Why? Even though I designed the cover myself, I'd never been fully satisfied with it, and sales haven't been what I'd hoped. Its sales are consistently about 60% of the figures for the first book in the Phoenix, Ltd. female bodyguard series, Unwritten Rules. There could be a number of reasons for this: readers want to start a series at the beginning, readers tried the first book and didn't like it enough to read the second, or whatever. But I had to ask myself, what if part of the problem is the cover?
So what was wrong with the original cover for Boiling Point? It wasn't close enough stylistically to Unwritten Rules. I looked at every image of a stone mansion I could find, hoping to find one that would make a good background and reminded me of the setting. Nothing worked. I settled for the condensation image because it suggested steam, which tied in to the title. I also looked at every single image of every variation of "woman with a gun" I could think of. I ended up with the recumbent figure because it was one of the few in which the gun was far enough away from the face to crop the head. In a series, it is important to have design continuity: same fonts, same color scheme, same figure style. I would have preferred a standing figure but couldn't find another that worked.
My cover re-do was actually inspired by our own Jannine Gallant. She found the perfect image for the mansion background. It looks exactly like the one in the story, and I swear it wasn't available a year ago when I started looking. Sadly, the seated figure looked just plain silly with it--like the woman was sitting on the driveway. It did encourage me, however, to take another look at "women with guns."
Lo and behold, the stock image sites had added tons of new images, and I found the perfect one! The new figure of a woman in a short skirt and high heels with a gun behind her back is an excellent companion to the one on Unwritten Rules, and her cheeky pose mirrors the humorous tone of the book.
One of the best things about being an indie author is the ability to make changes whenever I want to try something new. I'm thrilled with the new cover, and I hope readers have the same response. If I don't see any improvement in sales, I can always tinker with the blurb next!
Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com
14 comments:
"We" (and I use that term loosely) did an awesome job on the revamp of Boiling Point. I LOVE the final result. It's PERFECT! Crossing my fingers the sales pick up. Time to run some promo to get it moving--more Amazon ads?
Well done, Alison. Love the mansion. If the gun were silver, it might be easier to see in the thumbnail. The whole business about covers makes me crazy. What I like isn't necessarily what readers like...and I don't have training in graphic arts to know what appeals to readers...only what appeals to me. Heavy sigh. Sales seem really slow right now, overall, for everyone. Amazon Encore has gone quiet, too. You are right...we can tinker because we are Indies, and that feels like some kind of power.
I'm glad you like it, Jannine. I'm pretty pleased, too. I've been running the Amazon ads for both books continuously, but Unwritten Rules has racked up WAY more impressions and clicks. I hope this new cover will help level things out. I am planning to do a sale on Boiling Point over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate the new cover.
Rolynn, you're right about the gun--it would be much more visible if it were silver. Unfortunately, I don't have the technical skills to change it's color, especially not to a metallic. I'm proud of myself that I was able to Photoshop out the wedding ring she was wearing!
Blogger doesn't like me this morning. I'll try leaving a comment again. I think the new cover is fabulous. You're right. Having a consistency of design in a series is important. I struggled to decide on a theme for my Paris Intrigue series and then finding pictures that closely portrayed the characters, yet were somewhat alike. It's harder than people may think. Go you!!
It is harder than people think, Vonnie, but the covers for your Paris intrigue series are great!
Fantastic make-over, Alison! I love it. Nice job...both you and Jannine!
That cover is just simply PERFECT as has been said. I know from personal experience, once you put our own Jannine on to something it's a done deal. Congratulations on the revamp. Fingers crossed it produces sales.
Thanks, Leah. I was never quite comfortable with the original cover. I think this one's a better fit.
Margo, I didn't ask Jannine for help with this one, but we've worked on so many covers together, she couldn't resist. And she came up with the PERFECT image!
I like the new cover, Alison. It's more connected visually with Hidden Rules. Hope the sales improve.
Oh wow, the cover is fantastic!!! I loved the original, until I saw this one. And it's perfect! Best wishes for revved up sales!
Thanks, Diane. I've seen a little upward tick in the last few days, so who knows?
Thanks, Alicia. I've sold a couple of copies in the last two days, so maybe the new cover is helping.
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