Cover Story

They say never judge a book by its cover, but let’s be real—we all do. It’s in our nature. We see something, and we either like it or we don’t. That’s why choosing the right cover is one of the biggest decisions when going indie.

I had a general concept in mind—something rugged, cartoonish, a little crazed, mysterious, a desert landscape, a taxi, a tower—a design that would reflect the layered complexity of Marcus Morus Syndrome. I couldn’t fully see it yet, but I knew what I didn’t want: a generic, soulless, Midjourney-style cover.

So, I launched a contest on 99designs, where freelance designers submit their ideas. Some were great, and I was close to making my choice—until, just an hour before the contest deadline, this one appeared. Designed by Dan C., it immediately grabbed me. The retro, strange, comic-book feel, the intrigue—it was exactly what I was looking for. No doubt in my mind.

After some tweaks—getting the elements, colors, and fonts just right—the final cover was born. I know it doesn’t look like your typical Amazon book cover. But that’s exactly what I wanted—an unordinary cover for an unordinary novel.