Historical fiction with a backdrop of political intrigue, deception and surviving an arrgessive social climate.

antony becker wanted the design of his latest novel to sway away from the tropes of japanese historical fiction.

The goal

To create a book cover that stays away form red and white colour schemes and correctly simulates the danger of the novel setting through it’s imagery.

The approach

Using wolves as a focal point shows the independence of the main character despite his story within the yakuza. Pinkish purple hues stay away from the typical colour scheme while standing out amongst other books on the shelf.

Results

43% increase in sales against Antony’s last novel (which was considered a success). Praise online has set a precedent for the look of the novels going forward, should Antony decide to continue the story across multiple books.