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?

If you’re a parent who also works, you know how hard it is just to survive some days. So when a book comes along promising to help you navigate a career, kids, and holding onto your self-love in the process, you’ll want to buy it. But which book cover designs will attract your attention the most?

One author created a PickFu poll with a special target audience — parents of 1, 2, or 3 children — to find out.

While both book cover designs feature the same photo, the layout is different. Option A has small orange lettering above the unframed photo and more orange lettering below. Option B chooses a bolder all-caps font, frames the picture in yellow, and adds a background to the author’s name and credentials.

Can you guess which one won?

If you’ve written a book with an unusual subject, what book cover design ideas go best with it? An ordinary, traditional cover to offset the uniqueness of your content? Or a cover that hints at the surprising revelations readers will discover inside?

Author Mika Terry ran a ranked poll on PickFu to find out which book cover design ideas were most appealing. Out of eight potential covers, poll respondents chose their top three.

Option A shows a silhouetted bob haircut with the title and subtitle in a playful font.

Option B changes the colors and adds a snake to the bob. The font is thicker and looks more serious.

Option C is completely different from Options A and B, with a quirky yellow border boxing in a purple Medusa.

Can you guess which one won?

You might think you remember what it’s like to be a kid, but when it comes to creating a book cover that appeals to children, you probably shouldn’t depend on your memory. Kids change, tastes change, and you want to stay on edge of what’s eye-catching in the book world.

That’s why one author used a PickFu poll to test book covers for a children’s book. The poll asked its respondents—parents of 1, 2, or 3 children—to decide which one they liked best.

Option A shows a blue background, two girls looking around them, and playful title font.

Option B adds a yellow border and palm fronds, and adjusts the font to something more serious—but still kid-friendly.

Can you guess which one won?

When looking for a new book to read, the first thing a potential reader will notice is the book title. That split second can make the difference between a reader looking further at the book or continuing to browse. So how to choose a book title that’s catchy and interesting? Test your title ideas on PickFu.

In this book title test, an author presented two different book titles and asked 50 respondents which they liked better.

Option A was The Unexpected Picasso, and Option B was Ndugu: The Portrait Painter Who Couldn’t Paint.

Can you guess which book title won?

When readers pick up a book about the end of the world, do they want the cover to hint at the ending? Or is that too much information, taking away the thrill of discovery? The best way to know: testing book covers.

One author used PickFu to create a book cover test for a post-apocalyptic thriller.

Option A shows a woman and man running away from a burning world, with two people in hazmat suits carrying a stretcher in the background.

Option B does away with the man and woman and brings the two people in hazmat suits to the foreground.

Can you guess which one won?

We hear the phrase “sex sells” tossed around quite often in advertising. But does this apply to selling thriller books as well?

A recent PickFu poll helped give us greater insight into how much sexuality to include on the cover of a thriller.

The author asked the test panel which cover for a thriller novel they liked best.

Option A shows a page with different images separated by paper rips. The most eye-catching image is one of a woman lying on a bed, looking at the camera.

Option B shows a semi-transparent silhouette of a woman, whose back is to the camera as she looks out at a beach.

Can you guess which one won?

Readers tend to have certain expectations of what a book cover should look like for a particular genre, whether it be a couple on a romance novel, blood on a murder mystery book, dragons on fantasy fiction, etc. People look for elemental clues on the cover to determine which type of book it is and whether they want to read it.

But what if a novel spans multiple genres? How can the cover capture the interest of readers of each genre?

One author created a PickFu poll to see how a target audience would react to two different covers for a fantasy fiction novel about time travel that also includes an element of romance.

One small decision you make on your book cover can send a different message to your intended audience. One PickFu pollster was surprised when testing two different book covers.

He tested two covers for the book The Last Lessons of Christ.

Option A featured a dark red image of the back of Christ against a white and grey-toned background.

Option B showed Christ in a yellow-ombre color against a similar but brighter white and grey background.

Can you guess which one won?

Designing a mystery cover can be tricky. You want to capture the mystery of your book without giving the reader too much information.

In other words, you want a mystery book to appear… mysterious.

The problem is, if you make a cover too mysterious, you can stump readers. With few clues on what a book is about, an individual can have little enthusiasm to buy the book.

We observed this phenomenon in a recent PickFu poll. A novelist asked the panel which book cover they preferred and provided two different options.