Be careful what you name your book. Bad self-help book titles can be a real turn-off for potential readers. You’ve got to get your title just right.
One author recently discovered this lesson while testing titles for a self-help book on PickFu. This author wisely asked 100 people who read at least one book a month for votes and opinions on these three potential titles.
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Will your book cover attract your intended audience? It’s hard to know if you don’t test it first.
A recent PickFu poll perfectly illustrates this point. In this poll, an author of mystery books asked 50 women, ‘Which book cover is more appealing?”
Take a look at the two mystery book covers.
Option A features a woman standing in a sexy,
You’ve done your research. For hours, you and your team have brainstormed a product idea and you’re pretty sure it fulfills an existing pain point in your customers. You’re so excited to share your new product with the world that you just want to rush it out and start selling it.
Don’t do it.
Here’s why: 95% of the time, new product launches crash to the ground or fail to ever take off.
How can you keep yours from becoming one of them? The answer is simple but powerful: by implementing the ever-important step of concept testing.
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Congratulations, you’ve created a coloring book. But what’s the best cover art to showcase the coloring book inside?
While it’s tempting to think that you can slap bright colors and fun pictures on a book for kids and call it good, kids are discerning customers. They either like things or they really, really don’t.
So if you’re creating coloring book cover art, you’d better make sure it passes the kid test.
One coloring book author recently took four covers to PickFu, asking a group of 50 moms, “Which book cover is catchier? Which one stands out more and makes you want to buy it?”
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It’s hard to believe that writers used to pen entire novels by hand. It makes sense that some revered works of literature are extremely long and wordy, because they didn’t have a digital word processor to help them cut, shape, and perfect their books. Word processors like Microsoft Word have made books leaner, cleaner, and more powerful than ever before. But if you need help knowing how to write a book in Word, you’re not alone.
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Lately, self-help books with swear words have become their own genre. Some people love a good expletive. Others find them vulgar and unfit for genteel society.
But let’s admit it: we’ve probably all cursed before. Do we want to see swear words in book titles, though?
One PickFu
Option A reads, “Fuck Diets. Discover the 4 Ridiculously Simple Habits to Effectively Stop Your Body From Storing Fat and Look Fabulous.”
Option B says, “You Look Fabulous! Discover The New 4-Habit Secret To Painlessly Get The Body Of Your Dreams Even When You’re Over Diets.”
Can you guess which one won?
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Some authors have a love-hate relationship with book descriptions — especially those that appear on jacket covers. On the one hand, what if they give too much away? But on the other, what if they don’t provide enough information to tantalize readers? How does an author find the perfect balance?
One PickFu user made this burden easier on herself by testing her two book descriptions in a recent PickFu poll. Since the book is aimed for a female audience, she asked an audience of 50 women, “Which book description is more appealing?”
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Even if you’re not much of a dog person, you pretty much can’t resist smiling when you see a puppy. Just try to glare at one. I dare you.
(It’s impossible.)
But if you are a dog person and you’ve just brought home a cuddly new ball of fur, exactly what version of puppy sweetness do you love the most?
One author recently took to PickFu to ask 50 Amazon Prime members their opinion of three dog book covers about keeping puppies happy and healthy in their first year of life.
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There’s nothing like walking through the Romance section of your local bookstore. Bared abs and breathy-looking women abound. If you’re brave enough to pluck a book from the shelf, you spend the entire time at the cashier’s desk hoping no one judges your reading choices.
But what if nudity isn’t the only thing that can sell a romance novel? One publisher tested this question in a recent PickFu poll. She posted two romance book cover ideas and asked an all-female audience, “Which book cover do you like better?”
Option A shows a fully dressed man in a suit. A stubbled chin turns to the side; the top buttons of his shirt are open.
In Option B, we get standard Romance-cover fare: a full set of ripply abs and pecs.
Can you guess which one won?
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When pet owners pick out accessories for their furry friends, they tend to be picky. It makes sense; a dog or cat takes up a lot of space in your home and life, and you want their bed, toys, and dishes to look decent among the general décor. This also creates an opportunity for online sellers. The most effective way to know what the best cat products to sell are is to ask cat owners.
One e-commerce seller of scratching beds for cats took three different versions of it to PickFu. By asking 50 cat owners which product they like best, the seller can purchase inventory with confidence that the choice will be popular.
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