Karina Granda

Karina Granda – Designer

Designer and Art Director of YA, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction and Picture books—including several New York Times bestsellers for all age groups

Overview

Hi! I am Karina, Art Director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. I have 10 years of experience working on Children's books across all age groups and formats, from Young Adult novels to Middle Grade chapter books, Young Adult or Illustrated Non-Fiction, Picture Books, and more. I previously worked at the Children's Design department at Simon & Schuster, and I have also designed many covers and interiors for clients including: Random House, S&S, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Granity Studios.

My most known books (the New York Times bestsellers) include:

THE DOOR OF NO RETURN by Kwame Alexander

STAMPED by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

THE INHERITANCE GAMES by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

THE PROUDEST BLUE by Ibtihaj Muhammad

THE MAGIC MISFITS series by Neil Patrick Harris

THE FOLK OF THE AIR series by Holly Black (The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing)

LOVE & GELATO series by Jenna Evans Welch

INTERNMENT by Samira Ahmed

BECOMING KAREEM by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld

I can create striking low-budget covers using inexpensive, royalty-free stock imagery or very simple custom illustrations; or, for higher budgets, I can propose, hire, and art direct illustrators in any style to create custom artwork. I have extensive knowledge of the Children's market, and I know how to design attention-grabbing, effective covers at many price ranges.

I am also a wiz at interior design. ;)

I love non-fiction. I love thrillers. I love funny books. I love coming-of-age modern classics. I love books that take me on adventures. I love books that remind me of home (even if that home is not my own).

My goal is to give your book a package that YOU love. Let's make a book together.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Children’s Non-Fiction
Fiction
Middle Grade Middle Grade Fantasy Picture Books Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2018 — Present

Clients include: Simon & Schuster, Random House, Granity Studios, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Tanglewood Press, SourceBooks, MacMillan.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - Hachette Book Group

May, 2016 — Present

Provide art direction and design for a wide variety of children’s books including high profile, New York Times Bestsellers across all age groups and formats: STAMPED by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, THE INHERITANCE GAMES by Jannifer Lynn Barnes, THE MAGIC MISFITS series by Neil Patrick Harris, THE PROUDEST BLUE by Ibtihaj Muhammad, INTERNMENT by Samira Ahmed, THE FOLK OF THE AIR series by Holly Black.

(formerly Senior Designer, Associate Art Director)

Simon & Schuter (Pulse and Aladdin Imprints)

Jun, 2010 — May, 2016 (almost 6 years)

Led design and art direction for teen and middle grade titles, including many lead titles such as the New York Times Bestseller LOVE & GELATO, the rebranding of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys chapter book series, and more.

(formerly Junior Designer)

Portfolio

Atomic Women: The Untold Stories of the Scientists Who Helped Create the Nuclear Bomb

Montillo, Roseanne

Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem

Brains On! Presents...It's Alive: From Neurons and Narwhals to the Fungus Among Us

Bloom, Molly

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family

Muhammad, Ibtihaj

The Magic Misfits

Harris, Neil Patrick

Internment

Ahmed, Samira

The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air (3))

Black, Holly

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air (2))

Black, Holly

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air (1))

Black, Holly

Love & Gelato

Welch, Jenna Evans

The Inheritance Games

Barnes, Jennifer Lynn

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning

Reynolds, Jason

This Side of Salvation

Smith-Ready, Jeri

The Museum of Heartbreak

Leder, Meg

Amelia Westlake Was Never Here

Gough, Erin

The Summer of Us

Vinesse, Cecilia

Dear Universe

Gonsalves, Florence

Blackhearts

Castroman, Nicole

Horrid

Leno, Katrina

You Must Not Miss

Leno, Katrina

Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners (3))

Bray, Libba

A Season of Sinister Dreams

Banghart, Tracy

Most Likely

Watson, Sarah

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet

Kemp, Laekan Zea

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch (Eva Evergreen (1))

Abe, Julie

Code Girls: The True Story of the American Women Who Secretly Broke Codes in World War II (Young Readers Edition)

Mundy, Liza

The Canyon's Edge

Bowling, Dusti

The Inventors at No. 8

Morgen, A. M.

The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes (The Adventurer's Guide (1))

White, Wade Albert

Pool Party Puzzler (1) (Nancy Drew Clue Book)

Keene, Carolyn

New Friends (1) (Angel Wings)

Misra, Michelle

Spindlefish and Stars

Andrews, Christiane M.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone (1))

Taylor, Laini

Karina has 23 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Denise C.

Denise C.

Dec, 2024

Karina was professional, skilled, and knowledgeable in exactly what I needed for my cover and typesetting. She did a fantastic job and finished it earlier than expected. This is the first book of a series, and I will definitely hire Karina to do the rest of them.
Alena G.

Alena G.

Nov, 2024

It was an absolute blast working with Karina. She answered all of my questions, fulfilled all of my needs and gave the greatest advice a new writer such as myself could ever ask for.
Karina G.
Thank you for the wonderful review, Alena! It was a pleasure working with you too. I hope we can do it again sometime.
Jennifer S.

Jennifer S.

Nov, 2024

Karina is a complete joy to work with. Professional, responsive, kind, and talented, you really can't ask for more when collaborating with someone to make your book come alive. I highly recommend her.
Jennifer S.

Jennifer S.

Sep, 2024

It was a total pleasure working with Karina Granda on my cover. She is immensely talented with a great eye and deep knowledge for what works to make an engaging, professional cover. She uses stock images in her freelance work, but she makes those stock images sing like a choir, each image working to make a beautiful whole. She is also responsive to listening to ideas while professionally lettin...
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Diana J.

Diana J.

Nov, 2023

I must say, Karina did it again, and I couldn't of completed my first or second book without her. My first book is a success due to her design and she didn't let me down. She is professional, and her quality of her work is immeasurable. When I started my creative journey I didn't realize how important a designer was, but now I know and I will always have a layout designer, but Karina is so muc...
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