The Quest for Quality
On a budget of $40.00 per month.
A post or two ago, I mentioned my desire to bring things back under my control — to rely on my own skill and not outsource to whatever AI service is the flavor of the month. This includes every aspect of the books, from the manuscript (editing and formatting) to the interior and cover art. I want full control over every layer of building these books.
The problems are, the books aren’t flying off the shelves, and I have sunk far more money into this “hobby” than I fully care to admit. Yes, I have sold some books to friends, family, and a few curious patrons who purchased and left a kind remark or review. Am I a multihundredaire? No. My non-fiction work has actually done more in that regard. I should promote that stuff, but it is not my passion or drive. That work is just there to help keep the engine spinning when I get stuck and need an outlet for my creative energy.
I mentioned the startup costs of a book earlier. I wasn’t kidding; it is silly. I spend years building the world and ideas, revising characters over and over until I get them just right. I create motifs, main plots, B-plots, stupid quirks, and who knows what else I have in my notes upon notes upon notes. All of it takes time — the one commodity I am spending now that will never come back.
But the world wants money. And to be taken seriously, apparently I have to spend money to make the work I spent years on marketable. So, I decided to reach out on Substack to see if there were any artists I could hire to help me with my work. I’m looking for a cover artist — someone who can connect all five of my planned books together.
What I got back was… disheartening.
First of all, I immediately got hammered by eight people within twenty hours of the post asking if I would be interested in hiring them. All of these accounts had been created within the past three to six months. None of them had any work posted, and they wouldn’t discuss their portfolios for various reasons. My favorite was the NDA with a former employer where all the work was locked up from promotion. What am I supposed to do with that?
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Most wanted money for concepts upfront. Some wanted to talk endlessly about what my world is about and asked for the books for free so they could read them. My work is copyrighted, but I didn’t trust that would protect it.
In all, fourteen people approached me. A few were genuine, but manga/anime artists aren’t exactly a good fit for my industrial-dystopian-futuristic-political fiction.
I decided to try Reedsy, trusting in their vetting process and promotions. I found an artist I really liked. $1,050 per cover. Um…
I’ve made pennies on work that has spanned months and years in development and writing. I’ve already dumped thousands into it: writing programs (Scrivener), art programs (Affinity & Wonderdraft), various fonts for the interior formatting, a new computer because I burned up my old one (no idea how that happened), ISBNs for all the books I have planned through Bowker, my own platform here on Medium (even though I am not a paid member anymore), websites that I built and still pay to host… the list goes on.
I’m not ready to drop that kind of money on covers. It would be easier to say yes if I had some money coming in, but the reality is that I’ve spent more on marketing the books with zero return. Book 2 will come out at some point in 2027, and I will turn it all back on again to try to build momentum for the series.
My parting words on this rant for aspiring authors is that be weary of folks that approach you for “help”. They are fraudsters. I fell into a trap in my early days and I can see that folks out there are still preying on naivety and I would hope at this point, that does not mean me.
The search continues. A writing partner/editor would be cool as well.
Someday.
I’m just a guy printing money. Help support me with a cup of coffee or my next bottle of “happiness” from the ABC store.
Wilted Crowns is out now. → Amazon
