Flexibility

The nice thing about indie publishing is its flexibility. J.A. Konrath and Lee Goldberg have both talked at length about changing covers and making an impact on sales. My book Isn't It Romantic? hasn't been doing as well as I think it should. It's sold quite a few copies, yet only about half as many as In the Mood. I honestly think Isn't It Romantic? is the better book, and I'd like to see it selling very, very well. I've left it for a while to see what happens, and sales have picked up, but not as much as I'd like. And I do think the cover is the issue. Here is the original cover I did for it:

I think this hints at the story and fits the title well. However, it's simply not doing as well as the books with half-naked men on them. I really like it, but I think it's a mistake to get emotionally attached to a cover... it's just a sales tool, and this one isn't bringing in the sales. I have a feeling it's saying "sweet romance" to my readers, which is not an accurate reflection of the story. So here's the new cover:

I used the same typeface as In the Mood, as well as the same general style, in the hopes of "branding" it a bit. This is my first experimentation with a new cover... we'll see how it goes!

ETA: Update: Isn't It Romantic? has fallen from around 4500 in the rankings, where it's been pretty steadily the past few days, all the way down to 2150 in a matter of a few hours. My other books have improved too, however, so I don't know that this is related to the cover. Might simply be more people noticing my interview at the Galaxy Express. Still, it's promising.

ETA: Another update: It's at #1968 in the Kindle store and #94 on the Kindle contemporary romance list. It has brushed the contemporary romance list before, but it's never stuck around for long. We'll see if this is a temporary aberration or if it continues to do well.