Artist Calls Out Entitled Author Over Cover Price
44sThe drama of a client publicly shaming an artist's pricing triggers strong emotional reactions and debate about fair compensation.
▶ Play ClipAI Summary
This video discusses a viral social media post where an author publicly criticized a cover designer's pricing, sparking a debate about the value of artistic work and the role of tools like Canva. The creator analyzes the situation, defending the artist's right to set prices and emphasizing that software does not determine the quality or worth of a design.
Chapters
[00:01]
The Viral Complaint
A Threads post shows an author complaining about a cover designer's prices, claiming the cover was simple and not worth $100, and even lowballing the artist to $50.
[00:42]
Entitlement and Pricing
The creator notes that while everyone has a budget, it's rude to publicly moan about an artist's prices, try to lowball them, and then complain when they don't agree.
[01:09]
The Artist's Perspective
The artist offered to work with the author's budget but couldn't go as low as $50, explaining they had spent significant time on the cover. The author then asked for $70, which was still below the artist's minimum.
[01:35]
The Canva Debate
The author argued that $110-$200 for a Canva-made cover is 'crazy,' but another user pointed out that the software used doesn't determine the price—it's the designer's skill, expertise, and time that matter.
[02:02]
Quality Over Tools
The creator agrees that the price should be based on the quality of the work, not the software used. Canva has a reputation issue because it's widely accessible, but it can produce high-quality designs when used skillfully.
The video concludes that artists should be respected for their craft and pricing, and that the value of a design lies in its effectiveness, not the tools used to create it. The creator invites viewers to share their thoughts on the matter.
Mentioned in this Video
Study Flashcards (4)
What was the author's initial offer for the cover design?
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What was the author's initial offer for the cover design?
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$50
00:13
What did the artist say about the $50 offer?
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What did the artist say about the $50 offer?
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They couldn't do $50 because they had worked on the cover for a while.
01:22
According to the video, what determines the price of a design?
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According to the video, what determines the price of a design?
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The designer's skill, expertise, and time, not the software used.
01:49
What tool did the artist use to create the cover?
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What tool did the artist use to create the cover?
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Canva
01:22
💡 Key Takeaways
💡
Entitlement in Pricing
Highlights the common issue of clients undervaluing creative work and feeling entitled to dictate prices.
00:42
⚖️
Skill Over Software
Emphasizes that the quality of work, not the tools, should determine value—a key principle for any creative professional.
01:49Full Transcript
[00:01] Threads writes, "What the F is wrong with some of the authors out there? Last week I had somebody tell me my covers won't sell well and I need to study popular covers. And this week I actually caught one author talking about my
[00:13] prices in a post because I wouldn't go low to the price she wanted. This cover is $100 and she says it was simple, so it's not worth the price. She wanted to pay $50 for this and because I didn't reply fast enough after we negotiated a
[00:26] bit, she made a post. Y'all are effing rude." Personally, that's one thing that general, it's that when you have your prices, other people, they're entitled Somebody can look at your price and feel that it's too high or too low. That's
[00:42] fine. Everybody has their own budget and you will not fit into everybody's budget, but to completely go and and moan about prices that the artist set themselves to the artist's face, try to lowball them and like walk them down
[00:56] to a cheaper price and then when they obviously don't agree with you to then man. We have screenshots of the cover and I think this cover looks good. I mean, this is like your standard, I feel like kind of darker, spicier romance
[01:09] within the genre. I see nothing wrong with it. And the artist was like, "It's $110, but if you have a budget, I can work with that." And the author is like, "Did you create it on Canva because I might have to resize it. Could you do
[01:22] 50?" The artist is like, "I did and I've done most of my covers in Canva. No one seen. I'm sorry. I did work on that cover for a while and I can't do $50." And the author is like, "Okay, well, could you do 70?" And the author had
[01:35] posted writing, "Honestly, $110 to $200 for a cover made in Canva is crazy. I'm damn." And another user writes, "I use both Canva and Adobe and I can tell you the software is not what determines the price. If a designer creates a cover
[01:49] attracts the right readers and helps sell the book, why does it matter what program they used? You're paying for the designer's skill, expertise and time. The price should be based on the quality of the work, not the software used to
[02:02] template they're using, of course. And the author adds, "It was a really simple cover, so I don't think it was worth the price." But I get it, everybody has to thoughts on this. I know like Canva designs and stuff like that, sometimes
[02:16] it gets a bad rep because everybody and their mom uses Canva, right? And there's ways to use Canva and make really, really cute-looking designs and really some people just kind of like slap stuff together, you know, make a little
[02:28] that's all they care about to, you know, advertise the new drink in their boba shop or something like that. So, I'm curious about your thoughts on this.
