[Edit: I am no longer selling pre-made book cover art through SelfPubBookCovers.com.]
When I first acquired the free DAZ Studio scene editing and image rendering program, it sat on my computer hard drive for a few months. The program was free, so I grabbed it when I learned of it, but then it just sat there, waiting patiently for me to give it some attention. I’d used Poser and Bryce in the past and had fun with them, and guessed that using DAZ Studio would be a similarly enjoyable experience. I didn’t realize how much more I’d enjoy it.
The time came when I needed a distraction from writing on my novel. Working on a novel can sap my creativity. Such a long project leaves my muse feeling antsy, ready to do something different. Creating artwork, snapshots of a moment in time, satisfies my muse’s desire for variety, since I can finish a single image in a matter of days, as opposed to months or years.
One form of artwork of interest to me as an aspiring author is book cover illustration. So I’ve turned some of my creative energies in that direction. I’ve turned out about twenty covers so far. Since my primary interests are in speculative fiction genres, most of my covers were created in that vein. But a few of my covers are intended for other genres.
Here are thumbnails of a couple of the covers I’ve done.
As you can see, the covers have sample titles and bylines, to give an idea of what the cover will look like with a real title and byline in place. The site provides a tool for authors to place up to four lines of text on covers licensed through the site. Or you can add text in your own image editing program.
The licenses acquired through SelfPubBookCovers.com are exclusive licenses. When an author licenses one of these book covers, that cover is removed from the list of available covers. The artist retains the right to display their artwork as samples of what they’ve done, such as in an online portfolio, but no one else will have any rights to use the artwork as cover art. Visit the site for full license details. All covers on the site are priced at $69 or higher. They can run as high as the artist wants to price them, but all of mine are priced between $69 and $99.
Thousands of covers are posted by hundreds of artists selling their work through the site. While my covers are all original works, most of the covers available on the site are created by combining two or more images from stock art sites. Many genres are covered. If you’re an indie author, no matter what genre you write for, you might just find the perfect cover for your next novel on the site, priced to keep you under budget.
