Charlie Hicks – Author

I recently received some criticism over using AI to generate my cover art work below. It went along the lines Oh AI this and AI That.

Now here the thing, I am by virtue a writer. I can just about hold a cup of coffee and type at the same time. What I can’t do is draw and paint. My partner is always clipping the ends of my crayons (AKA Safety Crayons) just in case I stick them in my eyes .

Its not that I like the thought of using AI, but the harsh reality for me as a penniless writer, I simply don’t have the kind of budgets to employ an artist to do the work for me. The last quote I got was nearly a grand just for the paperback cover for the book above. In my life that’s a lot of money, that I simply can’t justify spending on a book cover for a book, which in all reality will probably sell only 10 copies during its lifetime. (BTW I’m up to 8 at the time of writing this an all time record for me. Double Digits here we come eventually!)

People who buy books expect certain things, and that all starts with the cover. They expect to get a feel for the book from it. Sometimes they might even read the blurb on the back; I know, I don’t. So if I had put up a crudely drawn cover using my safety crayons I can only imagine what the potential readers would say “OMG what a shoddy cover the book must be crap as well.”

So until such time as I make it big, become rich and famous, my feeble attempts at writing are going to have to survive with AI generated covers.

I’ll stick to what I do best and that is telling a good story in an engaging way.

Best Wishes

Charlie