I’m still a neophyte when it comes to indie-publishing, so I pay attention when the experts talk about it. As you can tell from the sidebar on this blog, I’m a follower of several of the better-known masters in the field.
A few months ago, Joe Konrath put out a nice blog post about how our job as an indie-writer-publisher isn’t done once the title is published. There’s a lot more to do. You’ve got to tend your garden. In addition to the basics (a website, web presence and a newsletter), he suggests experimenting with pricing, making sure you’re up on multiple platforms, and advertising (Bookbub and the like), and on occasion, new cover art.
Published last year, Brothers of the Fang is an urban fantasy with a male protagonist that in spite of a nice review from Locus, has not done as well as I would have expected. After experimenting with the price (to no avail) and and unsuccessful request to Bookbub, I decided to redo the cover. The original cover was only the third I’d ever designed, and I thought the bold yellow and black color scheme and cover art would be eye-catching. I still do, but have come to accept that the cover is not catching the eyes of my intended readers. It doesn’t have that urban fantasy ‘look’.
So here’s the new cover, with the old one next to it for comparison.
A more traditional look. What do you think?
