When I self-published ACYS in October 2023, I had no idea that settling on a book cover would be my biggest challenge. Well, that and chasing down typos. And figuring out advertising. And formatting the book for various publishing platforms. And...well, the list goes on and on. It's been A LOT. But so worth it.
I learned a ton. Laughed. Cried. Wallowed in self doubt. Quit more times than I can count. And started again five minutes later. My poor wife. She doesn't believe me anymore when I wax woe about the writing life and proclaim I'm trading in my laptop and taking up macrame. She just gives me a hug and asks if I'd like a cup of tea. She's a wise woman.
If you're thinking about self-pub, do it. It's worth the journey. And, if you're looking for advice/input, check out the @travisbaldree article about self publishing. It was instrumental.
In the meantime, here’s a gallery of ACYS covers. That very first one (purple lower right) was done with PowerPoint. These days I muddle through with Illustrator and Photoshop. Emphasis on muddle. Maybe next book I’ll actually find a professional book cover designer. Maybe.