Authors using AI art on your covers, you're cutting off your own leg. I'm not even talking about the accusations of "thief" that you're going to get. Let's set that aside. I'm talking about the price you're paying in reputation and marketability to save maybe $1000. (1/10)
First, there's a straightforward one you should be aware of: There are a LOT of people who will pass over books with AI covers on principle. 99% of artists out there (and there are a lot), and their friends and family. Most authors, and many of their readers who (2/10)
are made aware of how they feel. Anyone who thinks that AI is lazy and shoddy work, and anyone who sees the imperfections in an AI cover and loses interest because of it. So there's a not-insignificant portion of the market you are cutting yourself out of right there. (3/10)
Second is your reputation. Going along with the above, 99% of the authors I know do not want to be associated with AI, whether that be art on the covers or text in the book. You won't catch us using it, and you won't catch us making buddy-buddy with people who use it. (4/10)
This also applies to your reputation amongst artists. Want to hire Felix Ortiz one day? Or Asur Misoa? Or YAM? Or Swanland or Lockwood or *any* reputable artist? If they find out that you've got AI on other covers, good luck. Chances are you've excommunicated yourself. (5/10)
But here's the third and most important thing I don't think you're thinking about: Your marketability. Having the support of the writing community is almost essential when it comes to getting a book off the ground. The RTs, NL shares, shoutouts, YouTube mentions, etc. (6/10)
99% of that goes away the moment it becomes public knowledge that you use AI, that you steal from fellow creators in order to try to gain some *tiny* advantage for yourself. Few authors are going to RT you. No YouTuber is going to mention your book or cover. (7/10)
@OConnorBooks Tell me how many ebooks you have to sell at $3.99 each to make the $1000 you want to pay the artist. Then tell me how many ebooks the average author can expect to sell. Writing an ebook mostly so you can pay an artist for the cover doesn’t make a lot of sense.
@OConnorBooks Marketing with AI is very efficient
@OConnorBooks The sales of your ‘community’ says otherwise
@OConnorBooks Promoting dependency and fear is abusive. Unfortunately the people who believe the lie that they have to manage their reputation among the "writing community" if they hope to have any career at all, are always the most vulnerable to manipulation and psychological abuse.