It turns out that the printer found a color problem in the other designer's cover. And instead of having it fixed, the folks at Ten Speed Press opted to use Bill's cover. Possibly for technical reasons, but none were ever expressed to me. And possibly because conviction and persistence had weakened the confidence they had in their cover design. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.
Nothing is more persuasive than absolute conviction.
And nothing takes the place of persistence. Nothing takes the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not.