In my last post, I indicated I had “de-sexed” SAX CLUB and released a  Second Edition of the first book on the Detroit mafia in the 1970s and 80s.  I’m sure you shook your head.  “Geez, Cochran hasn’t even released the second book in the series and he’s already putting out a Second Edition of the first one.” 

Good Point

Frankly, you’ve made a good point.  What author would be willing to re-write a book within the first year of publication? 

Answer: I would, because I listen and  learn from my readers.  Remember – – I used to be a university president; I’m still honing my fiction writing skills.

Inner Voice

When you really listen; you hear what’s being said.  It’s the same when you listen to yourself, and hear your inner voice.  It may be a second thought, a nagging question, a brainwave.  Regardless of the form, it shouldn’t be ignored.

Just as I listened to my readers, I needed to listen to myself—my inner voice was saying, “it’s the SAX CLUB cover, it’s not right.”

Series Sequence Indentification

I looked at the cover again.  I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something was missing.  I talked to Lin—she’s very intuitive about the perceptions of my readers. I held the book in front of her and asked, “What’s not there?  What is missing?”

She responded quickly, “It doesn’t mention it’s the first book in the series.”

“Good point… and there’s also something that bugs me about the term ‘Thorn Birds of Detroit’ and our choice of the words ‘Confront Mafia.’

 So, it was back to drawing board, even though we had spent hours working on the cover before the original release. 

Dealing with the series question, I reviewed the top twenty-five best-selling novels written as a series. I learned books in a series didn’t need to be listed as Book #1, Book #2, and #3.  Often a word out of the story is used, like Endeavor #1, Endeavor #2, in a space series.

“Bingo, I could use the word ‘Mafia,’ but Mafia what?”  I thought to myself, I really enjoy the research, but it’s a lot of work.  I paused, “Work,” that’s it.  I’ll use Mafia Works #1, Mafia Works #2, #3, #4 to sequence the series.

Tweaking the Cover

Having solved that question, I moved onto the subtitle Thorn Birds of Detroit Confront Mafia. That had always bothered me, who knows why?  Maybe it sounded too uppity, I don’t know. 

“Why not Detroit Thorn Birds?” I said to Lin “That’s what they are, regular people fighting an uphill battle.” 

That left Confront. Before settling on it originally we had searched a Thesaurus countless times—each time confront was chosen by default—but still, it had no pizzazz.

Agreeing confront was out, it was back to the Thesaurus and another list of possible words. Finally, we selected the word “defy.” It is short, sharp, and to-the-point.

Rewritten and Re-titled

Long story short, I heard what reviewers had to say and I heard my inner voice speaking.  So, changes were made on both the inside and outside of SAX CLUB before I released the Second Edition.  The first book in the series is now re-written and re-titled.  I hope these changes appeal to my readers/reviewers and attract new Friends and Fans. 

Cheers to Readers Everywhere!

 Amazon connection

Coming: More About Mafia Works #2

The second book in the series, BLIND PIG, will be released in early 2018.  I’ll share more information in a future post