Buried Under Book Covers by Joan Reeves

Image created with AI by Joan Reeves

I do apologize for missing my blogging date yesterday. I blame Artificial Intelligence for that.

Actually, I must take some blame too. It all started last week when I completed all of the  Facebook Ads training tutorials. I was pumped and ready to get going.

There was one thing holding me back. My book covers. I learned that the most successful book ads had cover art featuring men. 

Having a woman on the cover art gets men clicking but not to buy the book.

I wrestled with that intel until Monday when I decided to "just do it" and change out the book covers in question.

OMG! DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

After more than a week of trying to come up with cover art featuring an attractive male that organically represented the theme, story, etc. I'm ready to throw in the towel. Agh! So I waved the white flag of surrender and called my daughter the graphic artist for help. We meet tomorrow.

UNEXPECTED BENEFIT OF LOST TIME

One positive of this exhausting week was that I learned how to use an AI graphics program. Well, more or less learned. In many ways, it was harder than I expected and easier than I expected.

Harder? Because it requires far more hours of time and endless trial and error to create an image suitable for a book cover, i.e. an image that looks "real" and is specifically tailored to an element of the book.

Easier? Because with just a little effort you can create an interesting graphic good enough for marketing purposes. The image at the beginning of the post is one I made in about 5 minutes time. Of course, it took me about 4 hours of learning time to be able to make the image.

LAST THOUGHTS

I've always been willing to try new things and learn something new. However, I have conflicting emotions about using AI. I'm sure there are photographers and musicians who are also upset that AI is being used to create images that look like photographs and music that doesn't come from a real person.

I know I hate the thought that unscrupulous would-be writers will use AI to write novels. They're already doing it.

I will never do that. In fact, I think I'm going to put something in my book blurbs that goes something like this: "The content of this book was created entirely by the author, Joan Reeves. No artificial intelligence was used to create any part of the text."

I've heard other authors are inserting that into their blurbs and into the book's front matter. Do you think this is a good idea? As a reader, do you want to know that a real, live human created the book you're reading?

Image created with AI by Joan Reeves

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THOUGHTS ON "AI"- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

by Judy Ann Davis

In the  IWSG (Insecure Writers Support Group) this month, the March 6th questions asked members what I am repeating here and which I consider pertinent questions for all writers:  Have you "played" with AI to write synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

Out of curiosity, I'd like to hear from everyone what are your thoughts. Here is a portion of my response:

Universities are already working closely to develop anti-AI software and advocating student dismissals from a class if it is being used when human creative input is required. AI will result in a great deal of lay-offs in numerous industries once it advances. 

Many people believe we will lose the "genius" of the human mind since AI books and works will flood an already flooded market. How many aspiring young writers or even present-day writers will give up or throw in the towel not wanting to compete with it?

Someone recently posted on Facebook a saying that sums Artificial Intelligence up for many people: Why should I bother reading something that nobody could be bothered to write?"                                 ~*~

What are your thoughts and insights as writers, artists, or someone who has explored AI's advancements?

NEW - NEW - NEW     

COURTING BETSY - Book 3 of the Ashmore Brothers Series

  

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Have You Tried AI? Plus Food, Cables, & Musings by @JacquieRogers

 

 

 Have You Tried AI?

Plus Food, Pulling Cable, & Musings

by Jacquie Rogers

Okay, so I'm obsessed--what else is new.  (Don't answer that.)  I've been fooling around with AI because, and here's my very well thought-out reasoning, AI would be exceedingly useful for book promotion.   (And it's something new and shiny, but I'm not going to own up to being so easily distracted, so put that thought out of your pretty head.)

One of the things you can do is make a video from a blog post, so of course I had to give that a try.

Here's the actual post: Holiday Season Already! 

To be honest, I don't think bloggers need to worry about being replaced anytime soon.  Even so, it's a wonder that it came so close.  This was done in steve.ai.

Next I tried a promo type video in canva.com.  You just tell canva what you want and it creates a slideshow for you.  I said, "Blonde woman on a black mule set in the Old West."  Here's how that turned out:

So how about fantasy?  Aurora Valentine is also a blonde.  My instructions were, "Blonde fairy riding a red dragon."  Canva never did get this one correct but not bad--and some of the pictures are better than the ones I paid for on dreamstime and depositphoto.  So here are the results of the Aurora's Treasure promo video:

I don't think it's ready for prime time yet.

Why women live longer than men.

Other Ways To Get in Trouble

Mr R and I have spent the last 3 weeks pulling data cable.  Yes, we've lived in this house four years but he never did get around to doing the permanent wiring.  I've been connected to the server by a cable strung from light fixture to light fixture down the hall and into the spare room, then into the server room.  It wasn't pretty but it worked.  Now we're all wired in, but the price was dear.  I have bruises all over my hands and arms.  Mr R knocked off several hunks of skin and it'll take a while for his wounds to recover.

(I don't know why Blogger isn't putting any space around the photo--that's above my pay grade.)

We pulled wire from the floor of the server room, under the house, to the corner of the garage where you see Mr R now.  From there, the wire goes up the wall to the attic and over to the outside wall, then down that wall to his computer.

To be honest, we should hire this work done, but there are two problems.  The first is that our area's real estate is HOT and there are no contractors that do small jobs in a reasonable time frame.  The second is that no one can do anything that meets Mr R's notion of how things ought to go.  So...we pull cable, scooting around in the crawl space and in the attic--both places particularly desirable to spiders.

Now for some bad news.  The jewelry store, Norman Jewelers in Caldwell, where Dad bought Mom's wedding ring set has closed.  Three generations worked there, and I guess there's no one to take over and it's time for the current owner to retire.  Sad to see.  But the good news is that Mr R bought a ring for my Christmas present.  It had to be resized, of course, so we're picking it up tomorrow.  From then on, no more Norman Jewelers.

That's me standing in an empty jewelry store, and my ring on the right.

Naturally, Walter has been asserting his rights as head of the household.

Walter the Bed Hog

Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you get books--they last a lot longer than chocolate and you can enjoy them several times over. ☺

Until next month, Happy Reading!

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