Recently Level 2 was announced that it was getting a new cover and a new name for the paperback release.
I don't remember who I was talking to about this, but somebody was complaining that it was unnecessary and silly; that it was the publishing house admitting that they've messed up.
That's exactly what they're doing. And that's okay.
I've spoken out against some cover changes in the past - they don't suit the book, which just annoys me, or they change the type of cover mid-series, which is just annoying - but I'm not against them as a whole. I've even called for them when it comes to whitewashing characters. (I'm sure nobody has forgotten my numerous posts on The Immortal Rules cover.)
I will give Simon & Schuster this -- they handled this cover change perfectly. They came out and admitted why they were changing it, and then they gave it a cover that could match the original cover without being the same. The new cover is more elegant, but the photo is actually from the same photoshoot.
I love both covers, and I like both names.
Changing covers IS helpful to getting attention drawn to the book, and that's an important thing. If the cover didn't do it the first time, they do get a second chance. (That's another reason I don't like changing mid-series; it's not going to draw people to the first book, which is what they need to do!) But changing for paperbacks, and still making it beautiful and story relevant, is a good thing. It means more people will be drawn to the book.
And if they're drawn to it, they'll read it.
And I always want more readers.
What do you guys think of the new Level 2 - er, The Memory of After cover?