There is AI; then there is what I chose to do -
Hello! We are still waiting for the designers to come back with a final cover proof, eBook file, and eBook cover. I got the email today that it should only be a few more days to wait. Once I get them and approve, I will have an update on the start of the pre-sale period and live purchase dates.
Until then, I have been reading in different communities and found a topic that might bring a faint light of interest to anyone waiting for my novel's release. Or anyone interested in the journey of being an author.
The topic of AI-generated 'written' text and art can bring about a lot of strong opinions. I never imagined the opinions and arguments people had to publish AI-generated work. What was not surprising was the deeply rooted views against it. While many communities discuss this topic, I would like share my personal journey and the route I decided to take.
First, the written word: Google doc, Microsoft Word, and Grammarly helped catch the minor stuff like obvious spelling and punctuation. I won't lie; when I am 'in the zone' or break through writer's block, I type faster than I can spell. Since these are basic spellcheck programs, I still paid for an editor. Having a person go through my work helped me identify what the programs and I had missed when doing my read-throughs. Will I say that every little mistake was caught? No, but I hope 99.99% of them have been addressed.
Next was the cover/art: I already knew I was going to be working with a cover designer. I don't own a program to make a book cover myself, so this was the obvious road to take. That didn't mean that I didn't know how I wanted it to look. In between going through each chapter to edit, I was working on what I wanted to send to the designer for them to work from. Then, I decided I liked what I created but needed some adjustments, which the designer was not able to make. I made the leap to making a specific piece myself. Who better to know what it is supposed to look like than the person who thought it up? It was a multi-step process, but hopefully, the pictures tell their own story. The only other work used was a royalty-free black and white of trees that the designer provided.
Ultimately, I wanted this project to be me (minus spelling and grammar errors). My ideas and my voice from my own hands. Each day, we are closer than ever to you getting to experience the first installment of the SPECIES series, which starts with events that stem from Cabin 6.
We all have to start somewhere. This probably reflects a lot of what I was watching at home when I designed it. Used it as a starting point but felt very 80s/90s horror and my book is set closer to modern day. You can also tell I hadn’t made the decision to include my middle initials yet.
Side note: I did not get this directly from the internet and was always meant to be inspiration.
Next inspiration was what I sent to the designer. But it still didn’t represent the creature the way I wanted it to. What else could I do? Well, since another $1,000+ at minimum was not really in the budget, I moved onto trying my own hand at bringing the face to life.
Side note: I did not get this directly from the internet and was always meant to be inspiration.
Step #1: draw out the features using pencil to get a better idea of the size and proportion.
Step #2: Turn step #1 into a black and white outline. This allowed me to work with it on the computer.
Step #3: was filling in all the blank space with black so it better fit the original idea.
This was what I had originally approved. And then two hours later, went back to the drawing board.
Why? Because although one of my characters makes a point to say these creatures are just animals, that doesn’t mean I wanted them to look cute and cuddly. Honestly, it looks to much like the baby. But you will have to read the book to see where that comes in.
What I submitted for a revision. Much more for what I was hoping for.
And the final reveal…
While writing this post, the email that the cover design was ready came in. Since I was able to approve it, I thought I would share it.
Still waiting for the eBook conversion as both will go into pre-sale at the same time. Next post should be more great news.
