As a new author, I was extremely nervous about the editing process, having others see my work and the specifics of getting to publishing my first book. This week…a huge milestone arrived, one where I received my cover.
I have some friends that write, but very few write in my genre or category. I was unsure about my cover, and I wanted to get some feedback. My initial thought about my cover was that I liked it, but I wasn’t sure it was what I was going for. As part of my Facebook Author group, I joined a group called Writers Helping Writers. I shared my cover and got a wave of responses. Most were positive but the answers I received, from vastly more accomplished authors, were diverse and interesting.
Many loved my cover and my title. There were recommendations for small changes here and there, but nothing drastic. That was until about six hours after I first posted. The first comment came in about my title: Immaculate Conception. From there, it turned into a religious discussion, and it went in a direction that I never intended. (I know…with social media, I shouldn’t be surprised.)
I choose this title because it fits my book and I thought it would pique some interest. I asked the company that created my cover to work with other top Medical Thriller books that I had seen. I picked a few things that I thought would work out and I did a lot of research. I had no idea that it would become as controversial and even contentious as it did. I understand that social media allows for an increase in contention, but this was surprising. My title really offended some people because of its religious background. My cover then emphasized that the book was either about pregnancy, abortion, or religious oppression.
This was not my intention at all. Some said that they wouldn’t read the book because of the title alone…again, not my intention.
The cover, even without the title became a problem as well. Some thought it was not right for the genre Medical Thriller. It was more of a self help book about pregnancy, a non-fiction book about pregnancy, and much more. I understood that this would be the case without the “back-of-the-book blurb”. Several people indicated that they weren’t offended by the cover or the title but reluctantly agreed that because of the negative comments, both the title and the cover should be changed. After careful consideration, I acknowledged the need for a change. I immediately contacted MiBlart, who has been wonderful to work with, and they began the cover change.
I will post below the old cover and in the next few weeks – I hope to provide the updated cover.
Feel free to comment and Thanks!!!
