turn to abraham lincoln. an optimistic note for the future as i write about a previous period of lackluster leadership. other questions? that is time. thank you for coming. [applause] >> thank you. two things, first and foremost, i have a couple boxes under the table in case you run out. please take them to the register, you can start lining up here. last but not least if you could carefully hold the chair you are seated upon, and place them against the floor. >> that was historian chris derose who examined the civil war through the thoughts of five

presidents. for more information visit the author's web site, chris derosebooks.com. sunday on booktv's in depth, former republican congressman from texas and presidential candidate ron paul has written more than a dozen books on politics and history with his latest, the school revolution on america's education. join the conversation as he takes your calls, e-mails and tweets, three hours on sunday at noon eastern on c-span2. watch more booktv next week while congress is in recess. booktv prime time monday at 8:30 eastern and tuesday through friday at 8:00 featuring a wide range of topics including the middle east, immigration, marijuana and covering book fairs and festivals from across the country. booktv:television for serious readers. >> i am the executive art director. >> what does that mean?

>> i oversee, direct and design the simon and schuster imprint, touchstone, gallery, all different artwork but i fully do this. >> you do the covers of books. what goes into the cover of a book? >> the first thing when we hear about this project usually from the editor, we find out what the book is about, there are manuscripts, sometimes a little bit to lead and you get a flavor of the voice of the author and from that we had a discussion with the editor, publisher and author to find out do they have any preconceived notions of what they are looking for and it is

good to hear that up front. even if they don't and you get a sense of their aesthetic and you can do some research at bookstores and competition, what the books are facing, on the bookshelf face. >> i will start with this one, former senator james webb, his new book i heard my country calling. how did this develop? >> this was pretty straight forward in that it is the story of his and his father's years in war, and he had photographs, we knew he wanted to kind of give it a look, a nostalgic feel, marrying the two together so that they were more cohesive.

>> what went into your gift, five partnerships that built america? this is a new book. >> this is a new book. it is sort of calls for having his photo on it. because of the subtitle the five partnerships, you need to explain that, what does that mean and who are those people? in this case it worked out nicely that we have five beautiful portraits, the five people that mattered. >> one thing you worked on, we all know what this cover looks like. here it is the cover of the book and that is the finished product. what was this? >> when we first learn about a book we do a little exploration

of the photograph out there. this is a great opportunity to design something with that. it didn't have the big look that we wanted. the epic feel and you seek a topography that has that feel of the historical feel but then we start to think maybe it needs to look classic so we tried different funds, try adding a little color. that is how we ended up. >> did doris kerns goodwin have any say in the covers? >> absolutely.

we both do. worked on their baby so they are going to go out on the road selling the book. you want them to be happy. and when they are, it is wonderful. they are very appreciative. it is all give and take. doris didn't want her name on the top. the she wanted it on the bottom. she wanted to see a little bit more faces. we played with that aid little bit. >> color schemes come in and out of fashion? >> sure. sometimes fashion itself. the hot color on a runway is affecting what is on a book's cover but yes, definitely, obviously read is always a sure shot, green, not necessarily unless it is a book about golf.

i think blue works really well. >> john mccain, senator mccain has a new book, something you are currently working on. >> that is a work in progress, working on a couple of retailers who told us they want to see a more classic historical photographic treatment. so you get feedback like that from places like barnes and noble and sam's and costco when they feel that their market is something that isn't quite to their market. c-span: >> host: responded that as well. >> guest: sometimes we change that and sometimes we do.

it is the publisher's decision. >> host: is there a cover, is their artwork, something you really worked hard on? >> guest: steve jobs, one that i really thought was striking. we worked with the author on the hardcover. >> host: and older picture. >> guest: and older photograph and that was definitely a classic photo. we were fortunate when we went to paperback that steve jobs likes that pose because it was the exact same pose from 30 years before. we saw it as a marketing opportunity to give the book a fresh look, even have people who bought a hardcover wanting to have a collector's item in paperback. >> host: why black and white and

gray? >> guest: it all has to do with photographs and that is not a conscious decision, it is just when you have a fantastic photo you let that sean. >> host: jimmy carter call to action, his most recent book. >> very serious, he takes the subject very much to heart. this book came about very quickly. it is passion about women's rights. we need to be straightforward, nothing that is embellish. a hard subject matter. the blue color is softened. >> host: has there ever been a time the book is going to print and for whatever reason the cover has to be changed? >> guest: oh yes. i am rug