The lore book v1 cover was fine. The lore book v2 cover is what the v1 should have been.
What changed
- From “moody tree” to “eight-pointed star.” The v1 cover featured a single Sylvan tree. The v2 cover features all 8 factions arranged around an eight-pointed star — the symbol of the Alliance.
- From charcoal-on-charcoal to gold-on-charcoal. The v1 cover was monochrome. The v2 cover uses gold for the title (the EFER brand color) and charcoal for everything else.
- From “8 chapters” to “60,000 words + EFURC appendix.” The v1 cover promised 8 chapters. The v2 cover promises the full codex + the EFURC TCG appendix.
What stayed
- The 8-faction TOC layout on the back cover
- The “Eternal Fusion” wordmark in custom display font
- The 6×9 trim size (perfect for paperback + Kindle conversion)
What is new
- The eight-pointed star (new visual identity for the v2 era)
- The EFURC TCG appendix callout on the back cover
- A free-chapter preview inserted at the front (the first 10 pages are Chapter 1)
What we learned
- Covers sell books. A book with a great cover and a mediocre interior will outperform a mediocre cover and a great interior.
- The v1 cover was too narrow. It only signaled to Sylvan-faction buyers. The v2 cover signals to all 8 factions.
- Show, don’t tell. The v2 cover uses icons (8 faction symbols) instead of text. Icons read faster than text on a thumbnail.
What this means for the launch
Lore book v2 ships Nov 17 with the new cover. Free upgrade for v1 buyers. $9.99 for new buyers. Expected first-month sales: 200-400 copies ($2,000-4,000).
Pre-order lore book v2 — $9.99.
