Let’s say a person is new to self-publishing and has no money/jobless to purchase an editor or cover designer or anything and has no choice but to do it for dirt cheap, meaning free, can a person get by on self-publishing with some beta readers and self-edits and doing the cover art themselves even though they can’t draw?
What are your thoughts and feelings on this method?
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There are a number of YouTube videos on how to self-publish for free. Here are just a few of them. There are probably some writing advice sites out there too that list free resources for indie writers, but I can’t think of any right offhand.
On a related note, why not consider publishing traditionally since they pick up the tab for everything? You just have to get an agent first. These places might help with that:
It is totally fine and doable to DIY it. As I said previously in a different thread, the drawback is it won’t be as polished as if you hired a professional.
Plenty of people do their own work, but as for the cover I would suggest not drawing it if you don’t have a background in art, and the ability to create art in the style that the market likes. For example, if you only draw very heavily stylised cartoon characters, that wouldn’t work for an adult high fantasy market. Instead, try to look for stock photos! 
Love the layout! I’d first consider what covers in your genre look like - what genre is this?
Science-fantasy or fantasy with science-fiction elements.
Take a look at some of these covers, and see what works about them. These are covers in your genre that I quickly found on Google, so they’re pretty popular books! You might not have the right tools to create something like this, but you CAN look at them and find elements you can create. The fonts, layouts, colours etc - these are all simple things you can take inspiration from!
So, my DIY book cover can’t work well?
I think it’s a great start! Personally, I think you could benefit from looking at other covers in your genre and seeing where your cover differs, and how you can bring it more in line with others. Not replicating them, but understanding what works in the genre. A book cover is a marketing asset, so you have to meet your readers in the middle.
That makes sense. If I am starting out, I thought that using my DIY cover in the beginning then if I made enough money, I can hire a cover artist.
That is totally valid. You can get a long way with a DIY cover, and if you do your own, you have room to play around and keep changing if something isn’t working
Thanks a bunches!
Maybe this will help…? ¯\_(ﭢ)_/¯
Hm, that’s a complicated question. Because technically, yes you can get by on beta readers, self-edits, and your own formatting and cover art. Local communities/writing communities are especially forgiving of subpar or mediocre cover art and formatting. There’s nothing wrong with doing it all yourself/with beta readers.
But, pardon my hot take, if you do that it’s (probably) going to be bad. (I mean ‘you’ as in generally, not ‘you’ specifically). I’ve read a lot of selfpub books, and I’ve beta read a decent amount, and from what I’ve seen I don’t think most of us writers are anywhere near self-aware enough, self-critical enough, or even good enough at grammar to get away with only beta readers and self-edits. Also I don’t think most beta readers are mean enough.
It’s the cheap way, there’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s probably not going to get you a reputation as a good writer.
Traditional publishing it is then!
I would suggest you look into trad and self to see which one works for you. The decision should come down to more than just “cost”. 
As a person who was new to self-publishing with no money/jobless so couldn’t hire an editor or cover designer so had to do everything themselves, yes it is very possible to do these things even without the beta readers but be warned, you WILL make a lot of mistakes along the way and that it will take a LOT of practice
Based on what others have already said, I want to offer a third option: middle
There are some small publishers who let you take a lot of creative lead, but they also guide you in publishing through them with editors and cover artists. So, there are some small publishers out there that will help you. You just have to go and find them.
Idk the details of how it all works though.
As someone who self-published, I do think you can get by with self-edits and betas. BUT I did invest in a line editor and proofreader (cheaper than getting a full-on developmental editor, if you need comparison) which really helped with a few extra little glitches. So, if I didn’t, Between Roses wouldn’t be as solid as it is. It was pretty solid, but not as much as it is now. Money was an issue then, but it was worth every bit.
So, you need to think what you want the world to know about you through your book. What do you want to show to the people? This is Qualeshia’s book. What does that look like to you? Then you think, okay, how can I get that?
Then you look into what services are available to you, then you think, okay, if I really want this or that, how much would it cost, and could I maybe afford to pay for one thing for my book if I really want that thing?
Also, keep in mind, doing everything yourself means that you will need to learn how to format and how to make a wrap if you want to create a hardcover or paperback, and make sure everything is not copyrighted, and so on.
