I've been asking my publisher Hodder and Stoughton to revamp some of my early covers. In my experience, revamping a cover can substantiality improve sales. It has worked for my self-published books and I hope it will be just as effective with my Hodder and Stoughton books.
They have agreed to test the water by revamping the cover of Soft Target, the second book in the bestselling Spider Shepherd series.
The existing cover is good, but it has been around for almost ten years.
Hodder came up with this cover as a replacement.
I liked it but worried that it's a bit futuristic, giving it the look of a sci-fi novel. And I also worried that the figure - who is presumably meant to be Spider Shepherd - is left handed. The gun is also definitely not Metropolitan Police issue. In my humble opinion the details of a cover aren't that important, what matters is the overall feel. And this feels good. I love the London skyline.
I explained my feelings to Hodder and they came back with a slightly different version.
I think this is brilliant, and it'll soon be up as the new cover. Hopefully it will lift sales. I shall keep you posted!
You can buy Soft Target on Amazon by clicking HERE
1 comment:
Have to say I really like the new version, it would certainly catch my eye and drag me in if I saw it on a bookshop shelf.
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