
Dorfman’s Ronson Cover
Temple opens with a cover she calls “deranged in the best way.” She credits Dorfman with doing all of Ronson’s covers, and points out that the UK version of the same book also deserves attention.
The pick is a visual statement. Temple describes it as “an excellent choice of art cleverly paired with text,” which suggests the image and the title work together rather than competing.
Han-Palooza and the Font Choice
Another pick features Grace Han, and Temple praises the restraint behind it. The title promises something bold, but the cover holds back.
“The combination of font and color story is perfect,” she writes. That restraint is the point. The design matches the book’s subject without overpowering it.
Pixel Stretch and Collage
Two more picks lean on visual tricks. One uses a pixel stretch effect, which Temple admits she loves. The other is a collage by John Gall, whom she credits with making collage look new.
“It may be plastic, but it pops,” she says of the plastic cover. The effect is small, but it works.
Grass and the Serious-Funny Pair
The final two picks come from a complementary pair of books published on the same day. Temple delights in both for the same reason: they feel, like the books themselves, both serious and funny.
She singles out grass on a book cover as something she always likes. The pairing suggests a shared sensibility across two separate titles.
How the List Reads
The list is presented as a numbered selection, so there is an implied order. Each cover is described in a few sentences, and Temple’s enthusiasm is consistent throughout.
Here is the rough order of the covers as described:
- Dorfman’s Ronson cover, including the UK version
- The Grace Han-palooza cover
- The pixel stretch cover
- The John Gall collage
- The plastic cover
- The grass cover
- The serious-funny pair of books published on the same day
What the List Tells Us
The list is a reminder that a book cover is not just marketing. It is a first impression, and it can set expectations or subvert them.
Temple’s picks are memorable and often surprising. They do not shout; they invite.
The fact that Temple promotes her own book in the same space is honest. She is running the site, and she wants readers to know what she thinks is good.
Seeing the Covers Yourself
The covers themselves are not shown here, so the descriptions stand in for the images. That is the trade-off of reading about art online. But Temple’s descriptions are vivid enough to make you want to see the originals.
The Lightness is available to buy.
See the 12 covers at Literary Hub.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.