Stop Asking Readers for Opinions

If you’re an author who has recently asked readers to vote on your book title, cover design, or brand name, I want to offer a contrarian thought:

That feedback may feel helpful—but it could be quietly sabotaging your book and your long-term career.

I see this constantly. First-time writers and indecisive authors put polls on Facebook. They ask friends to vote between multiple cover options. Some even pay “opinion voting” websites to crowdsource decisions that will shape their entire publishing future.

The problem isn’t that readers have opinions. The problem is what authors are asking them to decide.

Appeal vs. Strategy

Most reader feedback tests for appeal:

• Does this title sound interesting?
• Do you like this cover?
• Which option would you click?

Those are reasonable reactions—but they’re product-level reactions. What authors are often deciding, however, is strategy:

• How this book fits into a long-term body of work
• Whether it builds brand recognition
• Whether future books reinforce, or reduce, their platform
• Whether the book is positioned to sell once—or sell as a franchise

Appeal and strategy are not the same decision. And optimizing for one can work directly against the other.

Why Reader Polls Feel So Convincing

Here’s why polling readers is so seductive: You almost always get positive feedback.

People like voting. They like being asked. And when you show them two decent options, they’ll happily choose one. That doesn’t mean the choice is strategically sound—it just means it was pleasant to react to. This is how authors end up with:

• Clever standalone titles that don’t connect to anything else
• Covers that “everyone liked” but no one remembers
• Launch campaigns that reset with every book instead of compounding

Nothing is technically wrong. But nothing builds.

A Simple Analogy

Diners can have opinions about the menu. But, they should not design the restaurant. Patients can have opinions about bedside manner. But, they should not tell the doctor how to set up a medical practice.

In the same way, readers can help you refine then tone, clarity, and emotional resonance of a book. But, they are ill-equipped to help you design a publishing brand, a product system, or a long-term sales strategy.

That’s not an insult to readers. It’s just role clarity.

Where Feedback Is Useful (and Where It’s Dangerous)

Feedback is helpful when:

• You’re testing language clarity.
• You’re checking if a promise is understandable.
• You’re refining emotional tone.
• You’re validating whether something feels confusing or compelling.

Feedback becomes dangerous when:

• You ask readers to choose your book title.
• You let votes determine your cover design.
• You crowdsource brand names.

In essence, you’re outsourcing foundational decisions to people with no stake in the outcome.

At that point, it’s no longer research—it’s abdication.

The Hard Truth

If a casual reader could tell you how to create a successful book or build a writing career, they’d already have one on their own.

Enduring book franchises aren’t built by polling strangers. They’re built by clear positioning, repetition, and strategic decisiveness—often guided by people who understand markets, buying trends, and long-term growth.

If you’re unsure how to title your next book, design a cover, or build an author brand, the answer is rarely “ask more people for opinions.” More often, it’s “ask better questions—and get professional guidance.”

Because your book isn’t just a book. It’s an asset.

And assets deserve strategy, not applause.

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Tired of talking with amateurs about launching a book, building a professional brand, or creating a successful writing career?

I provide expert-level strategy based on real-world results in my Strategic Bestseller Advisory and Book Marketing Master Class.