Browsing Cover Design Sites

A fun diversion for me is browsing book cover design sites. While most of them are outside my price range, being a visual person I enjoy seeing true artists' work. Sadly, a lot of them aren't artists at all, but some are. Know how many design sites are out there? Neither do I, but a quick search produces scores of results. 

The quality a client can expect is primarily dependent on how much they're willing to pay. A site I'm drawn to is Damonza. It offers different packages, but the cheapest (not cheap to me, but I'm apparently an outlier) at $395.00, uses stock images, exactly what I wouldn't want, if I was rich enough to get what I wanted. I can do stock images for less than ten dollars and just make my own damn cover. But its standard package, at $645.00, provides a custom design, and its samples are great. I wouldn't hesitate to go with Damonza if I suddenly came into a sum of money.

Sites that specialize in only two or three genres are not worth my time inspecting. We all know what those genres are, and they most definitely don't include mine. And based on that, I'm confident assuming that they work from preset templates.  

99designs runs what they call a "design contest", where designers compete for your business. The concept is great, except that just to create a brief costs ninety-nine dollars. What if I didn't like any of the work submitted for my approval? If I found an offer that pleased me, I would then pay $279.00 for a regular book cover or $199.00 for an ebook. The site's samples don't begin to match Damonza's in terms of artistry. They're not necessarily bad, but very generic; covers I've seen a thousand times on Amazon. So, sorry, 99designs, but I'm removing your bookmark from my browser.

ineedabookcover also charges ninety-nine dollars to create a brief. Here, there are no book packages; an author works directly with the designer, and the site doesn't provide an average price range to expect. I would never go with unknowables like that, especially after spending ninety-nine dollars, which could end up being wasted if I couldn't afford a designer's price quote. And from viewing the samples, many of these designers are tops in the industry, with very well-known authors in their portfolios, so I'm thinking, no. Can't afford you.

GetCovers is very popular among the indie crowd, who tend to lean toward fantasy. The covers are very cheap, ranging from just $10.00 for an ebook cover to $35.00 for both an ebook and a print cover. From viewing the gallery, it's clear why they're so inexpensive. First, they use stock photos (again, why would I need a middle man for that?), and the covers are all frustratingly similar; mainly the same shiny gold lettering with lots of curlicues. To me, the covers are cartoonish; not fit for a serious novel at all. If I'm going to use a stock photo, I want one of an actual person, not a graphic rendering of one. That might be fine for romance or what-not, but my characters are as real as you or I, so I want a real person depicted on the cover. GetCovers is Ukranian-based, which might matter to you if you want to throw some business their way and are willing to settle for a run-of-the-mill cover.

Miblart is a partner and an upgrade to GetCovers; thus more expensive. It charges $220.00 for an ebook cover and $270.00 for both ebook and print. Not to be harsh, but I'm not seeing much of an upgrade. The covers are fancier (read: busier), but they follow the same design themes as their cheaper alternative; and thus, not for me.

Reedsy is well known, but that's about all I can say about it. It does provide a listing of designers, which you can narrow down by genre, but each designer charges whatever he or she wants to charge (which is not revealed), and I won't waste my time pursuing something that's pretty certain to be out of my price range. 

I could go on, but all the more popular sites I visited use stock photos and there's so little variation between each company's designs that if someone wants to go that route, pick the cheapest site (which would be GetCovers). Some companies charge exorbitant fees for the same thing one can acquire for $10.00. 

Yes, I know about Fiverr. I've commissioned covers there, but let's just say the results were horrible. I don't use any of the covers I paid for. I could readily find a more expensive designer there than the price point I used in the past, but they all use stock images or drawings. If one wants a true artist, they'd better be prepared to pay big bucks.

It's clear that my only option is me. I want Damonza, but I can't afford it, and I don't want any of the others. So I'll design my own. A nice dose of reality is what I needed, so I can stop dreaming about having a professional cover made. 

It was a fun dream, though.