Against my better judgment, I listened to general "marketing" sentiment. I was wrong. The cover for my new novella, Clouds of the Heart, clearly pandered to a different crowd.
Under “readers also looked at...” the books that came up had muscles bulging, bosoms heaving, bodies thrashing...you get the idea. Those readers would have clearly been disappointed with my protagonist’s journey (and probably impatient with my writing style). So, I unpublished Clouds.
Thank goodness for honest friends. The book will be slightly revamped (to deepen its mystery), and republished in June under its new title Shadow Sanctuary, with a new cover; no heaving. Granted, both may appear esoteric to the casual reader, and I won’t get rich. But I will be a lot happier to have my name associated with it.
The cover depicts the Edelgriess Peak in the Dachstein region, second highest in the Austrian Alps (2,995m—9,826ft). This typical trail way-station was photographed by the author’s father in the 1950s. Back then, people hiked from peak to peak on foot, often taking a whole week. These days, everyone can enjoy the breathtaking panoramas comfortably from gondolas and ski lifts.
I feel that my decision “not to pander” is the right one.
All I can hope for is that my readers will agree.
All I can hope for is that my readers will agree.
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