I am relaunching ASTEROIDS.
Same story – but with a new subtitle; “Bridge to Nowhere” and new cover art.
ASTEROIDS was originally published in April 2019 with the subtitle, “Escape from the Arcadians.” The book garnered good reviews and I invested in several advertising and promotional activities, but sales did not gain any traction.
For example, ads on Goodreads had over 45,000 views but attracted only 5 clicks after four months. Luckily, I paid only for the clicks. The advertisements feature the cover artwork and a few words. It’s unfortunate, but the old cliché; people judge a book by its cover, seems to be true.
The old cover featured a guy on a motorcycle getting chased and the subtitle was, Escape from the Arcadians. This cover told potential readers all they needed to know. A guy gets chased and he escapes. No need to know more.
I felt the cover and subtitle needed to build curiosity and so the reader would want to know more. I decided to use Bridge to Nowhere because the bridge plays a big part in the story. The new cover features a bridge and some asteroids, but doesn’t say anything more.
I tested the new artwork on Goodreads and received 5 clicks in a few days, so it appears this new cover art will get more attention.
Am I doing this just because I want more sale? Yes, of course! I spent five years working on this book. I can’t give up so easily. I know I shouldn’t expect too much from my first effort, but I want to give the book another chance to reach readers.
To me, this is all part of my learning process. I am learning how to write novels and hopefully, how to market them.