The challenge was to convey both laughter and sadness. My first step is to read the book—I always read the book first, then I work to distill the concept into an image that will convey the mood and meaning of the book in the second or two people look at a cover.
Is he laughing or screaming? Is he happy or in pain? People see “happy” first, but turn it over, he looks like he’s in pain. So a complex set of emotions is conveyed in this single image. See the next cover...