My Initial Cover Concept

My initial cover design arrived yesterday and I was apprehensive, but it's pretty good! Not perfect, but the majority of the concept is spot-on. One big exception: the character image. All wrong; completely wrong. 

The concept itself is pretty basic: a woman seen from behind, walking down a road; a forest of golden trees in the distance (I don't know why they're golden, but it adds to the "oomph" factor). In the air surrounding her are musical notes.  

I realize that Miblart's artists aren't creating their own original drawings; I get that. Otherwise, their pricing would be untenable for someone like me. By the same token, you can't just grab a female image from the file and plop it on a cover, with no thought to the author's original specs.

I clearly indicated in my initial brief that the main character has curly blonde hair. The woman they gave me has long, straight dark hair. Maybe it wouldn't matter to anyone else, but it matters to me. I acknowledged in my response that I recognized the hair gives a sense of movement (she's walking down a road), and I'm willing to compromise by just having the artist change her hair color. It's not that I'm a stickler for hair, but her blonde hair is referenced a few times in the story, so the cover really should tie in.

And she's wearing a long dress ~ an evening gown, it appears. No, no, no! Leah is not setting out to become a famous pop diva! This is country music! I've asked them to change it to jeans.

On the plus side, which really is a plus side, the typography is great. Typography was always an element I could never do, not with the tools I have (Canva), and it's a huge part of why I decided on a professional design in the first place. And the colors ~blue and gold ~ make the cover stand out.

A big plus: unlike Miblart's sister firm, GetCovers, the cover isn't sparkly! 

I'm on the fence regarding the musical notes. I can't decide if they're cheesy or if they serve to signal what the story is about. I haven't asked Miblart to get rid of them (at least, not yet).  

As the days passed, I began to worry more and more that I'd made a mistake in going with a paid cover. It's a big expense for someone in my situation. But at first glance, I'm feeling optimistic. 

I think I did the right thing.