When you’ve narrowed a book cover down to two nearly identical designs, how do you choose the final version? In the case of this author’s PickFu poll, small details made all the difference.

For a book titled Painful: One doctor’s fight against the Opioid Epidemic and Big Pharma, the author asked an audience of mystery and crime readers the question, “Which book cover is more appealing?”

Both covers feature an image of a pill bottle. In Option A, the bottle is on its side and the pills are spilling out. In Option B, the bottle is upright, with the pills gathered neatly around.

Can you guess which one won?

In the oversaturated market of fitness books, one of the best ways to choose a book cover that will stand out is to split test your choices with a highly specific audience.

That’s what one author recently did on PickFu with three potential book designs. The author asked a target audience of people who take nutritional health supplements daily and who read self-help books, “Which book would you pick up in a store?”

The books have the same title and subtitle: 50 Fitness Tips You Wish You Knew: The Ultimate Collection of Tips, Tricks, and Hacks to Transform Your Mind, Body, and Life.

But the covers are wildly different.

OK, boomer. You’ve written a memoir with valuable advice for younger generations. How do you know your book title will make them want to read it?

That’s the question this author took to PickFu in a split test of two potential titles. The author asked a target audience of women between the ages of 18 and 34, “Which book title would you rather read and why?”

The titles were: Advice from the Bottom of a Boomer’s Heart and Back Away from the Cookies: And Other Advice to My Younger Self.

Can you guess which one won?

Sometimes the hardest thing about writing a book is coming up with the title. The wrong one can drive readers away, while the right one can bring them running.

So how do you decide?

One author recently took two titles for a medical/legal thriller to PickFu’s pool of fiction readers for help: UNETHICAL (Option A) and Josephine’s Father & The Institute (Option B).

Can you guess which one won?

A self-help book cover should hint at the message tucked within its pages.

A book about relationships might show a couple on the cover, for example. But what about a motivational book about cleaning up life’s messes? How messy should the cover look?

One author took to PickFu to answer this question by testing two covers for a book titled, From Mess to Master: 9 Steps to Overcome Failure, Crush Fear and Defy Your Limits With Inspiring Stories of Successful People.

Some of the most memorable book titles are one word long. Holes. Americanah. Atonement. Beloved. It. But how do you know if your idea for a one-word book title is enough? Test titles of varying lengths on an audience of PickFu respondents, as this author recently did.

The author presented these three titles along with the question, “Which book title is better?”:

• Insignificance (Option A)
• One of Us is Buried (Option B)
• The Factory Above the Jail (Option C)

Can you guess which one won?

If you’ve written a book on a highly specific subject, how do you choose the best cover? Narrowly define your target audience in a PickFu poll.

That’s what one author did for his book about collecting and selling art titled, Own a Fraction, Earn a Fortune: The Complete Guide to Co-Investing in Art and Collectibles.

He selected a target audience of 100 respondents who likely have the means to buy and sell collectible art. These were people between the ages of 25-64 who have a bachelor’s or graduate degree and earn between $61,000-$101,000+.

He posted nearly identical versions of the covers and asked, “Which book cover is better?”