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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Option B does away with the man and woman and brings the two people in hazmat suits to the foreground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"testing-book-covers\"](\"https:\/\/www.pickfu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/test-book-cover.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/li>![\"testing-book-cover\"](\"https:\/\/www.pickfu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/test-book-covers.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nCan you guess which one won? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nAnd the winner is\u2026 Option A! In this book cover test, Option A won with a score of 58 to Option B\u2019s 42. Males respondents tended to like Option B more, while females preferred Option A. <\/p>\n\n\n
The presence of human faces is hopeful<\/strong>
<\/h2>\n\n\nWhile some respondents thought Option A\u2019s running people were too generic, many liked seeing actively escaping characters featured on the cover. One respondent wrote that the winning cover offers the reader \u201chope that one can [outrun] an outbreak.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnother added that Option B makes it look \u201clike the outcome is negative.\u201d Several respondents expressed the same sentiment: that without the people on the cover, it seems the book is over before it begins.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen testing book covers, even for apocalyptic tales, remember that readers like to know there\u2019s still a problem to solve. They don\u2019t want to see that the world has already been taken over by disease or invaders. <\/p>\n\n\n
Hazmat suits aren\u2019t relatable<\/strong>
<\/h2>\n\n\nVoters also thought the hazmat suits in Option B put distance between the reader and the story. They said that seeing people on the cover of Option A made them feel they could relate to the characters.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn your own book cover designs, create scenes that invite connection with potential readers\u2014not distance. <\/p>\n\n\n
When testing book covers, keep tension in mind<\/strong>
<\/h2>\n\n\nIn an obvious disaster setting, the absence of protective suits in Option A adds tension to the cover. As one respondent wrote, \u201crunning without protective gear is much more frightening than having a hazmat suit on.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnother respondent said that Option A shows a more layered scene than Option B, with \u201chumans escaping and government\/disease control working to contain or stop it.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\nReaders like to see an element of danger on the cover. Even better if the scene is tense and layered!<\/p>\n\n\n
Key takeaways<\/strong>
<\/h2>\n\n\nIf you\u2019ve written a thrilling post-apocalyptic book, think about how much you want to hint at with your cover without giving the story\u2019s climax away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you move to testing book covers, remember that readers don\u2019t like to feel as though the story is over before it\u2019s begun. The cover in Option B is too final, while Option A offers a scene of danger, thrill, and hope.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe winning cover features characters that are unprotected from the destruction around them, which adds a sense of urgency and action that Option B doesn\u2019t have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ready to figure out which cover to use for your own post-apocalyptic novel? Try split-testing<\/a> by creating your own PickFu poll<\/a>.
<\/p>\n","protected":""},"excerpt":{"rendered":"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 …<\/p>\n","protected":""},"author":"9","featured_media":"1505","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":"","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":"","_editorskit_reading_time":"0","_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":"","_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":["21","15"],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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