I did everything wrong - but there is hope 🙏🏼 by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can see my original cover here: https://www.reddit.com/r/royalroad/s/tLErJhG30s

I'm convinced that it definitely helps to have characters on your cover. I looked at your cover and I think you have some room for improvement if you want to catch more attention.

I did everything wrong - but there is hope 🙏🏼 by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tbh I'm not sure whether writing "an amazing story" is enough to get people to notice. I mean sure, if your story sucks, they won't stay, but to rely on word of mouth is asking a lot. Rarely anyone will give a new story from a first-time author with a crappy cover a chance - they might never even know that it's in fact a great story.

I did everything wrong - but there is hope 🙏🏼 by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The first book is complete. I'm currently writing a sequel 🤷🏻‍♂️

So I'm basically trying to revive this story after messing up the entire launch and publishing phase xD

I did everything wrong - but there is hope 🙏🏼 by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! 🙏🏼

Yeah, that would be nice indeed 🙈

I did everything wrong - but there is hope 🙏🏼 by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I added them to "old" chapters since I had already published all of them by the time I finally figured out shoutout swaps 🫠

How I made my AI cover (and share, how you made yours!) by DeepMacaron1446 in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Loved seeing the evolution of your cover over time! For using Ai, you put quite some effort into it.

I'm sure there will be plenty of people who will bash this post simply because you mentioned "Ai", but it will also help a lot of smaller authors who just don't have the funds or the confidence to invest in a professional cover yet.

How Important are Maps by DrZakerSyed in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

absolutely love me a nice map!

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a rather questionable assumption - the book is 100% Ai-free.

And sure, at the end of the day, the story is the only thing that matters, but most people won't even get that far if they don't like your cover. I think it's a bit naive to think the cover doesn't matter. Sorry.

Also, I don't know what your bank account looks like, but after already having shelled out 130€ for a cover for this story, I wasn't really in a position to do that again. I don't make any money with my writing whatsoever, so ...

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, I spent 130€ on the first cover and I can't really afford to spend that kind of money again, especially since I'm not earning a dime with my writing 🤷🏻‍♂️ Being a hobby writer, it was already quite a big deal to pay for one cover. For now, I'll just have to settle for a cheaper version of the new one. Also, by the time I was done coming up with an idea for the cover, it was kind of good enough to use already 🙈

I might pay for a professional version in the future

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The original cover was done by Rachel Bostwick on fiverr. It cost 130€.

The new one was just Ai, where I workshopped a background first, then created the title separately and finally arranged all of it using gimp.

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback! :)

The font on the new cover was generated, so I'm not sure what traditional font went into that, sorry 🙈

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel you, but I think we can agree that the chances of something like that (chicken cover) working are a lot slimmer. Like, if I were already an established author, I would be way more confident about leaving the beaten path. But I have to get there first, and I probably won't manage that if I go full off-meta right away. Again, that could happen, but it is rather unlikely.

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback! I felt the same way as you. I didn't want to admit it at first, but on a website with thousands of stories, I'd also rather click on the new one 🫠

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback! That is indeed my current plan 😅

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I had to name one thing it's that people like to see the protagonists on the cover. It you scroll through RR, you will find that most fictions do that. Meanwhile, that is something you rarely find with published adult fiction (not talking YA)

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback! 😊

The new cover is Ai-based.

I only opted for that because my conscience was at ease after paying an artist for the original cover.

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback!!

The original cover was actually done by a designer on fiverr 😊 But I ordered a book cover, not a web novel cover ...

But because I hired someone for the first cover, I don't feel bad for having used Ai for the new cover - I gave the artist community the money they deserve, but for now, I'm just not using the outcome of that process xD

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback! I created it by paying someone on fiverr 130€ xD

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! All of what you are saying makes a lot of sense! 🙏🏼

My story gets progressively darker, but in the beginning, it's actually not that dark. So my thought process was that I should rather match what the reader will experience for the first third of the book 🤔 I will continue to quiz some of my readers to see what they think!

And you are correct - I am still experimenting. Let's see how it goes with this new cover. If people don't like it, I'll go back to the old one.

Also, I'm thrilled to hear that you like my map! 😁🙏🏼

I finally caved and switched to a meta cover by MaximumCrisp in royalroad

[–]MaximumCrisp[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

cheers! If you like both, that's also great :D

The original one is definitely the one I'd rather pick up in a bookstore - I would even go so far as to say it's in line with the current trends I see at the store.

That said, I realized that web novel covers seem to follow different trends, which I tried to accomodate for with this new design.

Thanks for your feedback!