Flip the Script – ThinkKit Prompt #2

Today’s ThinkKit prompt is called “Flip the Script” and encourages bloggers to talk about how they’ve change their mind, in some major or minor way, during the last year. Well, as it happens, I have recently flipped the script in quite a significant way regarding the cover of my upcoming novella Going Home.

When I first started thinking about actually publishing this story, I had this great idea for the cover. The problem was, it was a bit too specific. I realized that in order to get the cover I wanted professionally made, I’d have to hire a photographer and a model as well as a cover artist, which is just way out of my budget. So, on the reasoning that I’d rather have a great concept with okay execution than great execution of an okay concept (I didn’t say it wasn’t flawed reasoning!) I decided to do it myself.

Last August, I took help from a friend of mine and got the shot I wanted for the cover. That shot then spent the bulk of a year sitting in my harddrive not being used. Once in a while I’d open the file and look at it, and then feel stressed out and close it again. I think on some level I knew I wouldn’t be able to pull it off to my own satisfaction. I am, after all, neither a design professional or even a skilled amateur. Once I’d set a release date, I had no choice but to start working on it, though. I made a few mockups and showed to a few friends and writing pals. The reactions were tempered, with the occasional “nice!” and “I like that font choice!”, and one “that’s terrible!”. And the things was, when I read that comment I agreed. Or well, I didn’t think it was terrible exactly, but I also didn’t think it was good. It was… okay. And I realized I wasn’t okay with it just being okay anymore. I wanted it to at least be good and preferably great.

So what’s a broke part-time student supporting two people on a half-time salary with only two weeks left til her release date to do? Well, I turned to Fiverr. I was of two minds about this (and still am) because on the one hand a good cover is obviously worth more than $5 and on the other hand I don’t think the people who post gigs on Fiverr are doing it with a gun to their head. I’ve done a bit of translation work for way less than a decent hourly rate myself, but I still felt that was worth it because it was good practice and got me a bit of positive feedback on eLance. All that aside, I’ve been in contact with a cover designer on Fiverr today, and I might even hire a second one just to have two options to chose from.

So by the end of the week, I plan to post a cover reveal here on the blog! Exciting! It might not turn out to be my absolute dream cover, but it will certainly be nicer than the one I tried to make myself before I flipped the script.