Back in February, I posted about a local bookstore owner who suggested that my covers might not be doing my books any favors.
After running an Amazon ad for Book One for a couple of months, I’ve decided she’s got a point. While the covers are eye-catching and unique, they don’t say romance. So I decided to have them redone. This week, I received the initial drafts from the designer.
Here’s my original cover for The Demon Always Wins:
And here’s the (first draft of) the new version:
(It’s Thursday afternoon and I had to remove the draft cover because my cover artist fired me. Since the cover is his property, I no longer have the right to display it.
Pretty sure you’ll be hearing more about this on Tuesday…)
I”m planning to make a couple of changes:
- Get rid of the snake completely (sigh)
- Increase the font size for my name by a couple of points so it’s more visible.
What do you think?
Eight Ladies Writing 
I think the new one says “romance” a lot more clearly. And even without the snake, the cover model says “temptation,” so I think you’re good!
Thanks–still working through the details, but I think this will work better.
When I first read your book, I was unclear of the genre. The new cover is clearly romance. To be honest, I wouldn’t have read it with the new cover. I’m glad I did. I like the snake though. How about a tattoo slightly visible on Bad?
I just popped over to your blog and your boat looks a-mazing! Bookmarking it so I check occasionally and see how life aboard is going.
The idea behind the original covers was just that–to get cross-genre readership from people who might not read a romance. The problem was that I inadvertently lost the readership of the romance community, who were always going to comprise the bulk of my audience. (I hope.We’ll see.)
Oh, the tattoo. I’d like to do that. I’m currently working through font issues with the designer. If we survive those discussions, I’ll ask about the tattoo!
Hmmm…I liked that cover and once I realized the genre, I thought it fit. Not saying handsome man isn’t appealing but I like the snake and apple.
Thanks for checking my blog. My husband and I finally get to try retirement for awhile and I’ll see if I have a book in me.
I look forward to whatever comes next!
Thanks. Now I’m back to trying t decide what to do…
I liked your original cover, but I think the new one is genre-specific and makes a much clearer romance reader promise. Isn’t it wonderful that in this e-pub/print-on-demand era you can change the cover if it’s not working? Fingers crossed that you find lots of new readers!
I’ll definitely report back!
I will miss that old cover, but it definitely is a case of “kill your darlings”, illustrated. The new one will appeal more to voracious romance readers, I believe. And I think it’s got some definite points for the “re-reader” — people are going to identify with your heroes through the cover. The snakes never directly appeared in either of your stories.
Actually, there were a couple of snakes in the second one–Lamia, Bad’s ex and the snake he and Keeffe encountered on the hiking trail. But you make a good point–the snake, in addition to scaring off some readers, set up unmet expectations in others.
I think this is a great example of “kill your darlings”. I’m really sorry to see the old covers go, but I think these will be more attractive to people in search of a paranormal romance, and also, it’s nice for “re-readers” in that these guys actually appear in the story, while the snake is just a symbol of what appears in the story (temptation).
Right–the snake was only intended as a metaphor.
I liked your first one, too, but as several folks point out here, the second one says romance more than the first. I’d read it for the author name, not the photo, but I’m also not your target marketing audience.
Aw, thanks–and I’ll be happy to return that favor when the time comes!