The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Two Dogs and a Blonde
Because Two Dogs and a Blonde was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
dhomespot
I think I would have bought this book based on the blurb. Reading the first ten pages just reinforced that decision. This book looks to be professionally edited and the official review made this story stand out.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2017, at 9:39 am by dhomespot.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
MarisaRose
I was initially attracted to this book because of the cover art and the title. As an animal lover, any book about dogs is worth checking out as far as I'm concerned. After reading the blurb for this book, I was also intrigued by the humorous premise. Thus, I would have considered buying this book prior to sampling it for this program. However, after reading the sample, I was quickly put off by the simplistic writing style. The writing is stilted and unnatural, and this distracts from the overall flow of the narrative. Sentences are incredibly basic, like 'she did this,' 'she wears this,' and 'then this happened.' The writing alone prevented me from engaging with the story. I will not be purchasing this book or reading it any further. I did not notice any major grammatical errors in the book; however, there were some stylistic choices that lead me to believe this book wasn't professionally edited.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2017, at 7:44 am by MarisaRose.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cjgarland89
Based on the cover I was basically attracted right away because I love dogs and they can only make stories better. The storyline seemed unique and something you don't see often. However after the first ten I lost a. It of interest because the author has some sporadic writing and it's a little distracting to follow the actual storyline. I don't think I will finish reading this book right now, perhaps later down the road but it's not something I'm interested in now.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2017, at 7:17 am by Cjgarland89.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CarrieMe
The reviews of this book seem positive, but based on the blurb, it seems a little silly to me, so I wouldn't normally read it. The cover also seems like it doesn't quite match up with the book. (It looks more like the cover to a "Marley and Me"-type book than a fun novel.) After reading the sample, I don't plan to buy or read this book. The writing seems professional and appropriate for this genre, though there was sometimes odd spacing after periods. I expected to be entertained by this book (based on the blurb and reviews), but I didn't find the sample very engaging. It also seemed to be a bit objectifying towards women.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2017, at 4:44 am by CarrieMe.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
jungkookblog
From the cover, I think I would be reading this book because it seems like it's a relationship between dogs and people. I will be reading this book because the book is about mystery and there is action and pets in the first ten pages. I think I would enjoy this book very much. It seems professionally edited. I did not see a review, and I don't think that would affect my decision.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2017, at 3:09 am by jungkookblog.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
truebookaddict
Had I not sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I probably would not have chosen to read this book, as I do not normally read comedic thrillers.
I will not buy the book at this time. For the reason I stated previously. Plus, the price is above my eBook spending limit.
The editing seems professional. I did not notice typos or grammatical errors.
A lot happens in the first ten pages. I'm not so sure if I liked how the protagonist jumps around. First he's talking about the park and a mountain lion. Then he switches to his dog, then abruptly starts talking about Jennifer Warren. Then he starts talking about the park again. It all kind of ties together eventually, but it was just a different approach. I do like his sense of humor. When he describes the dog encountering a stray kitten and then hiding in the closet for the afternoon. Funny. People who appreciate humor in their thrillers will like this book.
This book does not have an official OBC review. The lack of such a review did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2017, at 3:05 am by truebookaddict.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would probably have sampled this book without this program. I like thrillers, and a comedic thriller sounded interesting. After reading the first ten pages, I will not be buying this book. There is too much description at the beginning for me. I wanted it to get into the actual story sooner. It did seem to be professionally edited. The fact that there is not an OBC review does affect my decision. I don't usually buy books that do not have an OBC review.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2017, at 12:41 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AA1495
Had I not sampled the book, I would not have read it. I usually read pure romance books. Having read the sample, I found it easy to follow. However, I would have liked a smoother transition between descriptions of different characters or events. I did not come across any major grammatical errors. I did not find any official Onlinebookclub review for the book, but I do not think that the absence of one affected my decision. I will not be purchasing the book today but I might purchase it in the future.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2017, at 10:55 pm by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kdonegan91
Although the cover art is boring, the title certainly sparks my interest. However, the sample did not keep my attention or make want to read more. Also, I am not interested in the storyline that is described on Amazon. I will not be purchasing this book.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2017, at 9:59 pm by Kdonegan91.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Amagine
The title of the book seemed really interesting and drew me to the book. When I started reading a few pages, however, I started to lose interest. The book has a slow start for me and I can't bring myself to be interested in the characters at all. I probably won't be reading any more of this book.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2017, at 9:47 pm by Amagine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gravy
This isn't something I would go looking for, so I would not have tried it without the first ten program.
I did notice a few grammatical errors. The style was strange, the way it seemed to jump around. I found it a bit distracting.
I enjoyed the dogs, Libby especially, and like the cover.
As this isn't my kind of book, I don't plan to read it.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2017, at 7:33 pm by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Heidi M Simone
The dog on the cover is pretty adorable, but the title isn't very appealing to me. Though I do find the concept of a comedy and a thriller rolled in one intriguing, comedy isn't my usual genre of choice. Also, the blurb seems to portray a lot going on, especially I'm not sure what this means: "Joe Porterfield, the Sausage King of Eau Claire, Wisconsin." But, it is promising that the ratings are fairly well. It would have been nice to see what an OBC reviewer would say about this book. Nonetheless, without this program, I would not have sampled this read.
Based on what I read, the book does seem to be professionally edited. The writing, though, is choppy and all over the place, which makes it hard to get into the story. Overall, I am not interested in this read due to its choppiness and do not plan on purchasing the book.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2017, at 4:38 pm by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
L_Therese
A fluffy dog on the cover might grab my attention, but I don't normally gravitate toward plots that focus on assassins. As I read the first ten pages, I wanted to feel captivated by the characters, but I was not as engrossed as I wanted to be. Also, I was confused by the number of Pope John Paul quotes in such a short space. I've opted not to finish the book.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2017, at 12:45 pm by L_Therese.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Momlovesbooks
The title and cover caught my attention. I love dogs. The description of the book claimed it was comedic, which sounded refreshing to me. I read the first few pages but was really surprised when I just couldn't get into the story. I also didn't feel any connection to the characters. Hopefully others will enjoy this one, but I won't be reading it.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2017, at 12:17 pm by Momlovesbooks.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kitkat3
The title is interesting, and the cover is cute. The blurb kind of lets me know what the book is about, but I did have to read it twice, because I missed something the first time. Most reviews were really good, and the book does appear to be professionally edited. There is not an OnlineBookClub review for this, and this makes it hard for me to know if I would enjoy the book. After reading the first ten pages, I feel like this book would probably not interest me.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2017, at 3:16 am by Kitkat3.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Miche Sora
The first few pages ramble and were a bit confusing. I love the Newfoundland on the cover. This story seems farfetched, and in spite of the dogs is not the type of book I like to read.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2017, at 12:55 am by Miche Sora.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ananya92
This is a book in thriller genre, albeit a different kind of thriller. There is an underlying tone of absurdity in this novel. The story begins with Tom who trained twelve assassins by mistake, and now has to stop them from murdering a famous actress, Jennifer. Along the way, there are fights between Tom and Jennifer, and how their respective dogs are involved in the story, add to the humor quotient in the novel. The book seems to be edited properly. As there is no review, there is no way of actually figuring out how interesting the book actually is. Based on the description alone, the book seems decent. From the sample, it is evident that the book is entertaining, however, the book is pretty long. Therefore, I think I'll skip it.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 10:18 pm by ananya92.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
classicaltwist
I wouldn't buy this book based on my first impression of it. I didn't really like the cover, so I would probably pass over it if I was just browsing casually. I think covers and titles are really important on Amazon. When a customer is browsing through a bunch of book titles, that's what's going to catch their attention. Based on the blurb, I don't feel like the cover is a good representation of what the book is about. The blurb says quirky and fun, and the cover says serious and boring. I don't think a photograph is the best choice for the cover. The plot seemed a little too out there for me, which is the big reason why I wouldn't read it. However, I do have friends who love wacky plots like this, and I think they would've totally missed it because the cover just really gives an inaccurate impression.
Reading the sample did not change my mind. I didn't notice any grammar or spelling errors, so it does seem to be professionally edited. However, the writing didn't flow very well. It was a little choppy, which made it hard for me to get really absorbed in the story because I kept noticing it. It does flow better in the places where it's mostly just dialogue, but overall, this book isn't really my cup of tea so I won't be purchasing it. There doesn't seem to be an official OnlineBookClub review, but if there was one, I don't think it would change my mind since I usually don't enjoy books with plots like these and it's also tough for me to enjoy this sort of writing style.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 9:47 pm by classicaltwist.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mollymae
I love the cover of this one. The look on the dog's face is adorable. I also think the title is quite catchy. I read and enjoyed the sample. I think it would be a popular summer read.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 9:41 pm by Mollymae.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
ashley_claire
I had absolutely no idea what this book was about going into it. The Amazon premise had me intrigued because the book just seemed so silly that it grabbed my attention. I was interested to know if such an absurd plot could actually be written well. I did find a couple of mistakes in the first ten pages. The use of "they" when it's supposed to be "the", and "there" instead of "there's". Despite the typos, I really enjoyed the sample. The book vaguely reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, of which I have read many. Honestly this book seems just quirky enough to work and the sample I read left me wanting more.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 8:24 pm by ashley_claire.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
James Craft
The dog on the cover of this one looks super cute and the book sounds really different from a lot of other things that have been featured recently. A funny book is a good change of pace, and the opening was really well put together. It doesn't have an OBC review and is kind of sparse on Amazon but it seems like a good read and lot of people would enjoy it. I won't be buying a copy today, though.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 8:07 pm by James Craft.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
From the cover, blurb, and description, I probably would not have picked up this book. Although it sounds interesting, I likely wouldn't have been enough to attract my attention. After reading the first ten pages, I did not change my mind. I really did like how the characters were built in the first chapter as well as the action that brought that first chapter to a close. That being said, the writing and the story weren't attractive enough to bump my current TBR list items off their spot. If I get to read this book it will not be for a while yet. It does, however, look well written and edited. The lack of an official OBC review did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 7:57 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
EMoffat
Had I not read the sample pages, I would not have read this book. I found the cover a little cheesy, and while the reviews are good I didn't find the blurb that appealing. However, reading the sample pages completly changed my mind. They were witty and left me wanting to know how the story progresses. The book seemed profressionally edited and I found no grammatical errors. My favourite part was the fast pace and humerous writing style. My only suggestion for improvement would be to make the blurb more exciting as it is the first part people will read. There was no Official OnlineBookClub review, maybe this would have helped with my first impression.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 7:47 pm by EMoffat.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
micoleon13
I immediately loved the cover of this book. Even though there's no Onlinebookclub review I enjoy mystery and crime fiction; add a dog to the mix and I'm definitely going to be interested. The writing style is easy to read with no apparent editorial mistakes. The story starts with a bang with the main character getting shot, which immediately begs the question as to why the men were after actress in the first place. I can think of no ways of improvement and I would definitely like to continue reading this book.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 4:23 pm by micoleon13.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Azeline Arcenal
Since the book isn't free, I don't think I will finish reading this book. The sample was interesting and I didn't notice any major grammatical errors while reading this book either. I really like the book cover and I think it depicts a good portion of what the book is about.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 3:37 pm by Azeline Arcenal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CrescentMoon
After reading the blurb, I don't think this book is really for me, and I don't think I would pick it up after seeing the cover because I'm not much of a dog person. I definitely give kudos to the author for writing an original storyline because it is definitely unique and original which is really refreshing. However, it doesn't really seem like my cup of tea.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 3:18 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Snowflake
I like the cover and the title of this book so I would have sampled this book without the `first 10 pages` program. I enjoyed the first 10 pages so much that I read more without realising it. It seems very well edited, which is always a pleasure. The style is very clear and easy to understand and I like books that are written with a sense of humour. I can imagine the scenes quite easily based on the author`s choices of words and I am very interested to find out what will happen next. I will continue to read this book.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 3:13 pm by Snowflake.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
CataclysmicKnight
From the cover I assumed this would be some touching drama, fictional or otherwise, but the title and Amazon description both told me this would be a comedy. I love a good comedy, I think at least some humor should be in pretty much everything, so I was hyped to check this one out! However, so far the author is rather hit-and-miss with his scenes - while some deviation from the story is acceptable and even encouraged when done well, it's overplayed so far. I'm a bit interested in what will happen throughout the rest of the book, but not enough to buy it.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 2:01 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vermont Reviews
Michael Reid in his novel Two Dogs and a Blonde today's book of the day has all the wants in a great read. An exciting story. Great characters. Fast moving plot. I'm sold on reading this one next.
Vermont Reviews
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 12:05 pm by Vermont Reviews.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
gali
I may have sampled the book on my own, as I love the genre. The cover is lovely and the blurb had me hooked. The premise of a man and his dogs trying to stop the hitmen he trained sounds intriguing. Unfortunately, I didn't connect to the writing. I didn't notice any major errors, but the sentences didn't seem to flow properly. In addition, I didn't like the mix of present and past tenses. I won't read the book as I didn't like the style of the writing.
First Ten review added on June 24, 2017, at 11:03 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 27%
Two Dogs and a Blonde earned a score of 27%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 27% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
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