Danny Goodman‘s debut novel Amerikaland, forthcoming from LEFTOVER Books, is a modern blend of Don DeLillo and Phillip Roth. Goodman tackles an America filled with darkness and sheds light on it through sports. Throughout the novel, he weaves religion, tennis, terrorism, friendship, and hope. His world that readers encounter is a grim reflection of our own and will wrap readers up in a well-paced reimagining of our world.
Debutiful is proud to give readers a first look at the cover of Amerikaland, designed by Joanne O’Neill. See the cover below as well as get a behind-the-scenes look at how the cover came to be with a short Q&A with Danny Goodman.
While writing the book, did you have any ideas for what you wanted the cover to look like?
Though I’m a bit obsessed with book covers, I never actually envisioned the cover for Amerikaland while I was writing it. Thematically, the novel engages with a variety of subjects, and I didn’t quite know how to capture the it of the book, if that makes sense. I knew the cover would need to be bold, in ways I didn’t understand how to articulate.
Then, one night my wife (herself a book editor at Atria) and I were having dinner at a restaurant along the Hudson River. Out the window, we could see the lights from West Point reflecting off the river below. The way the buildings warped and reshaped in the water was ethereal and gorgeous. My wife proceeded to describe a cover, or the idea of one, and it was like an electric current rippled down my spine. I felt, finally, I could envision it.
Can you explain what the design process was like once you started working with your designer?
Even before I could imagine the cover for the novel, I knew who I wanted to design it, if possible: Joanne O’Neill. My publisher was open to using a freelance designer, and Jo was the only name on my list. It was a dream come true for me when she agreed to do the cover; I’ve admired her work for years, and the notion that she would design the cover to my novel made me overjoyed.
We used my wife’s idea as a jumping off point, but in general I still didn’t know what I wanted from the cover. I looked at other books for research, including several Jo had previously designed, trying to figure out the kind of cover that would speak to me (and the book). Once that happened, and I had a (slightly) better grasp on the vision, Jo presented a few drafts, all of which were, frankly, incredible. We narrowed down the design together, drawing on the importance that bridges and rivers play in the novel, as well as the color palette, most notably incorporating the fire and blues present throughout the book. The font choice, too, was inspired, and delivered the perfect gravity.
It was there, all of it, like magic.
What was it like seeing your finalized cover for the first time?
The path to bringing this novel into the world was not an easy one, but the moment I saw the final cover, I knew we had done it. I absolutely cried. I was overwhelmed. The publisher, too, was thrilled.
The entirety of the process felt holistic, like Jo found a way to capture the essence of the novel in one striking image, such that now I can no longer see the novel itself separate from this cover.
How does the cover work to convey what your book is about?
Sabine and Sandy, the protagonists of Amerikaland, are touched by tragedy but also driven by love and hope. Their friendship is a bridge, guiding the path forward amidst a world on fire—the complexity of both their relationships and the chaos around them is captured so well in the cover. My favorite part is their silhouettes on the bridge, and their reflections in the river below. I didn’t imagine it was possible for the novel to exist in one image, but it’s there, in its entirety, my heart and an open flame.
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