Do-it-yourself Cover Designs

Being an indie writer means being a jack of all trades.  Your main job is writing, of course, but you have to be an editor, promoter, marketer, and artist.  The last one might be a big leap for a lot of writers, but since I have some design skills, I thought I’d try to design my own covers.  Time will tell of that’s a mistake or not.  

They say that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.  With that in mind, my biggest concern is to not look cheesy.  

I designed the cover for my first short story published on Amazon with mixed reviews.  I did put some time into it and had a vision for it.  You can make up your mind.  

I’m currently working on the design for my second short story to go on Amazon.  I did a design awhile back and mothballed it.  I felt it was too bland.  So, I “beefed” it up some and then did some studying of other covers and also researched what other authors and designers said was critical in cover design.  

To help me make my decision on which cover to use, I previewed the three designs with friends and family.  Initially, it got confusing because the vote was evening split.  After a while, one started getting more votes.  Anyway, below are my three cover designs.  Let me know what you think.  And yes, let me know if you think they’re cheesy, too.