Hello, I’m sorry, this question may have been directed at me but it wasn’t connected to our other conversation so I’m only just seeing it now.
I feel you — if you don’t have artist friends I imagine it can be hard getting one to volunteer. There are art groups where you may be able to entice someone to help you out, but the traditional way is, of course, to commission an artist. This doesn’t mean you have to pay big bucks. There are artists just starting out who might be looking for exposure. There are many on Wattpad with art books who are taking sign ups with payment coming in the form of reviews, votes, or reads on their written works. This might be perfect for you if you can find someone who isn’t completely booked. Or, if you really want professional art or a cover, you can invest in paying a professional artist. You get what you pay for in most cases after all.
This goes exactly to my point about ai. With computers offering free, passible (if not perfect) art, it’s the artists who get hurt. Their clients are people who can’t create or don’t know good art and those are the precise people who A) are easily duped into accepting substandard AI art, and B) might have been willing to patronize an artist otherwise.
