Forgive Me, Alex has undergone a couple of face lifts, and it’s kind of interesting to see the past (old), present (soone to be new past), and future (soon to be new present).
This was the original version back in 2011, which I really liked, but various feedback and analysis suggested that it just wasn’t performing.
Every genre has its tropes, of course, and for the thriller genre, this one might have been just fine in the early days (December 2011, when it first launched). Maybe.
The marketplace changed, though, as it is wont to do, and eventually this one fell a bit outside the norm, and we just needed to replace it.
Up next would be what’s live now (as of 4 February 2019) at a few sites and in a few versions, but I’ve already started uploading changes.
And then came version two (with blood spatter in the background), which morphed into the version three you see here. The blood spatter had to go because Amazon Ads wouldn’t run it. Seriously.
As you can see, we kept some of the thematic elements (from version one) for the imagery, but we really changed up the textual elements. However, once again, we know from some testing that the cover is under-performing.
And now, as of this writing (4 February 2019), the process has begun to once again update the cover. The new eBook cover will appear first, then the paperback, and finally the audiobook.
NEXT UP: Fourth Editon (and I really hope this is the last time this cover will change. That’s the plan, at least.)
Once again, genre tropes and expectations have caused me to move this in a whole new direction. With the invaluable help of Dale Pease, the cover artist, we’ve brought this in line with current THRILLER genre covers.
It was also important to get this done before the launch — or even the pre-launch activities — of the second book in the “Tony Hooper” series, The Devil’s Bane.
I have ZERO plans to EVER change the cover again, so this one better accomplish all I hope it will.
Early feedback from some targeted groups has been quite positive, so I’m excited to see what happens. Of course, I’d love to have YOUR feedback! 🙂
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