How acceptable is AI Book covers?

[Lysander_Works]

I've initially been against it for a while, but for future projects, it is a struggle to find anything that is both royalty-free and descent. The books to be covered are, well, important and all, but I'm not sure I can find a true non-placeholder cover by the time they will be ready.
I guess my question is, do readers auto-reject a book if they know the cover is AI generated, putting aside whether it looks amazing or not?
Time may have changed many minds, so I feel the need to ask it once more.

 

[Amelinyaa]

Personally, while I find it off-putting because of ethical reasons, I will generally still read it if the story seems interesting and isn't made with AI.
I am however, more skeptical of a story with an AI cover.. The author has shown their willingness to use AI in some capacity, which makes me question the text.

 

[melchi]

I don't mind. If a fiction is generating $0 then there isn't any ethical problem.

Many publishers , main stream ones just go with fancy text for cover art nowadays. So there is that

 

[Sicjok3]

I think theres a big difference between relying on AI as a ceation tool and using it to just polish/finish something you already created yourself

 

[Snake99]

Many authors abandon cover art when they can afford to have an artist do it for them, so it doesn't really matter.

 

[MarQaroll]

I just use it until I can afford to have an artist.

I try not to make it 100% AI, though. If not, well, that's just the way it is...but it is temporary. Once the story is published, I'll be taking it down from SH and will be getting an official cover, hopefully by my favorite artists!!

 

[Makimaam]

I’d say do whatever you want. AI cover, cover with only text, cover made by a paid artist, no cover at all, or even a cover using art stolen from Pinterest. It does not matter here on SH (well, unless you monetize it). What matters is what you write.

 

[JayMark]

Ultimately the readers don't care, they just want something that looks pretty and reads the form of entertainment they want. If they get this, they don't care how it is made.
And the ones who complain the loudest would never read or support you either way.

 

[AliceMoonvale]

Imagine caring what others think.

For example, I don't give a flying fuck if anyone has an issue with my ai cover. Just as they don't give a fuck to read stories with ai covers. I don't need shallow people who judge based on appearances. It's shallow irl and it's shallow online. Fuck 'em. I check out stories all the time that look weird as shit. They usually end up being weird anyway, but that's besides the point.

I use ai as a placeholder because I ain't about to shill out $100 on something that's a hobby.
(i'd rather spend that much on hello kitty merch. and i have)
Later, when I take it more seriously, sure, I'll harass my artist friend with money or attempt to make it myself.

 

[Liam07N09]

I've initially been against it for a while, but for future projects, it is a struggle to find anything that is both royalty-free and descent. The books to be covered are, well, important and all, but I'm not sure I can find a true non-placeholder cover by the time they will be ready.
I guess my question is, do readers auto-reject a book if they know the cover is AI generated, putting aside whether it looks amazing or not?
Time may have changed many minds, so I feel the need to ask it once more.

Just use AI... You can have a great AI cover for free compared to paying people and having an "average" done one.

 

[Bimbanana]

do readers auto-reject a book if they know the cover is AI generated

Yeaah, just go check most popular books in here and other sites.
Your question will be answered in a second
People who said otherwise only stating their opinion. Not the fact, and definitely not for your sake as the author

 

[tiaf]

Many publishers , main stream ones just go with fancy text for cover art nowadays. So there is that

^this

I prefer if people do a simple text cover over AI cover. I get that not everyone has the capacity/money/time/skills to make custom art, but a text cover is for sure possible. It’s neutral and leaves imagination to the reader.

I’m traumatized from the AI donghua/webtoons with changing character design within one episode. If I see AI cover the first impression is in the negative. If I see run off the mill synopsis on top I won’t even bother to read further.

Pretty cover used to be a great way to stand out across the standard covers, but with AI emergence every noob has an illustrated cover. It makes me question how much AI assistance is in the text.

 

[Tempokai]

When it looks great, I don't care. When it looks like it wasn't refined, looks like the person just chose the first image that image gen had given, then I have worse perception of that book. A placeholder/random image is fine, but bad image gen that shows blatantly it's AI is not

 

[CountVanBadger]

As long as you're not making money off of it, go for it. If you actually publish it on Amazon or Kindle and expect people to start paying to read it, that's when you need to shell out for a real cover. And if anyone complains, block them. I'm hard pressed to think of anything more entitled than being given free entertainment, only to tell the one giving it to you that they're a bad person if they don't spend hundreds of dollars on it.

 

[JayMark]

Yeaah, just go check most popular books in here and other sites.
Your question will be answered in a second
People who said otherwise only stating their opinion. Not the fact, and definitely not for your sake as the author

My opinion is against the fact.
But orc speaks the truth. I'm not going to keep plopping my head in the sand.
Readers don't care about your voice, they want a polished story. And AI is the worst its ever going to be.
I'm going to be testing this thesis myself by producing AI polished content alongside my AI free works.

 

[Gray_Mann]

Anyone that cries about an AI cover for a story they are reading for free, can go suck a diseased donkey dick.
Like I tell others, if you want to donate a few hundred bucks for a cover to the author, alrighty then. If not, take your opinions and fuck off.

 

[Dawnathon]

I have never decided against reading a book because of an AI cover. I've also never decided to start reading a book because its cover was commissioned art instead of AI. The most text-heavy medium tends to have a lot more importance in things besides one or two pictures.

Now if there was AI art shoved in every chapter, I'd probably stop reading then. I'd be neutral about that with commissioned art, but still wouldn't be clapping my hands over it.

 

[Bimbanana]

My opinion is against the fact.
But orc speaks the truth. I'm not going to keep plopping my head in the sand.
Readers don't care about your voice, they want a polished story. And AI is the worst its ever going to be.
I'm going to be testing this thesis myself by producing AI polished content alongside my AI free works.

Dont push yourself too hard, cow.
People need to focus on wanting to be a writer or to be an artist.
Since when did author expected to draw their own cover anyway? Even paperback author doesnt do that. They blown their lifesaving for paying that and the printings. Not gonna risk that.

Well, im not gonna say this if this was an digital graphic artist sites, but this still mainly a writer sites, no?

 

[JayMark]

Dont push yourself too hard, cow.
People need to focus on wanting to be a writer or to be an artist.
Since when did author expected to draw their own cover anyway? Even paperback author doesnt do that. They blown their lifesaving for paying that and the printings. Not gonna risk that.

Well, im not gonna say this if this was an digital graphic artist sites, but this still mainly a writer sites, no?

I'm going to fully commit and do my best until I decide it's immpossible for me to ever gain traction.
Though I will have a hiatus soon while I job search. My meat puppet got let go on good terms.

 

[Lysander_Works]

I don't mind. If a fiction is generating $0 then there isn't any ethical problem.

Many publishers , main stream ones just go with fancy text for cover art nowadays. So there is that

Exactly. if money were to be generated from the content part of things, I could just go back and redo the cover the human way.

I just use it until I can afford to have an artist.

(Waits till 2030... Nope, not yet)

I use ai as a placeholder because I ain't about to shill out $100 on something that's a hobby.

As long as you're not making money off of it, go for it. If you actually publish it on Amazon or Kindle and expect people to start paying to read it, that's when you need to shell out for a real cover. And if anyone complains, block them. I'm hard pressed to think of anything more entitled than being given free entertainment, only to tell the one giving it to you that they're a bad person if they don't spend hundreds of dollars on it.

Fair point. For the readers I get on stories I have used real cover art on (including KDP), I've gotten no money from it. If I'm expecting the same, might as well go with it. Since the monetization plan is donation, I feel it's a situation closer to Gray_Mann's and AliceMoonvale's points. I'm broke af, and the money I do generate doesn't come from writing, sadly.

Anyone that cries about an AI cover for a story they are reading for free, can go suck a diseased donkey dick.
Like I tell others, if you want to donate a few hundred bucks for a cover to the author, alrighty then. If not, take your opinions and fuck off.

Naturally, I don't ever plan to let AI touch the inner content, not even for grammar.
The experience has reminded me that people who have lots of money often throw it at anything and everything, if it holds their interests