Can you change the name of your book after it's published?

Sometimes I hear from authors after the book is published that they’re unhappy with the title or jacket. They might think it's affecting sales and want Pearson to change one or both of these things. This is always saddening to hear. I think, very often, if a book isn't performing as expected, then the packaging is an easy thing to criticise but although we could do this, we rarely do it soon after publication for several reasons.

At Pearson, the title and the book cover are Pearson's responsibility. Our job is to publish books that people want, that will sell, and so we have a lot of thoughts and expertise on packaging. We also have close relationships with retailers, and data available, that informs packaging decisions. Although we try to explain our thinking to get authors on board, sometimes they’re not completely satisfied and see poor sales as attributable to the title or jacket. To add a bit of positivity here, some authors who didn’t like the title or jacket have come around to it later on and said it was the right decision.

New editions and rejackets are the best time to tweak the packaging

If we were to change the title or book cover, it's best to do this when doing a new edition usually a few years later. I support a new cover design to showcase a new edition, and some number crunching I did some years ago showed that new editions sporting the same colour seemed to be more successful but I'd like to check this again.

I’m less keen on changing the title completely. That’s not to say we don’t ever do it. Sometimes we tweak titles or tweak subtitles, but I do think there’s some benefit to maintaining the history of a book.

I also question what is the purpose of retitling a new edition to the point where any connection is not clear from the title alone. It’s a bit like launching a whole new book as you’ve lost the history so why not just write a new book?

Sometimes we even do a “rejacket”, which is the same book and title but with a new cover design. This is the softest kind of “new edition” but it’s only something we would do to relaunch a book after a few years.

Changing the title could lead to confusion

While it would be amazing to publish two versions of the same book with different titles and different jackets as some sort of A/B testing, I’m not sure how well it would work. How would the publisher promote both books without confusion? How would the author do the same? And even if a new version was published 6-12 months later, I think it would cause the same confusion. Do we explain we've repackaged? What if sales reps question why this book seems so similar? How does the author push the book to their networks so soon, and afresh?

As well as not wanting to confuse the market, there’s also the cost. A new title and jacket would mean a new cover design, pulping the old stock, printing new stock, plus new marketing and promotional materials. Plus at Pearson, the time of me and my colleagues to commission and promote the new book.

Some questions to consider if you're facing these issues:

• Why do you think the title or jacket is to blame?
• How might a new title or jacket fix the problem?
• How would you deal with this as an author when promoting the book?
• Is there another way to fix the "problem"? Can you address the marketing copy?
• Does this need to happen right now? Maybe you’ll get the opportunity to do a new edition and “fix” these problems, or maybe it would be better to write a new book.

Finally, we always want the best for the book at Pearson. We want it to be a success and to sell well, but it’s not guaranteed. Sometimes, regrettably, books don't work and while those visible factors might be the first thing to question, it could be for all kinds of reasons.

The Pearson Business Book Club

The Pearson Business Book Club is open to all who would like to learn more about our business books or a particular topic, and the webinars are free to attend. You can also view the on-demand videos of previous sessions on the Book Club website.

Our Business Book of the Month for August is Bulletproof by Chantal Burns - State of Mind is Everyone’s Business . Her webinar is on The 7 resilience myths that stop us living a fearless and fulfilling life. Join us on Tuesday 24 September 2024, at 2 pm?(UK time) and register at https://www.pearson.com/en-gb/higher-education/students/careers/book-club.html , and let me know if you have any questions in advance.

Bulletproof will show you why you don’t need to build resilience or manage your emotions. What if it's much simpler than that? Through a mix of powerful research, practical insights, relatable stories and illustrations, you will gain some radically new perspectives on some age-old problems. This book will remove mental noise and insecurities and simplify your life. Ready to dive in?

Just Published

Be Your Own Financial Adviser: Manage your money successfully through good times and bad by Jonquil Lowe (FT Publishing, 2024) - The essential guide to making better financial decisions.

Navigating the financial industry isn't easy. While there are no shortage of commercials, advertisements, mail, email and marketing calls to entice you to take out loans, buy insurance and invest your money, choosing which of these products is right for you can be difficult. Sound financial planning requires a systematic strategy.

This book will empower you to take control of your finances, help you to make well-informed, confident decisions to achieve your financial goals and avoid pitfalls, and equip you with the strategy and tools you need to do so.

Through Be Your Own Financial Adviser's practical guidance, examples and case studies, you'll learn how to:

• Develop the skills of financial planning and wealth management, similar to those used by financial advisers
• Maximise your chances of achieving financial security
• Weather times of economic hardship
• Spot and avoid financial scams

This edition adds new content on financial planning during turbulent times, open banking and cryptocurrencies, as well as a new chapter on avoiding scams.

"Be Your Own Financial Adviser serves as a beacon for those seeking to demystify the financial planning process and undertake a more informed and autonomous role in their financial affairs. It's a brilliant contribution to the collective effort of fostering a more inclusive, transparent, and empowering financial planning culture." Steve Conley, Founder & Chief Executive at The Academy of Life Planning Ltd

"Be Your Own Financial Adviser is exactly what I’ve been advising my Personal Finance students, and also the financial regulator for years. This is a fantastic book that I cannot more highly recommend." Professor Nirmala Lee, Head of Subject, London Metropolitan University

Jonquil Lowe is an economist and Senior Lecturer in Economics and Personal Finance at The Open University, where she combines creating courses about personal finance, researching key issues such as access to financial services and the impact of macroeconomics changes on financial planning, and working as a consumer advocate on various industry bodies.

What am I reading?

A huge thumbs up for The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life by David Robson. It's all about how a positive mindset is the difference to everything in life. Full of fascinating and incredible research.

Finally

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for future newsletters? Did I strike a chord with anything in this newsletter? Is there a business book you've enjoyed recently that you'd recommend? Add a comment or email me at [email protected] .