Does changing a book cover grow sales?

About a week or so ago, my publisher, Mike O’Mary of Dream of Things, suggested we change the cover of the ebook edition of my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On. I suspect the main reason was that sales were falling off, and the book needed a little boost. However, in his explanation to me he said:

“I decided to recommend a cover using a photo of Paul. I picked the photo of him as a college freshman. It's a great photo of Paul, and I think a lot of potential readers will be hooked by the image of a handsome young man who looks happy and healthy. He looks like someone you'd want as your own son or brother or partner. They will identify with him before they even know what the book is about. 

I think all of that will be enough to get more people to read the description of the book -- and once they read the description, I believe they will want to read the book because they will be stunned that such a thing could happen to a person who could have been their own son or brother or partner.”

At first it was hard for me to let go of the original cover – especially since I’m so connected to the young woman who took the photograph. However, I liked Mike’s argument and gave him the go-ahead to make the change. He said it’s very easy to change an ebook cover, and true to his word, he put a new cover with Paul’s photo up on Amazon for the ebook within a few days. Here it is.

 As soon as it went up I shared it around my Facebook network and got some wonderful feedback:

“I like it. I think it adds a new dimension to the book putting Paul on the cover. The book is a tribute to him and the cover reinforces that.”

“IMO, this picture of Paul as a vibrant young man brings home the depth of your loss even more. it also pays tribute to him in a more direct way.”

“I love this. It is such a poignant photo of your son and really sets a mood for the book.”

“The other cover is generic. This one is very personal. It gets my vote!”

"Additionally, the B&W image poetically states the fine line that we walk when something like your story happens."

“This is a beautiful photo of Paul. I agree that this adds to the emotional impact. Bravo!”

“I like this cover. The text makes it very clear as to what the
 reader will find in content and may relate to. The beautiful photo 
touches the heart and makes this memoir very real at first glance 
at the cover. May the book continue to find its home with many.”

“I love your new cover, Madeline - love it. xoxoxo” (This says it all.)

Since it looks like book sales have climbed a bit in the few days the new cover has been out, the question now is, should we change the cover on the paperback edition as well? Please let Mike and me know what you think.

Facebook like-my-page event TODAY only

Even though I still question the usefulness of Facebook fan pages, I like the likes, so to speak. But I always wonder if my likes even care about buying my book. 

Nevertheless, I'm participating in an event sponsored by the Online Book Publicity Group. It's called the Biggest Ever Fb Page Like-fest, hosted by Hajni Blasko. Here's her instructions:

INSTRUCTION! PLEEEEEEASE READ. - Have an active Facebook page related to the Publishing Industry - Willingness to return the favor and like the pages of others. HOW TO POST YOUR LINK - Copy and paste ONLY your facebook page URL as a Comment to the top post of mine. - This event is not to promote your book to other authors, since that doesn't really work. It is strictly to gain more Likes. Therefore, do not include any text with your link. - Once copied wait for and leave on the preview ON, allowing others to easily like your page. HOW TO LIKE OTHERS - Please return at a later time and before the 28th 10:00. - Click on View .... Comments and start liking. You do not need to go to the page, just hover over the title of the page within the preview. - Please indicate the likes you completed by liking the post of the URL itself. This will tell the recipient who to like back. - Please do not state, I liked your page etc, otherwise we will loose the focus and the tread will become uselessly long. IF YOU NEED HELP There are 2 Hosts at your services Garry Laredo and me Hajni Blasko.  Connecting with me/admin is appreciated but not a requirement. https://www.facebook.com/hajni.blasko This event was created to help YOU with your online visibility. Feel free to tell me about your titles here: http://www.onlinebookpublicity.com/bookpromotion.html Plus, Hajni, has to keep reminding anxious authors not to post multiple links of the same page - it justs wastes our time. The fest is going on all day today, so you still have a chance to join - I think. Anyway, I've been liking pages like crazy in between my other writing work. I started at 832 page likes today, and as of right now I'm up to 897. Sixty plus new likes in just a couple of hours. Not too bad. Now I hope that will translate into sixty new book sales. And if you want to like my page, here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/Madeline.Sharples?ref=hl

A successful library event

Since my memoir Leaving the Hall Light On has been checked out of my local Manhattan Beach Public Library many times, the library director asked me to come there to speak. The date we decided on was last Wednesday evening, March 20.

I was asked to supply the library with a jpg of my book cover and a brief description of my topic:

Writing was healing because it helped me put my pain on the page. Instead of carrying it with me every moment of the day and night, I found a place where I could have a little relief. There was so much I couldn’t say out loud to anyone. And since there was so much sadness, anger, and grief in me, I needed a place to put it.  Writing was like repeating a mantra as I kept my fingers moving. And I wouldn’t let anything get in my way. I recommend writing or another creative outlet to those who are looking for ways to heal.

After that I was on my own. My instructions were: you have an hour and a half from 7:00 to 8:30 pm to speak. That was it. I was left to create a program that attendees might be interested in from whole cloth.

Well, I’ve known from previous experience that the eyes of most people in an audience begin to glaze over after twenty minutes – sometimes even after ten – so I needed to create an event that was both interesting and way less than an hour and a half.

I divided the talk into three parts: 1) my work and writing experience, 2) how writing helped me heal, and 3) how I created my book. And I picked out book excerpts, poems from the book, and readers’ comments to read after each section of the talk. That was about forty-five minutes of me talking and reading. I opened it up to audience questions and comments at that point. I also put a list of local resources for people needing mental health and suicide prevention assistance, several copies of my book for purchase, and my bookmarks on the table in the front of the room next to the podium. About thirty chairs set up in three or four semi-circle rows faced me.

By five minutes to seven one chair was occupied – by my husband. But in the next five minutes several more people wondered in until I had a total of ten people in the audience, two of which worked in the library.

I was disappointed that so few attended, yet those who did were there because they had similar stories to tell – something I experience whenever I do a public reading or signing. As soon as I opened the program up to questions and comments, these people’s stories of mental illness and suicide started to pour out.

And though my library talk had low attendance, it wasn’t for the lack of trying. The library folks made a poster and flyer and advertised on their website, the city council, and the local newspapers. I sent out over seventy invites to Manhattan Beach residents through a Facebook event. Perhaps the subjects of bipolar disorder and suicide kept them away.

The best part: my small engaged audience applauded heartily, I sold a couple of books, I created a program I could present anywhere, and even my husband gave me presentation kudos. With that I consider the evening a success.

My writing life in 2012

Writing became a way to live with my son Paul’s bipolar disorder and to survive his suicide as a result. However, I never dreamed it would become my way of life. I still cannot get through the day without writing something. However, in the last few years it has become more than a balm to ease the pain. It has become a joy and a way to meet and interact with some very wonderful writing friends. 

Like writing, I can never have enough Buddhas
(Richard Stock photo)

With that in mind, I thought I write down a few of the highlights of my writing life from 2012, starting with my first publisher’s decision to go out of business. At first I was indeed devastated and then so angry. She closed down with four days warning and cut off our websites even before that. But the devastation and anger were very short lived. I reached out to a few writing friends – especially Keith Alan Hamilton – and got some suggestions about where to query. However, my dear friend and mentor Mark Shelmerdine came through for me yet again. He suggested Mike O’Mary of Dream of Things and within two weeks after I contacted Mike, we had a publishing deal. And I couldn’t be happier with this connection. He produced paperback and eBook editions, began a huge marketing campaign, and scheduled a group of readings and a radio show in Chicago in September. That gave me the opportunity to meet Dina Kucera, another author on the Dream of Things list. Her book Everything I Never Wanted to Be is a sad and funny and heartwarming tour de force.

I also joined a few other Facebook writing groups besides the couple of poetry groups I have been in for the last few years. The National Association of Memoir Writers, Gutsy Indie Publishers, Write Your Life Story, Writing Wranglers, Rabble Writers, to name a few.  Also through Mike’s suggestion that I join Help a Reporter Out (HARO), I got a monthly “paying” writing gig on a site called Aging Bodies and connected with Meryl Hertstein who created Bounce Back Women and is planning an anthology of women who faced adversity and their bounce back stories. Other writing organizations I got involved in this year are Storylane, Story Circle, and She Writes. Too much for sure, but I’m never without some place to submit my words. Speaking of, I also participate in Robert Lee Brewer’s poem a day challenges in April and November and write to his weekly prompts.

Besides I continue to write for Naturally Savvy, PsychAlive, and Open to Hope, Red Room, and my own blog, plus my regular tweets and posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. I wonder what more is in store for me in 2013. The writing opportunities are indeed endless.

I’ve also increased my speaking and signing engagements this year – speaking about my book, writing to heal, and writing tips in general – on NAMW, Google+ hangouts, at a couple of Great Los Angeles Writers Society-sponsored writer’s conferences, and a wonderful evening at my synagogue on a panel about surviving tragedies – plus participating in the GLAWS booth actually selling and signing at the LA Times Festival of Books and the West Hollywood Book Fair.

And still there is always work to do. This writing life is way more than just sitting down to write. It is so easy to see my time gobbled up with marketing activities.

Probably why I keep putting my historical novel back on the shelf. That is not to say that I’ve made no progress. I’ve gotten to over 90,000 words this year. Actually I’m not looking to write many more words but to flesh out what I have – why I’ve signed on to take a workshop in revising my novel in February at UCLA extension – one of my first formal writing activities in the new year.

It’s so easy to be a lonely writer, so going to GLAWS meetings and interacting on hangouts and roundtables, and taking classes is always a way to learn and network. And through these kinds of activities I’ve made some wonderful writing friends this year who have generously hosted me and my book during my three-month blog tour and wrote guests posts on my blog Choices. I cannot thank them enough. Makes me feel I’m not so alone – that we all have the same questions, misgivings, and thoughts about our writing. Now I know whom my go-to people are for sharing and give and take. As with everything else it takes a village to be a successful writer. I look forward to more interactions in the new year.

Thank you again, my writing friends. I appreciate and love you so much.

My WriteGirl poem

There’s still time to buy a poem for as little as $5.00 and support WriteGirl, a creative writing and mentoring organization for teen girls. With only twenty-three days to go in this first campaign, WriteGirl wants to reach a goal of $30,000 to continue to offer writing mentors and creative writing workshops for more than 300 girls next season (October 2012 and June 2014). So far $6,635 has been raised.

For my $5.00 contribution to the WriteGirl Poetry Drive, I received a short poem written by Guadalupe, a 15-year old WriteGirl teen.

ONE OF MANY
 

A blissful feeling of belonging
A passage of time

Forever captured in my mind
Only a few to witness

Not only the ride,
But the love
All forgot

But I remembered

I think it’s lovely and well worth the $5.00 contribution. Don’t you?

If so, I hope you’ll contribute and receive your own poem. Here’s the link again

http://www.indiegogo.com/WriteGirl-POETRY-Drive

You can also find this campaign on Facebook and Twitter. So you have no more excuses.