It's not that I hate my latest cover, but it's not that I like it, either. It is what it is (and you get what you pay for, blah blah blah). I'm not cheap; I'm poor.
Here's the thing about purchasing a gig from a service like Fiverr -- you pay first. Of course I look at work samples and I definitely read reviews, but the actual product is bought on faith. After the first cover the designer offered was completely and utterly wrong, and after I had to pull images off the net to show him what I needed, I no longer felt comfortable pushing back on his next offering.
Thus, my final product is just as good as every other crappy book cover out there. It practically screams, "Buy me!" in (too) huge letters. There is obviously a reference book used by all graphic artists that says, LOTS OF COLORS! MIX 'EM UP! USE HUGE FONTS!
And guess what? The cover hasn't convinced anyone to buy.
All my other covers were designed by me, and I like them. No, I'm not an artist, but I understand perspective and mood. This time I went with a professional for two reasons -- my options for creating my own just weren't there. I searched and searched but couldn't find an appropriate image. Secondly, I'm quickly losing faith in this whole author gig. Since I've already tried everything else to convince readers to lay down their one dollar and ninety-nine cents, I settled on hiring a professional designer as a last resort.
Would I do it again? Maybe, but I'd search out other options besides Fiverr. I'd look for an indie artist whose prices are right, but most of all possesses a spark of creativity. But bottom line, if everything lines up as needed, I'll simply design my own.
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