Designing a book cover about a subject like postpartum depression can be tricky. You want to convey the seriousness of the disorder while also inviting readers to open the book.

One author used PickFu to create a round-robin tournament with three head-to-head matches to choose the perfect cover for her book about coping with postpartum depression. She tested exclusively from a female audience.

Option A’s cover is in black and white with an image of a woman in the middle. But instead of the woman’s upper body and head, you see a cloud of gray.

Option B’s cover, a soft purple, takes a slightly lighter approach: it features an upside-down pacifier in the center.

Option C resembles the cover of a young adult novel with large font reminiscent of handwriting.

Can you guess which one won?

The best memoirs aren’t vague self-help style books—they’re pieces of literature that take the reader into the memoirist’s unique experience. Memoir titles should reflect that unique experience.

One author created a PickFu poll that asked respondents which title would compel them to purchase the book. The two options had the same memoir title (Dream Take Flight) but a different subtitle.

Option A reads, “Dream Take Flight: One Woman’s Odyssey in a Homebuilt Airplane.”
Option B reads, “Dream Take Flight: One Woman’s Unconventional Journey to Self-Empowerment.”

Can you guess which one won?

Even though we’ve all heard the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover,” that’s exactly what most of us do. That first glance decides whether or not we pick up the book and peek inside. So it’s crucial that authors choose book covers that convince readers to do just that!

This principle applies to both physical books and ebooks. When nonfiction author Greg Cayea wrote a book to sell on Amazon, and he used a PickFu poll aimed at nonfiction readers to figure out which cover won them over.

Option A shows a traveler walking along a path that winds through a bright orange background. Option B shows the same traveler at the edge of a blue-sea beach.

Can you guess which one won?