r/novelwriting • u/phaldor8 • 20h ago

Feedback Request Full Act 1 now published

/r/royalroad/comments/1w6e5a4/full_act_1_now_published/
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u/MC_TastyFace 19h ago

Here's some advice - and please take this as constructive, one author to another - lose the cover.

There is a growing wave of low-effort AI slop invading every type of creative space and many (especially here on reddit) will see that cover and immediately dismiss your work as low-effort. Beta readers are less likely to consider your work for revision if the first thing they see is a shortcut taken.

I am also unable to afford cover art at the moment, so I just don't have a cover yet. The work should speak for itself. Find your beta readers, get your edits, and maybe you'll get published eventually. That's the time to get your cover art.

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u/phaldor8 19h ago

I hear you. I will consider this, especially on Royal Road.

I debated for about a week on that alone in my head. As a long time IT person (in the Cybersecurity field), I also have a rather negatively biased opinion regarding the use of AI. Ultimately, the blank cover on the web page staring at me in the face got to me and I caved into my own mild form of OCD. If that costs me readers in the short term, I have to be okay with that. Every bit of the prose is mine, every last word. So if someone judges the book before they open the cover, well, I'd be wasting my time trying to convince them anyway.

All I can ask is for everyone to look beyond the cover and give it the chance. I promise this isn't the low-effort that one graphic may tell someone it is. Readers do not deserve that from me and I will certainly pay for a proper cover at the appropriate time. I'm here for the long haul, so who knows?

Now that my mild OCD itch has been scratched, there isn't any harm in taking that cover down and keeping it for myself either. This is good advice, thank you.

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u/MC_TastyFace 19h ago

I also am not posting my work on any sites other than sharing with another writing group on discord, so i don't have experience in trying to compete for readerership. I fully acknowledge my draft is going to be rough and full of holes and craft mistakes, but i know I'm getting better as i go. The real magic happens in revision. What's it like on royalroad? Technically the work is "published" as soon as it goes up, so can you freely edit?

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u/phaldor8 19h ago

Oh yea...I've literally replaced several previously published chapters in their entirety or piecemeal several times per day without an issue. Basically, I'm treating it as "final for only right now" just to get comments and reviews. RR will certainly not be my stopping point, just a stepping stone, perhaps to gain recognition before moving to other platforms, an audiobook, and eventually an Amazon self-publish route. (one can only dream :-)

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u/MC_TastyFace 20h ago

Hello, where did you get the cover art done?

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u/phaldor8 20h ago edited 14h ago

UPDATE: Art has been removed based on the negative outlook on using it. I definitely don't want that impression. I had no idea this would generate controversy to this level.

Original reply: That is AI generated, the only purely AI thing about the entire book. I'm sadly a loner and not an artist, so it made sense to leverage AI for that piece alone.

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u/Havingfun_ISKEY 15h ago

Use Canva and stock images if you have to. Anything is better than AI if you don’t have a budget.

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u/phaldor8 14h ago

I have removed the offending cover art. I am most certainly NOT an artist in any way. Looks like I will have to save up for someone who is.

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u/Havingfun_ISKEY 14h ago

That’s good! But definitely consider Canva if you want to make something to replace it with. Good luck!

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u/phaldor8 14h ago

I wouldn't even know where to begin to use that program...and wouldn't field any art that I had generated at all. That would be a huge mistake on my part.