The Book Cover is the first thing a prospective buyer sees when deciding if they want to pick up your novel. And sometimes, it’s the one thing a writer will not invest the time and money on. I’m in a dilemma with one of my series and maybe you can help.
I have written 7 novels. Five of them are “selling right now.” Some more than others, but I’m seeing at least one sale of each of these five during the month.
And then there’s my Dark Fantasy series, THE WORLD OF KAROV and THE RUBY AMULET. I haven’t had a sale of these books in months. The question is… why? Am I not promoting them enough? Are they too dark? Or, are the covers not compelling enough? I’ve got a healthy 27 reviews for Book #1 with a 4.4 rating. It has to be something else… Here they are now:
Original Book Covers
You see, when I first started indie-publishing, THE WORLD OF KAROV was the first book I did on my own. I was a “newb” in every single sense of the word, from working social media, to uploading on KDP and Createspace, to creating a website, to… well, everything. So when we were creating the cover I was so excited and had a thousand untested ideas and I wanted the ENTIRE KITCHEN SINK included, which I’ve since learned is a newbie mistake. I didn’t need the entire book represented in the book cover. The twins, the animals, the mountains, the ruby amulet, the powers, the blood – you see what I mean. I have a great book artist but, it was my first time working with her and she really gave me everything I asked for and I LOVED IT. But, then I started publishing other books are realized that “editing” the entire kitchen sink is important. So, Book #2, THE RUBY AMULET is much more sedate and we simply kept the green/red theme. The problem is, they don’t look like a series, nor possibly something compelling enough that you’d want to pick up.
Here’s the blurb for THE WORLD OF KAROV:
Adam and Alec look like identical twins, but their personalities are as different as possible. Adam is gentle and kind, whereas Alec is the essence of nightmares. Always jealous of his twin, Alec does everything he can to destroy his brother’s happiness, including kidnapping Adam’s fiancée on their wedding day and disappearing with her deep into the Canadian mountains. Adam searches for them for months, but he never finds them. Just when Adam is at his most grief-stricken point, a stranger appears and offers him a chance for a new life in a land filled with magic, gems, and powers unimaginable; a world mysteriously led by a special tribe of children who have hidden themselves away from a great evil that is seeking to destroy them. Adam takes the chance and goes with the stranger, but his past is never far from his mind. Eventually, reality comes back to haunt Adam, resulting in a final showdown with his brother…. and this time, only one will win.
And the Blurb for THE RUBY AMULET
In this suspenseful sequel to The World of Karov, a ruby discovered in a mountain stream transports Joshua, and his best friend Sean, to the war-torn world of Karov. They are immediately caught up in a violent struggle between the people and their treacherous king, who is determined to find the legendary four-pound ruby hidden deep in the emerald caverns. But time is running out. The king is closing in on Joshua and the gem, and the boys must help the Karovites find it before the king does. For if the king gets to it first, he will become the most powerful being in the universe and the Karovites will be enslaved… forever.
So, what do you think of these covers? Don’t worry about being unkind, I’m a writer, I’ve learned how to take criticism… do you think I should invest in new covers and start all over?
