Would like reader input on some cover concepts I am being shown as we approach the end of the book edit cycle and move into the design phase.
Do you like the one on top or bottom? Below is the context for the US wagon trail, westward expansion metaphor.
Thanks for your input.
"Welcome to the third volume of the continually unfolding saga at the world’s largest application software company. When I wrote the first volume of SAP Nation, five years ago, SAP looked vulnerable. Besides runaway costs and massive project failures at some customers, SAP appeared preoccupied with its HANA database and almost bored with enterprise applications. Much more concerning, a wide range of competitors was circling around. Indeed, right after S/4HANA was launched in early 2015, co-founder Hasso Plattner was quoted as saying, "If this doesn't work, we're dead. Flat-out dead. It's that simple.”
As this book will show, Dr. Plattner's worst worries have not materialized. S/4 has not been a runaway success but SAP's competition has not exactly gone for the jugular either. SAP's product portfolio and customer base has grown significantly and the stage is set for the next few phases.
The setting today is similar to that when the young nation of the United States acquired Louisiana from France in 1803. Real estate area instantly doubled, but the population was still mostly concentrated along and around the Atlantic Coast. SAP's product real estate has similarly grown, but the majority of its over 400,000 customers are clinging to their previous "homes." Migrating this customer base is SAP's first big opportunity.
In addition, even bigger opportunities await. The U.S., energized by a Manifest Destiny call, expanded all the way to the Pacific Ocean. SAP has missed out on many markets in the last two decades. With its own version of a Manifest Destiny call, it can dream much bigger. New vistas await from sea to shining sea across the continent of enterprise computing."
Update: I am glad I asked for feedback. Couple of you suggested I continue with the design of the previous 2 books in this series. There is something soothing about continuity, and the neutral tone does not distract from the words on the cover. So, I have another choice to consider.
