Thoughts on Noble Romance Publishing and a new cover for Know Thine Enemy

For those of you who are unaware, one of my publishers, Noble Romance Publishing, has recently undergone a rather large staffing change. The former acting CEO and oftentimes self-titled owner, Jill Noble, abruptly left the business, resulting in one hell of a clusterfuck. Many of Noble authors have blogged about this extensively with their perspective, and many of those many are upset, both with the way things were handled prior to Jill's departure and the way new management has handled the upheaval. I've been rather reserved in voicing my opinion, but I did have some things I wanted done, specifically regarding my novel, Know Thine Enemy. I asked the new CEO if I could provide a new cover that better fit the story, if I could go through it and correct the few typos I've found, and what measures were being taken to put the book in print. The new CEO was very flexible on all these points. I contacted For The Muse Design on the recommendation of my good friend and crit partner, Sarah Ballance, and Elaina Lee was kind enough to build a new cover.

My desire for a new cover has nothing to do with Fiona Jayde, the artist of the old cover. Honestly, the whole process behind getting Know Thine Enemy published was a trying one for me. I was very frustrated by the end of it for any number of reasons, both from the artwork, editing, and my correspondence with Jill. Know Thine Enemy was and remains a project very close to me, and the need to get it right, even almost a year later, has never left me. The cover I had was a perfectly good cover -- it was -- but for a different book. The new cover, in my opinion, perfectly represents the tone and theme of the book. I am so incredibly pleased with it, and completely 100% in love with Elaina as a result.

The cover has been approved by the Noble CEO. It will likely be a little while longer before it is changed in all its formats as we need to get the Noble banner and so forth uploaded, but this is the cover I will associate with the book from here on.

All this to say, for all the issues I had with Noble before Jill's departure, I am impressed with the new CEO's willingness to work with me. I know I hold an unpopular opinion among many Noble authors, but my personal concerns are being addressed, and I can't pretend the issues I had were one-sided. I am not faultless in my business decisions. I read and signed the contracts,  okayed the cover art, and so forth. I also signed Know Thine Enemy with Noble after already being frustrated with the way my two short stories were handled. That's on me, and the new management is working to correct this insofar as where I am concerned. As for the other things I wanted regarding Know Thine Enemy -- fixed typos and print -- I will keep working toward that objective, and keep you all posted.

Edited to add: The concerns of my fellow Noble Romance authors vary, and each has his/her reasons for drawing against the publisher, remaining loyal, or trying to make the best out of the situation. I understand and respect the reasons beyond each of these decisions, and also understand my opinion of the new management is subject to my experience alone.