A Sexy Makeover
I may be too old for one, but my book isn’t.
So here it is.
And here’s my original cover.
*Please excuse all the links in this story – but I want to help those who help me!
Just as my main character Beth is torn between two men, I love both my covers. But with a BookBub promotion and a Chick Lit Plus blog tour both starting on August 5, I decided to take a risk and give my cover a sexy makeover.
When I was preparing to publish Is This All There Is? seven months ago, my very first review was from the fabulous, well-loved blogger, Terri. She has a fun book review site called My Book Boyfriend. Her comments on Goodreads included the following: “The cover may not grab you, but the story is worth the read.” I appreciated Terri’s honesty and her opinion was echoed by others in time. I’ll also never forget the first reaction she shared with me right after reading the book: “Wow, just wow.” She went on to help and educate me in countless ways from that point on. So it’s only fitting that Terri was the first to post a new cover reveal, along with her original review: Is This All There Is? ~ New Cover. Thanks so much, Terri!
I want to thank my first cover designer, Sean Tolley, who gave me exactly what I wanted. One of the things I didn’t realize was how small and difficult to see the picture would be in the many thumbnail size versions people would be seeing online – on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, on blogs, etc.
I’m often slow to make decisions and changes so it took me a while to come around. But I’m so glad I did. Thankfully, my friend and author of the stunning and hugely successful new book Sweet Thing, Renee Carlino, recommended Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations as an outstanding book cover designer. Thank you, Renee!
I thought I might drive Sarah crazy with all my demands. I wanted a sexy picture of a man and a woman. But the woman had to have a look of angst or contemplation on her face. She also had to have brown curly hair. My requests went on and on. But Sarah understood and showed me a number of pictures that I loved. We finally agreed on one. Then I wanted all kinds of things about it changed. She obliged and was nothing but gracious and friendly through the entire process. If you’re looking for a cover designer, check out Sarah’s portfolio at the link above – it blew me away! Thank you, Sarah!
I also want to thank Samantha Stroh Bailey, Shelly Hickman, and Lori Verni-Fogarsi – incredibly talented authors and dear friends who gave me very helpful feedback as I was trying to choose a photograph. I’ve read, absolutely loved, and highly recommend all their books! And I’m so grateful to the Chicklit Goddesses on Facebook who joined in the conversations I started about how to choose cover art. I learn so much from the Goddesses every day and I can’t thank our founder, Isabella Louise Anderson, enough for her unwavering encouragement. Many other friends and family members, especially my mom, provided valuable input as well and I thank you all!
Special thanks to the wonderful reviewer JB Johnston, one of my many new book-loving pals in the UK, (who I referred to as an author in my original post – oops! – hence her kind correction below), for this lovely cover reveal post: JB Johnston’s Is This AllThere Is? Cover Reveal It made me so happy when I saw that you called the cover “exquisite,” JB! 🙂
And words cannot express my gratitude to Samantha Stroh Bailey, author of one of my all-time favorite books, Finding Lucas, for this beautiful cover reveal post and her kind words about Is This All There Is? and amazing support, always. Is This All There Is? Cover Reveal by Samantha Stroh Bailey
And thanks to all my friends who are about to post cover reveals and features for my upcoming tour! I hope you know how much I appreciate each of you!
Thanks for reading!
Patricia
12 Comments
Congrats on the new cover, Patricia. It’s so sexy and sophisticated – I love it! It’s really amazing how much changing the cover of a novel can change a potential reader’s perception of what’s inside. Your first cover was lovely and conveyed the idea of angsty Women’s Fiction while your new cover suggests something provocative and taboo. I definitely think you’ll be reaching a new audience with your cover makeover and I applaud you for taking a risk with it.
I absolutely love it! I can’t wait to see what kind of new attention the book is bound to receive. 😉
Congrats and you are so welcome!! Sarah is amazing!!
Patricia, cover re-vamps are bittersweet, aren’t they? Obviously, you liked the first cover or you wouldn’t have chosen it, but at the same time, when you get enough feedback that the cover may not be attracting readers or that it may be misrepresenting what’s on the pages behind it, you know it’s time for a change. Congrats on being brave enough to go for it!
Thank you for writing such a beautiful story that would resonate with many. It did for me. I loved this story and I will look for more amazing stories from you in the future.
Oh wow.. I LOVE the new cover! What a dramatic change but I think it turned out gorgeous! Congrats on your new look!
Hey Patricia, thanks for mentioning me in this post. You are very kind. If only I really was an author lol. I’ve got zero talent so I’ll stick to book reviewing. I adore the new book cover and wish you continued success with the book. x
Tracie, thanks so much for your kind words about both covers. I feel exactly the same way about them.
Shelly, you are the best! Your constant support means so much to me.
Renee, agreed – she’s amazing, just like you!
Brea, so well-said, as always. Yes, bittersweet. Brave or foolish, we’ll see. 🙂
Terri, if it weren’t for your review way back, I may never have had the confidence to reach out to other bloggers and authors!
Hazel, thank you for this comment and again for your beautiful review! Seeing your comment made me want to read it again and it gave me chills just like the first time:
http://cravestheangst.blogspot.com/search?q=is+this+all+there+is
JB, I could have sworn you were an author! My predictions often come true, so never say never. I made the correction in my post – thank you!
Thanks for the lovely shout-out! I adore your book and have enjoyed our friendship/brainstorming together too. Congratulations on the new cover!
Thank you, Lori! I love our friendship and brainstorming together too and look forward to more.
Love the new cover. But I don’t think it changes the fact that I loved the book fully. Still a great read no matter what the cover is. I hope it brings more readers to notice it as it deserves to be read xx
Wow, Sarah. Thank you. I must admit, that’s the best response I’ve gotten to the new cover yet. Because it’s really not about the cover. It’s about the book. I also hope it brings more readers to notice it because I want the book to help women who may feel the way Beth felt.