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📣 “Extraordinary Machine”: The Heart, The Art, The RevealBook cover of Extraordinary Machine by Brittany Brown, featuring a vibrant mechanical heart illustration on a dark green background

📣 “Extraordinary Machine”: The Heart, The Art, The Reveal

Published by Brittany on 04/20/2025

Black book cover mock-up with a large cream question mark and the title “Extraordinary Machine Cover Reveal”
This is just a teaser…but keep reading to see the real cover of Extraordinary Machine!

The Big (Stupid?) Idea: Do It All Myself

When I first started writing my memoir, I had this brilliant stupid idea: I was going to do everything myself. Yes, including the book cover.

I figured—why not? I had some basic Photoshop skills, a decent eye for design, and a working knowledge of Canva thanks to my Sims modding days. So I turned to AI and generated an image for the cover of Extraordinary Machine.

It wasn’t great.

Garbled Text and a Messy Heart

Mockup of book cover for Extraordinary Machine: A Memoir of Trauma and Resilience by Brittany Brown featuring a mechanical heart with gears, surrounded by flowers and greenery.
The original AI mockup of my concept for the Extraordinary Machine book cover.

While I loved the floral aesthetic and the concept: a mechanical heart surrounded by gears, the final image looked messy. And AI, at the time, wasn’t great at rendering readable text; it has actually improved in the months since then.

I spent two hours in Canva trying to make it work. But eventually, I had to face the truth: this wasn’t my lane. My lane is storytelling. I needed help from someone with artistic talent.

Finding Help: Enter Reedsy (and Avoiding Fiverr Fails)

I discovered Reedsy, a platform that connects writers with freelance professionals, including cover designers, editors, audiobook narrators, and more. The process is simple:

  • Write a pitch for your book
  • Choose five professionals whose work speaks to you
  • Wait and hope that at least one replies, fits your budget, and vibes with your vision

I also checked out Fiverr, but it was a no for me. While there are some legit artists on there, it’s also flooded with scammers and Canva bandits passing off stolen work. I literally saw someone using a Toni Morrison cover in their portfolio. Absolutely not.

Love at First Scroll: Finding Nick Low

Watercolor painting by Nick Low featuring a joyful Black woman in patterned clothing on a bicycle, set against a vibrant black-and-white geometric background
Artwork by Nick Low for YEVU Clothing’s 2021 fundraising campaign supporting LGBT+ Rights Ghana. Inspired by the photography of Joseph Abbey-Mensah.

On Reedsy, I found five artists I liked—but one stood out immediately. Nick Low, an American expat living in Sydney, just like me.

His art was stunning: vibrant, emotional, and rich with depictions of Black women and joy.

I hadn’t thought about it consciously before picking an illustrator. Still, I realised in that moment that it was meaningful to collaborate with a fellow person of colour on something as personal as my memoir about my life.

And I realised that even if Nick didn’t take the job, I still thought that I’d love to buy his artwork and hang it in my apartment.

I sent him my pitch. He replied within a few hours. He got it—all of it. The heart of the story, the symbolism of the mechanical heart, and the shared experience of being people of colour in Australia. His price was fair, and his energy was warm. Still, I did my due diligence and waited to hear from others.

Only one other artist from Reedsy replied and immediately talked down to me. While I was transparent about this being my first book, he was oddly condescending and treated me as if I were an idiot.

Nick, on the other hand, treated me like a creative equal.

Collaboration Magic: Building the Cover

Saying yes to Nick was one of the best decisions I’ve made so far on this self-publishing journey.

He was patient, kind, and intuitive. He never once made me feel foolish or inexperienced. We worked collaboratively; he created the initial mockups, and from there, we refined the design together through several iterations.

And then… the final version arrived.

I cried.

Why This Cover Means So Much

Writing Extraordinary Machine has been a painful, healing, raw, and empowering experience. It’s a memoir about my trauma, my mother, my Nana, and my becoming. There have been days when I’ve questioned everything, as recently as this weekend.

But one thing that has kept me going is the image in my head: me, holding this book in my hands.

That image got me through the hard chapters. And now, thanks to Nick’s incredible talent, that image is real.

Meet the Artist

Nick Low is a brilliant painter and illustrator!

Please support him and follow his work on Instagram at @NickLowPaints, visit his website here, or explore his Reedsy profile if you’re a creative looking for stunning artwork.

I can’t wait to fill my apartment with some of his art.

The Reveal: Extraordinary Machine Cover

Book cover of Extraordinary Machine by Brittany Brown, featuring a vibrant mechanical heart illustration on a dark green background
The official cover of Extraordinary Machine: A Memoir of Trauma and Resilience by Brittany Brown. Illustrated by Nick Low.

Final Thoughts: Let Yourself Be Helped

To my fellow writers, artists, and stubborn DIY-ers: you don’t have to do it all alone (I wrote more about this here: DIY vs. Outsourcing: What I’m Doing Myself for My Memoir (and What I’m Not)). Let those who are brilliant in their respective fields do their thing. You’ll end up with something better than you ever imagined, and you’ll make meaningful connections along the way.

This book is my heart. And now, it has a face.

✨ Want to Follow the Journey?

Extraordinary Machine is still in progress—but the heart is beating and the story is coming to life.

If you want a front-row seat to the writing process, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, or just want to cheer me on as I build this dream:

Follow me on Instagram and Threads at @brittanybrownwrites

Join My Mailing List!

Let’s make something extraordinary—together. 💛

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📚 DIY vs. Outsourcing: What I’m Doing Myself for My Memoir (and What I’m Not)A writer's workspace with a journal, handwritten notes, a laptop, coffee, glasses, and Polaroid photos—symbolizing the creative process and self-publishing journey.

📚 DIY vs. Outsourcing: What I’m Doing Myself for My Memoir (and What I’m Not)

Published by Brittany on 03/22/2025
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

In this blog, I’ll share what parts of my self-publishing journey I’m tackling myself and what I’m outsourcing.

When I first started writing my memoirs, I quickly decided to self-publish. Right after that, I decided I was going to do everything myself.

Part of that is a trauma response—I handle everything on my own because I can only trust myself to do things the way I want them done and on my timeline.

However, another part of me had this naive idea that I could be the Black author version of Eric Barone. Barone, the creator of one of my favourite games—Stardew Valley—not only solo-programmed the game but also created the music, wrote the dialogue, did all the artwork and animations, and self-published it.

I can do that too! I told myself on Day 1.

🚧 The Reality Check

However, I quickly realized a few things:

  • 🕔 Five years of work: Eric Barone spent nearly half a decade creating Stardew Valley.
  • 💪 Relentless schedule: He worked 10 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • 🎨 Diverse skills: He already had expertise in programming, art, writing, animation, and composing.
  • 🎯 Mastery through practice: He invested extra time refining those skills to achieve perfection.

I want to release my memoir within a year. I’m still working a full-time job; I’m married, I have four cats to raise, and a social life. I don’t have 10 hours a day, seven days a week, to devote to this. Plus, I don’t have strong enough design or audio production skills or the time (or desire) to learn them.

⚖️ Could I DIY Everything? Technically, Yes. But Should I?

  • 🎨 Book Cover: I could use AI and Canva free trials… but would it have that bookstore-quality feel? Probably not.
  • 🎙️ Audiobook: I could record it myself… but do I have the time, equipment, and voice skills?

So, early on, I compromised: I’ll DIY what I can and outsource what I should.

🛠️ What I’m Doing Myself

I feel confident handling these tasks because of my background, experience, and passion for learning—especially in writing, editing, and digital creation.

✅ ✍️ Writing: Obviously! The heart of this project is mine alone.
✅ 📝 Editing: Thanks to my experience in editing and tools like Grammarly!
✅ 📖 Formatting: I have software to format the book’s interior.
✅ 🌐 Website: I built my author website (shoutout to my 2004 Myspace HTML skills!).
✅ 📣 Marketing: I plan to handle my social media promotions myself.
✅ 📚 Publishing: I will self-publish on Amazon and other platforms.

💼 What I’m Outsourcing

I’m outsourcing these tasks because I value the expertise professionals bring. Their specialized skills will elevate my book’s quality beyond what I can achieve alone, making it more polished and professional.

💳 🎨 Cover Design: I’ve hired an illustrator for my book cover—and I’m so excited about the design! (I pitched to 11 different illustrators before finding the perfect match!)
💳 🎙️ Audiobook Production: I’ll hire a narrator through Audible’s ACX program. (Truthfully, I’m still deciding on this…)
💳 📑 Beta Readers: Close friends, family, and experienced beta readers will provide valuable feedback.
💳 ✔️ Final Copy Edit (Optional): I may hire a copy editor for a final polish.

💡 The Bottom Line

This experience is shaping my memoir and building my confidence as a self-published author (and a business—I’m creating my own business and brand now!).

💰 I track my budget diligently in an Excel spreadsheet.
⚖️ I balance my dream of DIY-ing everything with the reality of limited time and skills.

This process has taught me that it’s okay to focus on my strengths—writing my story—and let professionals help with everything else.

🗨️ What About You?

Would you ever self-publish? What parts of the process would you DIY, and what would you outsource? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please share them in the comments below. 💬👇

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💡I’m Not New to This: Embracing My Identity as a WriterYoung Brittany Brown sleeping peacefully as a child.

💡I’m Not New to This: Embracing My Identity as a Writer

Published by Brittany on 02/16/2025
Young Brittany Brown sleeping peacefully as a child.
Little Brittany Brown dreamt of being a writer.

A simple mantra has echoed in my mind for weeks: I’m not new to this. I’m true to this.

As I dive deeper into memoir writing and establishing my brand, Brittany Brown Writes, imposter syndrome lurks in the background, whispering: You won’t get this done. You’re not good enough. Nobody cares.

My rational part knows that these are just doubts trying to break me down. However, tangible reminders throughout my life have shown me that writing has always been my purpose.

My Writing Roots: From Childhood Stories to Fan Fiction Fame and Reviews That Paid

I’ve been writing since I was five. I still remember my first “story”—bare bones and barely coherent, but I was proud. Writing became my lifeline, something I’ll share more about in Extraordinary Machine, where I’ll dive deeper into how writing saved me and shaped my life.

As a teenager, I started writing beyond the pages of my diary or Nana’s old Windows 95 programs like Word and MS Publisher (oh, I made so many fake newspapers for our amusement). I discovered Epinions, a site where I wrote music reviews and earned enough to fund my CD obsession. Over a decade, I wrote over 400 reviews there.

I also have an embarrassingly extensive career as a Harry Potter fan fiction writer. I would downplay it, but I looked at the site the other night, and it still lives online. My longest story (71k words) has over 120,000 views, a solid 5-star rating amongst 172 readers, and fan art! I still get emails from people asking if I’ll update fics I abandoned in 2009. I won’t share the URL, but if you’re clever, you’ll find it.

When Epinions shut down, I pivoted to writing about video games on Hubpages, earning up to $900 USD monthly at one point. Laziness—and that relentless imposter—made me slow down, but I still earn residuals today. A few weeks ago, I got a $90 payment for articles I wrote years ago. That’s not bad, especially when that money goes into my publishing fund.

My Journey to Memoir Writing and Establishing Brittany Brown Writes

Journal entry from Brittany Brown in October 2009 about writing a memoir.
This a private journal entry from October 2009, when I first dreamed of turning my life into a memoir. Some info is redacted, and excuse the typos!

I’ve always dreamed of being a published author but never thought I could sit down and actually do it. I always thought that fiction wasn’t my strength (though now that I’ve embraced my calling as a writer, my creativity has flourished, and I now have two children’s book ideas).

Sure, E.L. James made it big off what was essentially Twilight fan fiction with the Fifty Shades series. Still, I wasn’t going to try and publish my Harry Potter fics (though, if we get down to it, isn’t The Cursed Child just a glorified fan fic, too?).

However, I’ve leaned into my talent—write what you know. I’ve always expressed my life, experiences, and flaws through writing. Journaling about my desire to write a memoir started over a decade ago, and even my therapist at the time encouraged me.

At 24, I knew I could write a memoir about my crazy dating life. Thank goodness I waited and didn’t write it then because not long after, I met and fell in love with Phil. That’s the most epic love story of all time! I’m glad people will have to pay for that chapter.

Writing Extraordinary Machine while my mom was alive wouldn’t have been possible. I needed time and distance to reflect on our complicated relationship. Now, nine years after her passing, I’m ready to share my truth.

This past weekend, an indie singer-songwriter messaged me on Instagram and asked me to review his new single after reading my old music reviews on Snippets, my side blog. Snippets, my forgotten archive with 400+ reviews, still draws organic traffic. This reminded me that I already have a brand built over years of writing—Epinions, where I was a lead reviewer, video game articles, fan fiction, and more. Writing has always been my constant.

I’ve been writing online since I was 14 (yes, NSYNC fan fiction counts). Now, I’m refining Brittany Brown Writes.

Building My Writing Legacy

Close-up of two ornate journals on a desk with a lit candle and laptop.
My new journals, waiting to be filled with stories, memoirs, and dreams.

This week, I’ve made more progress: my dream illustrator is designing the Extraordinary Machine book cover with my mockup in mind, I’m getting a custom logo created for my brand, I’ve registered for an ABN, and I’m applying for a grant (I didn’t know I could get money to fund my dream career! Still seems surreal). Phil’s Valentine’s Day gift—two beautiful journals for my ‘new career’—was the sweetest reminder that I’m embracing who I’ve always been.

I’m ready. When someone asks what I do, I’ll hand them my business card with a QR code linking to my website, where my books, reviews, and blogs will live. By day, I handle complaints. By night, I am Brittany Brown Writes—a writer—true to this from the start. ✨

🗨️ I’d love to hear from you! Drop a comment below if you’ve ever battled imposter syndrome or have dreams you’re finally pursuing. Let’s inspire each other!

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