Lizstar

Gay Murr Girl

Liz, Goblin, Part-Time Shark, VTuber, retired speedrunner, author, GDQ staff, Sega fan, "Yuri Sommelier", Walking Encyclopedia of All Things Useless, Twitch partner, general menace. Says "Murr" a lot. This is not a place of honor, views my own, etc. Avatar art by me.


So, I don't have the money to commission covers for my novels. I want to pay artists what they're worth, but I kinda don't have that!! And that begets a problem.

I've written several stories and books now, and I've commissioned friends for covers for all of them. This always costs me more than I make back from my books. My writing is kind of a passion project of mine, I just want people to read em, I don't want to make a lot of money. But is spending a hundred and fifty dollars on a cover worth it, when only ten people might read that story? It'll be a good dang cover. And people don't really like reading books if they don't have a good cover. But is it really worth it?

It's gotten to the point where, even though I'm almost done writing my new book (the one about lesbians stuck in a time loop), I'm finding it hard getting up the drive to finish it cause like... I can't release it. I don't have a cover. And I can't commission one, because I'm fucking broke.

Maybe I can splurge, dip into my saving for surgery fund, but again, is it even worth it lol

At least I'd be helping an artist friend. (If you are reading this, artist friend I talked to about commissioning artwork, I STILL WANT TO COMMISSION YOU DO NOT LOWER PRICES OR ANYTHING YOU SHOULD BE PAID WHAT YOU'RE WORTH IT'S JUST A THOUGHT PROCESS I'M GOING THROUGH)


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in reply to @Lizstar's post:

The idea that artists are underpaid for commissions is a brain worm that makes you not even talk to your art friends.

Ask them! Hey, I'm doing a thing, what do you think of it? I want cover art for it but I can't afford that right now? What would a fair rate be? Could I arrange a payment plan for it? What about stand-in art?

These are all options. I know that I've done work for people's creative projects (flag design, for example) where yes, As Artist I should be being Paid More, but because what I was doing was helping a friend's project, I'm happy to do what I can to help.

It's okay to ask!