I’m not a plumber. I can watch all the YouTube videos, do all the Google searches, and buy all the tools, but at the end of the day, before I rip out my walls or tear up my floorboards, I’m still not an experienced professional. There’s a risk. I can invest in the time, the money, and then throw the proverbial dice and hope that I haven’t wasted my energy and blown my chance to have it done properly and effectively, or I could bring in the expert, and put my precious time and energy into what I would rather do.
But why should you pay someone hard earned money to do what AI can do for free?
First Impressions
We like to say “don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” but in reality the cover is the most critical pieces of advertisement you’ll ever have for your book. It’s the first impression you get to make with your potentially ideal reader. Your cover needs to pique interest, convey genre, and grab the reader’s attention.
Professionalism
If you want to compete with the big boys and actually hold up against the traditionally published books and their extremely professional covers so your book attracts the ideal readers and sells, then hire a pro. Your readers want to trust you, they want to believe they are making a sound investment in the entertainment or information you’re providing. The cover is a signal to those readers that you’re bringing the goods, that you won’t waste their time or money, that you’re credible. It’s a handshake and a relationship, and it starts with the cover.
Investment
You worked too hard and have come too far to drop the ball now. Did AI write your story? If so, please let it also design your cover. But if you sat at the keyboard and typed a store letter by letter, word for word, until there were pages and chapters, and you edited and revised, and found readers for to critique your work, then you are a writer. And your hard work deserves to be showcased in a matter that expresses your effort.
Marketing
If you’re paying for ads and skimping out on your cover, then you’re missing a huge opportunity that could increase your sales. This is the strongest chance you have at increasing engagement and sales, and it’s the cover’s job to bring in the right readers.
Audience
A good cover will attract the right readers by conveying genre, tone, setting, and grabbing their attention. Let’s face it, there’s competition out there, and a good cover is a promise that the content within the cover is just as good if not better.