Which book cover looks better and will grab attention?

I'm thinking about an appropriate book cover. 

This one uses free stock images :


This one is AI-generated : 

Should I even pay a human cover designer these days? Does it matter?

Even though I hate A.I. I still like the second one more.

The first looks like free stock images. The second looks like academic in-depth training.

If you were to get a pencil and paper and sketch your own version of the A.I. image, would it be considered plagiarism?

No. But I don't think A.I. images can be copyrighted.

Well, the first one looks like a flyer from health insurance! the second one looks like AI.. Stock market, Auditorium, Forum, Toyland- an artificial mix.

Interesting details: the pawns differ, one has a cross (stemming from a king behind it on a source pic). The third royal differs, too.

It's kind of 'friendly' and a child of our time, loftily eerie. Unbearable, haha. I wouldn't want to promote this with my work.

What is your book about? What should the cover transport?

If you like the AI cover, just put (Cover: AI XY) at the bottom of the cover, as a merry disclaimer.

It answers the question that I frequently get in my inbox. "How do I improve at chess"? "What did you do to improve"? "I'm stuck at a certain rating and need advice." "How do I improve my openings"? "How do I reduce my blunders"? "What chess books did you find the most useful"? "How to get to 2000 rating"?

I've been answering these questions for years now. I thought I'd write a book about it.

There's an important difference between the two covers: on the second one, you display your rating and experience on Chess.com and Lichess. Maybe this helps with your target audience, but it looks a bit unusual to me. Authors tend to introduce themselves on the back cover with a little bio and you can put your credentials there.

The first cover looks cleaner to me, even if the image is generic. The second one looks busier with its sketched style.

I prefer the structure of the second one. I believe it would look better if:

• The title is written in one line and is bolded or all-caps on the top of the cover
• The subtitle is written beneath the title with a smaller or lighter font
• Your name is at the bottom of the cover
• The image is more realistic and created specifically for your cover
• A sticker with something like "LEARN FROM A 2600+ RATED PROFESSIONAL" is placed on the image for more credibility

-

I suggest getting a professional cover designer to help. I do ghostwriting and editing on the side, so I can assist if you anything along those lines.

Second one. Looks clean and readable.

You need an attractive blond in a little black dress staring at you with admiration while you play chess.

.

.

.

ps- This is intended as a humorous reference to a chess book cover that has attracted deserving criticism. It is not a serious suggestion.

I prefer the first cover with the stock images.

Lol. I remember Lev Albert's book. He had something similar : 

In general I prefer the 2nd, but there are things about it I really don't like. And I think they are largely because it was AI generated. Specifically:

a) The Knight is sitting in the middle of 4 squares.

b) One of the pawns is larger than another pawn that is closer!?!

c) The King and Queen are also between squares.

d) The Queen looks very poorly proportioned.

e) The rook in the background looks too small compared to pawns at about equal distance.

Frankly, I think this is a good "illustration" of why AI still has a long way to go.

Actually, I think that book cover is a great visual metaphor for the distractions of life that prey upon the serious chess player. Imagine the woman saying, "Dearest, do you really love that wooden queen more than me?"
(I also have a juicier suggestion for what the woman is saying, something involving the words "positions" and "bedroom" that I won't spell out for the sake of the children.)

The Alburt cover, somebody somewhere said "'300 most important positions and ideas' what is this, the kamasutra of chess?". In my world, the two of them are not the greatest match- you could imagine a couple that wouldn't look staged. Okay, I guess a long skirt and less make-up could do.. But let me point out her wrist-watch, as a poignant memento mori in the original composition.

So, yes, time is running, a boy and girl cover, that tradition needs more input

Actually, Thomas Engqvist has published books with similar titles: 300 Most Important Chess Positions and 300 Most Important Tactical Chess Positions. Since both the kama sutra and chess originate from India, the term "position" in the book title makes perfect sense ;-)

Cover designers for chess books haven't followed up on this, though.

Let's leave the chess training pocket book for now with a Hans Niemann 'The cover speaks for itself'.

I find, boys and girls (or women and men) in starting blocks on a chequered track with elo numbers on the ground and a "2000+" on the finishing tape would be nice.

“Have you got a chess training book in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?”