The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announced a record-breaking 43 winners of the 2024 Top Shelf Book Cover Award during the opening ceremony of ECPA PubU, attended by over 200 publishing professionals. Presented by ECPA president Jeff Crosby with Brian Chung and Samuel Han Park of Alabaster Co., the awards honored outstanding book cover designs in four categories: Bibles, Children, Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Judges reviewed over 260 entries from 16 publishers. The awards highlight the importance of exceptional design in book packaging and market success.

This year, Tyndale’s Sarah Susan Richardson won an award in the Fiction category for her design work on Collector of Burned Books.

When reflecting on her award, Sarah told us: “I love designing fiction covers, especially historical fiction, because the research feels like time travel and gives me a chance to learn a bit about history. I often get lost in archives of old photos, imagining the world of the story. Part of the cover process involves finding images that fit together well, and this one was especially fun to assemble (see a collection of the images we used below), including the main character, books, her love interest, and Paris. We also loved the contrast between the moody interior and bright exterior, which captures the story’s melancholy while still conveying a sense of hope.

My goal is for every cover to act as a window into the story. While this cover’s composition isn’t new to the genre, we are always looking for ways to make it a little different and special. Receiving this award is an affirmation that we succeeded in doing just that!”

Congratulations, Sarah, on this wonderful achievement!