Book Covers Help

So, I need help. I’m hoping you can help.

As a relatively new indie book author/publisher, I struggle every time trying to find the best photos to use as the basis for a cover. As I am also an artist, I like to do my own digital design .

In the past, I’ve licensed photos from iStock and 123RF. As I get deeper into book authoring and publishing, I am astounded by the covers I’ve seen from other indie authors.

I’d love to hear from all you indie authors as to where and how you develop your covers. Are there better sites for selecting and licensing photos for covers? Googling helps but I consistently get sucked in to sites that sell these services. I’d rather license the photo and do the rest of the work myself.

Oh, I need to keep the licensing costs down. One photo I found, the owner wanted hundreds of dollars to give me a minimal license. Suffice to say, I didn’t buy it.

I look forward to your thoughts and comments. Thanks for sharing.