Jessica Reed

Jessica Reed – Designer

Artist and Writer with 16 years professional graphic design experience passionate about helping writers bring their work to life.

Overview

Hello! A bit about me:

My family and I recently moved to Portland, OR after 15 years in NYC. For fourteen of those, I was with the Penguin Publishing Group. During that time I had the opportunity, first as a Marketing Manager then as a Senior Designer in Creative Marketing Services, to work with every single imprint in the company. I now work full-time as a freelance book designer.

Not only do I have experience in design and the Big Five publishing industry; I also have experience in self-publishing. In early 2014 I wrote, designed, and self-published my book, The Baker's Appendix and in late 2015 it was bought by Clarkson Potter! In March 2017 the revised, updated, gorgeous hardcover was published and is now sold worldwide.

How might I help you?

• I am skilled in book cover layout, composition, and typography. As well, I am available to help with online and print advertising and social media campaigns on a limited basis.

• I have worked with every genre and type of book over the years, but am especially interested in cookbooks, food writing, general non-fiction, classics, historical works, memoir & biography, and genre fiction (LOVE mysteries and thrillers!).

• I am very familiar with the highs and lows of self-publishing and can help you not only with your cover, but am happy to answer questions related to the process as well

I would love to hear your story and see how I can help you bring your words to life. Thanks for reading!
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Health & Wellbeing Writing & Publishing
Fiction
Classics Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Thriller & Suspense
Languages
English

Work experience

Self-employed

Aug, 2017 — Present

Penguin Random House

Feb, 2002 — Jun, 2017 (over 15 years)

From February 2002–August 2008 I worked within the Berkley/NAL Marketing team, first as an assistant, eventually rising to the rank of Marketing Manager. I was responsible for copywriting, some design work, project management, supervising of assistants and interns, and all assorted tasks involved in the Advertising and Promotion of books within a variety of imprints.
From August 2008–June 2017, I was a Senior Graphic Designer working at one time or another with every imprint under the Penguin Publishing Group umbrella. I was responsible for all areas of Advertising and Promotional design including, but not limited to, catalogs, promotional swag, online ads, print ads, promotional kits, mock-ups, ARC cover design, blad and recipe bundle design, press releases, postcards, brochures, flyers, and, most recently, plenty of social media headers, ads, and social shares. I worked with colleagues on projects as well as dealing with vendors and production specialists outside the company.

Portfolio

A Scandinavian, dystopian, crime thriller with a style that pays homage to classic ‘noir’ detective fiction. The year is 2068. In Eldísvík city state, on the edge of the Arctic Circle, a police ‘decoy’ agent, shadowed by her trained pack of genetically altered... read more
Secrets in Oak Creek

B.K. Stubblefield

A small town with a dark secret. A new arrival in grave danger. Can she solve the mystery before she ends up the next victim?The best part of Emily's childhood may have been the time she spent with her quirky aunt. So when her favorite relative passes away, sh... read more
Our hero, Jake Stewart, the first Belter student at the Merchants Academy is ready for his first job. All past sins, like murder, theft, and shooting out an airlock are forgiven. He just has to see a man in a bar and pick up some information. What could possib... read more
Jake is the first belter ever to study at the TGI Orbital station to be a merchant officer. He’s quiet, hard-working, conscientious, and a good student. In other words, boring. He’s so poor he can’t afford to buy beer, but that doesn’t matter - his scholarship... read more
Silent Tears

Kat Smutz

The American Civil War has ended and everyone in America is free--except women. They have no right to vote, no right to own property, no right to control their own lives. The rare exception is widows. Jocelyn Hightower's abusive husband is dead, but she knows ... read more
Rooked

Caitlin Sara

Exposing those closest to you could be fatal. . .Despite her desire for control, Ara Hopkins has always felt like a pawn—constantly being maneuvered by those surrounding her. Carrying a riddled past of abandonment by her mother, a jealous step-sister and explo... read more
If we hope to save ourselves from climate change catastrophe, we must face not only the prospect of human extinction; but also we must radically confront what produced the climate crisis in the first place: the “colonial power matrix” and our deadly attachment... read more
Sisters Claire and Susan have been noticing their independent, introverted mother is sort of… off. Discreet investigation reveals the appalling truth: Mom can’t find her way home, pay her bills or even get to the toilet anymore. The move to an assisted living ... read more
In this first-of-its-kind self-help guide, Award Winning designer, Kelly Heaps, pulls back the curtain on the home design industry as she reveals insider secrets. Learn what great hard surface design is, how it will increase your financial bottom line and what... read more
Imagine that you had an investment methodology that identified the "best of the best" companies listed on the stock market and often found them when they were still cheap. These super companies usually out-perform the general stock market averages by a wide ma... read more
The Moszkowski family was one of the fortunate ones. The family’s journey during and after World War II began when they fled Poland in 1939, under Hitler’s Luftwaffe aerial assault. Theirs is not a typical Holocaust escape story. Father Arthur Moszkowski’s pos... read more
Ghost Bully

Brian Corley

Roommates can be hell. Like when they’re late with the rent, late on bills, or constantly trying to kill you. Jonah Preston thought he knew what he was getting into after signing the paperwork to buy his new home: yardwork, a leaky pipe here and there, maybe t... read more
Each and every day, we are presented with many Choices. Choices that take us down one path or another, each with its own unique journey and destination. In order to choose the path that leads you to your desired destination and goals, you need tools and strate... read more
A sleepy Oregon coastal village with secrets as dark as its January storms. A new, handsome police chief with his own shadowy past. The last thing Port Stirling Chief of Police Matt Horning needed on day one of his new job was for the mayor's daughter to turn ... read more
The Dotson Park Zoo is a typical American zoo—a zoo that has long prided itself on being at the cutting edge of zoo technology. Its history includes a wrestling bear that kills a man in a bar-fight, a cobra in a baby carriage, and chimpanzees and elephants liv... read more
The gripping near-future Nordic thriller series continues… Wounded but not broken, Inspector Nero Cavallo teams up with his fellow telepatico, Bruno Mastriano, to track down the mass-murderer Ása. This ruthless rogue operative, her gang of disenchanted former ... read more

Jessica has 24 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Mary F.

Mary F.

Feb, 2021

Jessica is a delight to work with. Prompt, competent, and creative!
Kim S.

Kim S.

Jul, 2019

Jess was great to work with! We actually have collaborated on two projects thus far and I will definitely hire her again.
Kay J.

Kay J.

Jun, 2019

Jessica delivered the absolutely perfect design for the cover of my book. It was what I wanted, before I even knew what I wanted. The cover is professional, and completely on trend for my genre. She understood the industry specs, and delivered an excellent final cover design. A+ on graphic design. While the end product for the interior layout is good, the process in getting there was less ...
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Pete K.

Pete K.

Apr, 2019

Jessica is great to work with. Prompt, professional and delivers quality work on time.
Pete K.

Pete K.

Apr, 2019

Jessica is great to work with. She is prompt, professional, and always delivers what she says she will, when she says she will deliver it. Jessica is very easy to work with and delivers high quality work.

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