Miblart's Free Cover Design Concept

My cover designer, Miblart, has a unique method for soliciting business (good practice, by the way). It sends out the occasional email offering a free design concept. While I remain doubtful that I'll actually pay for a professional cover for my novel reboot, Miblart's query at least helps me focus on the type of cover I'd like to see.

With Running From Herself, their initial concept idea went like this:

The concept will focus on the themes of loneliness and uncertainty in the life of the main character, who is on a journey of self-discovery. The color palette will feature shades of blue and gray to convey a sense of solitude and melancholy, with contrasting bright accents—like a ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds—to symbolize hope and possibility.

The cover could depict a girl walking away from the viewer, symbolizing the character's escape from her old self. A handwritten font could be used for the title to create a personal and emotional feel, balanced by a clean, geometric font for the author’s name to maintain visual harmony.

In the background, there will be a subtle hint of musical notes, referencing her connection to music. The overall cover will evoke a sense of self-searching and reflect the emotional journey she undergoes.

It sounded good, although I pushed back on the musical notes, thinking the idea sounded cheesy. Once I hired them, they forgot about my musical note hesitation and included them anyway. Guess what? Not a problem! I kind of like them now.

The only change I demanded was to take the character out of the long evening gown (!) and put her in jeans, and to change her hair color from brunette to blonde. I get that brown hair would have stood out more against the golden sky, but Leah is a blonde, dammit. I was already compromising by allowing the straight-ish hairstyle. The book makes a point of Leah having naturally curly hair. But in order to maintain the sense of movement, I understood that the long hairstyle made sense. 

Admittedly, just from reading the written concept, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It all "sounded" good, but...what the heck, I decided to trust them.

I love my cover! And apparently a lot of other people do, too (not buyers, sadly). I managed to make the third round of AllAuthor's monthly cover contest. Alas, my cover is sitting in 21st place behind a slew of truly ugly covers, but those authors have a bunch of friends. I don't have any---I mean, I have friends, but I'm not going to impose on them to help me rig the vote. The bare-chested guy standing behind the white wolf is especially cheesy, but that one isn't even the worst of the lot.

Since Miblart again sent a mass email offering a free cover concept, I thought, why not? I have a draft blurb already written, so I was curious to find what they'd come up with. I wasn't expecting them to follow up and ask for comps. My books never have comps, which may be why I can't seem to sell them. They can't be neatly folded into the standard tropes. 

"What's your novel about?" 

"It's about a small-town girl who signs a record deal."

"Oh, I get it! She turns all vain and nasty and then she has an affair with a famous rock star."

"No..."  

 

This time, in an attempt to be obedient, I went looking on Amazon for possible comps. I typed in "dysfunctional family". There was a woman in a black evening gown holding a baby (what?), a suburban house with its lights on (ooh!), another house, this time in grey and black; another house shaded by black tree trunks...

Thus, I responded that I couldn't find any comps I like. I wrote that I was picturing something broken or cracked that would represent the story's theme. Then, so I didn't look like a complete loser, I attached a couple of Pixabay photos I'd downloaded. Apparently, despite being a writer, I'm unable to translate my vision into words. Isn't that what I (hypothetically) hire a designer for?

This is all wildly premature anyway. I still haven't begun any revisions, and an author kind of needs a book before she moves on to the next step.

 

Miblart has responded:

"I understand you're looking for a cover design that captures the theme of a broken family without direct representations of people. Your idea of using broken or cracked imagery is quite evocative, and we'll make sure to incorporate that essence into the design. We'll explore imaginative solutions inspired by the images you attached and suggest something that truly resonates with your story."

Yea, that's what I meant to say. 

I kind of hope they don't come up with something I really like. Because then I will be tempted, and I don't want to be tempted to spend money.

I see a lot of discussion on Reddit's self-publishing sub, and for some reason, everyone either wants to find an independent designer or take a chance with Fiverr (please don't do the second). Freelancers are going to charge at least $500.00 and likely more. I'm confused why they don't want to go with an established company whose portfolio is right there online for the whole world to view; one that charges less than $300.00. Many members try to steer people toward GetCovers, which is definitely cheap, but I used them once (for my two-book anthology) when it didn't matter very much, and they kind of shortchanged me. All the covers on their site are shiny; mine are flat. I didn't want to be an ass about it, but I basically could have used the same stock photos and found a decent font---for about $12.00 for two books.

Remember, authors, always patronize establishments/individuals who are willing to do a little extra. Avoid those that treat you like you don't matter.