A Croc Called Capone: Anatomy of a Cover Story

1) Author writes excellent book about crocodile called Capone.

2) Editor & designer discuss cover possibilities.

3) Designer googles images for inspiration.

4) Designer & editor fall in love with an American - a six-foot fibreglass alligator and decide to:

• invite him to Australia;
• hire a studio for cover shoot;
• send him to book launches around the country for 8–12-year-olds to sit upon.

5) Alas. Alligator suffers from otitis medea and doesn’t care for travel.

6) Designer & editor reconvene. Agree upon new strategy of asking author to act as crocodile talent-scout from his home town: Darwin – a croc mecca!

7) Author responds to the challenge with alacrity, armed with mobile phone camera. Soon, hopeful candidates are vying for attention in the croc call.









No. Too plump and soft.









No. Too articulated.









No. Too pale and spotty.

What ho! Croc A is pale and spotty, but what about his handsome friend, Croc B – he of the orange eye and the squeeze-squeak?

8) Decision made, failed candidates informed not to call us we’ll call them, Croc B invited to Melbourne.


9) Croc B duly arrives in Express Post satchel and settles into new home on the Onion first floor. Designer feeds him chicken-flavoured instant noodles.

10) Now for the design. We have a series style to consider: the Dog cover.

11) But we can’t have a cigar on the cover, and the blue is too similar to the Dog’s blue. Even if it is water instead of a doona.












12) The green isn’t right either, and Croc B has lost his Capone-ness along with the cigar, despite the designer-enhanced bullet holes.
Time to re-think.


13) Here’s Capone, his namesake. Let’s make a crime-novel cover!












14) Or a Vegas croc?












15) But it’s still not right. We return to a Dog-like approach.













16) Now we’re getting somewhere, and Croc B loves his new fedora and tie. But the type is too much like white chocolate, and we are enamoured of the darkest Lindt around here.













17) Bingo! Croc B is happy, designer is happy, everyone’s happy!

Now for the back cover…












This story brought to you by A Croc Called Capone & The Dog that Dumped on My Doona. With special guest appearances by author Barry Jonsberg, and Onions, Hilary & Bruno.