As you may know, my sweet cowboy series is self-published although I have been traditionally published for several years in a different genre under another pen name. The reason I wanted to go it alone with my cowboy stories is that I wanted more control over the look and feel of the books, as well as the price, marketing, etc.
I have been to all the Self-Publishing Live Shows in London, and this year was no exception. I love the atmosphere at these events, and the chance to meet other authors from all genres and just talk about everything concerning books. The experts on stage gave out brilliant advice and were full of ideas for improving our author businesses as well as our writing. As usual, I came home brimming with enthusiasm and a plan to put into action all that I’d learned.
One of the biggest
takeaways for me this year was that my covers for The Billionaires of Brightside Ranch might be ready for a makeover.
Other books of clean, sweet cowboy romances tend to have more scenery and less emphasis on people on them, which is something I hadn’t noticed until it was very kindly pointed out to me. To this end, the first thing I plan to do is to change the covers of, at least, the first three books in the series.
Don’t get me wrong; I love the covers I have. I hadn’t realized though, that I wasn’t adhering to reader expectation. Readers have their own ideas of what the cover of a book in a particular genre should look like, and it seems I may have overlooked this. In this business we are all learning constantly, and aiming to keep up to date with current trends and opinions. I have already contacted my cover artist and asked her to design some other options for me, and I’m excited to see what she comes up with.
I’d love to know your
opinion on this if you could leave a comment below. Do you think my covers
convey the sweet, clean cowboy romance genre or are they too different to be
included with other books of their ilk? I’d really value your input, and thank
you for taking the time to read my post.
Until next time take care
and stay safe
Raine x
2 comments:
Hi Raine: Good topic, as I saw this on another thread with the same explanation of what some thought about book covers and readers. I like your covers I won't say they convey a 'sweet' theme as in a Hallmark movie, but definitely cowboy and western and romance. Personally, I think with covers, you need to please yourself before others. If you're not happy with the people and or scenery, you'll just drive yourself bonkers.
Thanks, Julie, I think you're right. I do love my covers; I'm just not sure they're doing their job. I might try some new ones and see if it makes any difference. I can always change them back if not. :)
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