Indie Author’s Dilemma: Choosing the Perfect Book Cover

I thought my book cover was polished and ready to face the world after years of hard work. But no.

After submitting it to BookSirens, a website that helps authors distribute Advance Review Copies (similar to NetGalley), I was brought down from my high seat and met with silence.

My book’s click-through rate was below average compared to the number of impressions it received on the listing page.

In conclusion, my cover wasn’t attracting my target audience. Crap! And I was just two months away from the release date!

So, I searched the internet for ideas or anyone who could give me their opinion. I posted the question on Instagram, and the response was more positive than I expected. But then again, bookstagrammers (myself included) love cutesy covers.

But I hated the idea of potential readers ignoring my book because of the cover. Then, in the first week of August, I found a designer’s website that makes covers for indie authors. They’ve even worked with the Big Five publishers and produced covers for bestsellers. Their cheapest redesigned covers cost $395, and the premium ones start at $1,700.

After a free cover assessment, they offered me a 15% discount, and I was ready to jump in and order. But then I scrolled down and read that they support AI and enjoy using it for their covers. They did say authors could inform them if they don’t want AI-generated art, and they would respect that.

Good, I guess.

But I’m sorry, I’m a bit petty. I refuse to support any artist who uses AI.

They almost got me, but now I would discourage anyone who mentions them to me. I also refuse to give them any PR here.

Instead, I’m happy to announce that I worked with other designers at MIBLART. And the representative personally confirmed that they don’t use AI to make their covers.

They have gorgeous covers—some I love, some make me cringe. Their designer offered to give me a free cover design idea, and I loved what they suggested. Four days later, I was looking at a beautiful cover. I loved how the bottle (which is the one that causes the time travel) was incorporated. I also love the backdrop and the lighting.

Except, I didn’t like the characters on the cover. I especially disliked the woman’s face, and the man was too serious for my goofy main character.

However, in the end, the only changes made compared to the initial design were the woman’s hair and dress color.

Now, after looking at the cover for a few days, it has kind of grown on me. It wasn’t love at first sight, but I’ve learned to appreciate it—especially after it won in an Instagram poll.