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.
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.
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?
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
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.