The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Fighting to Win: The Elite - Book 1
Because Fighting to Win 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.
truebookaddict
Had I not sampled this book as part of this program, I would not have chosen to read/sample it. It is labeled as romance and I do not read romances.
The book was free so I did download it. However, I will not read the whole book. I do not like reading romances, and while the story in the first ten pages is not badly written, it was just not entertaining enough for me to read the whole book.
The books seems professionally edited. I did not notice typos or grammatical errors.
As I said, this book is not badly written. I did like Julia's pluck, which is to be expected with an Olympic athlete. This is probably the perfect book for someone who likes to read romances. I'm just not a person who does.
This book was not officially reviewed on OBC. The lack of such a review did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 8:50 am by truebookaddict.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MarisaRose
"Fighting to Win" is not a book I would typically choose to read. I'm not a fan of the romance genre in general. After sampling the beginning of the book as part of this program, I have not changed my mind. The book appears to be well written and well edited. Further, I thought the content was in many ways unique. I liked that it was clear from the beginning Julia would be a multi-dimensional character and not the typical protagonist of a romance novel. I was intrigued by the issues surrounding Julia related to the possibility that she bribed the judges during the Olympic games she participated in. Though I think this book has some interesting qualities and I can see why it would appeal to certain readers, the content really does not interest me.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 7:29 am by MarisaRose.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cjgarland89
At first glance I wasn't interested in this book. It doesn't seem like something I would want to read based on the Amazon reviews and the cover itself. I didn't see an OBC review which makes it hard at times to be able to figure out the overall feel of the book. After sampling I think I will finish this one to see if I could broaden my horizons on books. I enjoyed the author diving in and providing information on all characters. I felt like I knew everyone right away. I didn't see any errors in the sample.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 6:01 am by Cjgarland89.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
jungkookblog
I don't think I would be reading this book because I am not into sports. I am not going to be reading this book because the plot is about sports, and sports is not my cup of tea. It seems like it is professionally edited. I liked the motivation that the character had in the beginning of the book. I wish they had more background information though, and more advanced vocabulary. I did not see any review however, I don't think it would affect my decision.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 1:25 am by jungkookblog.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kourtney Bradley
I'm not much of a romance reader, so a book really has to appeal to me in order for me to be interested. I like that this one involves sport competition in a serious way, with the Olympics. The main character seems like a strong female lead, even against a tough scandal she's facing. I more than likely won't continue with this book or series, as I just have too many on my list right now.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 11:32 pm by Kourtney Bradley.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
chocomeiske
Cover looks interesting but deosn't seem like my go-to genre. I read the sample and found it to be engaging. I like the idea of someone coming back from a scandal to try to get back on their feet and accomplish their goals. I can't recall any editing issues which leads me to believe that this book was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 6:48 pm by chocomeiske.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would have sampled this book without this program based on the genre. I really enjoy romance books. I also liked the cover and title of this book. After reading the first ten pages, I will be finishing this book. First, I really like that the book is short. I don't have a lot of time to read, so length is important to me. I also liked the varied sentence structure through the part I read. It really helped draw my attention. It also seemed to be professionally edited. The fact that there was not an OBC review did not affect my decision on this book because the book was available for free.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 3:00 pm by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shelle
This looked like a fun read and I was happy to have the opportunity to sample it. I've always liked diving and having that sport be the backdrop is a neat idea. I also like the characters and find them relatable. The author clearly did a lot of research about the subject matter.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 2:58 pm by Shelle.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Heidi M Simone
I like the cover (mainly because the water is very soothing to look at) and the title is interesting. However, the blurb does not capture my interest. Therefore, I would not have sampled this read on my own.
Based on what I read, the book does seem to be professionally edited. I like the concept that Julia is training for the Olympics in Rio. The author does a nice job in including certain facts about training in diving. Even though the writing flows well and is easy to follow, at this point, I do not see myself finishing this read. It is mainly because the story might be a bit too much on the romance side and a bit predictable. But, I can see how others would enjoy this.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 1:54 pm by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
dhwanis
The cover is lovely, I would have picked it up without reading the first 1- pages. After reading the pages, I bought the book because I found that the main premise of the story is quite strong
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 5:19 am by dhwanis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
psychopathycathy
If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book. The cover is beautiful and professional, and the blurb seems interesting. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. The story was intriguing, and I really enjoyed how the main character was characterized as well as how they interacted with the best friend. It was professionally edited and I did not read an official review.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 3:47 am by psychopathycathy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
L_Therese
I wasn't so enthralled as I was getting acquainted with this book. The Olympic athlete romance schtick is hard for me to get behind just from a personal preference standpoint. As I sampled the first ten pages, there was nothing inherently objectionable about the book so far, but it wasn't working for me. I didn't really care about these two characters, what scandals they may or may not have perpetrated, and whether they are the It Couple of the elite swimming world or not. I'll pass.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 3:00 am by L_Therese.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gravy
Romance just isn't my genre, so I wouldn't have looked at this, nor do I intend to continue with it.
I didn't notice any errors, and I liked the characters. I don't like the cover, but I don't really like this type of cover, anyway.
I would probably recommend this to fans of the genre.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 12:23 am by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kdonegan91
Although I enjoy romance novels, I am not a sports, swimming, or an Olympic games fan. The first chapter did not interest me. However, it was well edited and professionally formatted. Also, the cover is eye-catching and the title is unique. In conclusion, I will not be purchasing this book because I am not interested in the storyline.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 12:11 am by Kdonegan91.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CrescentMoon
I don't think this book is for me. I'm not a big fan of reading second chance romance books and I usually only like romance as a side plot but not the actual story. This genre is not for me. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be reading the rest. I am not hooked into the storyline.
First Ten review added on January 24, 2017, at 2:14 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
jamesabr
If I was not part of this program, I would have sampled this book based on the premise of it I read through the OnlineBookClub Book of the Day Facebook page and the Amazon Kindle eBook website. The lack if an OnlineBookClub review did not affect my decision on reading the entire book. This is a highly engrossing sample. From the start, I can glimpse into the mind of an professional swimmer who knows what’s at stake if she doesn’t avoid further scandal with Mitch Osborn. To me, the best part of the sample was the introduction to Drake, because it allowed for some useful exposition in the story. I will definitely purchase and read the book eventually. There were no typos or grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on January 24, 2017, at 2:05 pm by jamesabr.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AA1495
Had I not sampled the book, I probably wouldn't have come across this book. If I had, I would have read it because I like romance books & the plot sounds interesting. I liked how the author introduced the characters & described their thoughts. However, I would have been more interested in the book if the author had created more suspense about the controversy. The book seems to be professionally edited. I did not come across an Onlinebookclub review for the book, but I do not think that the absence of one affected my decision. Being a fan of romance books, I will read the book further.
First Ten review added on January 24, 2017, at 1:29 pm by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Vermont Reviews
Today's choice for book of the day. Fighting to Win by Nicole Flocking was one that I have added to my 2017 reading list. I found both characters; Julia Ashland and Mitch Osborn who were Olympic swimmers to be flawed enough to be believable. I liked the story and the preview enough to make the decision to download my copy of the book. Well written. Will the two main characters reconcile? Can't wait to find out.
VERMONT REVIEWS
First Ten review added on January 24, 2017, at 1:29 pm by Vermont Reviews.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sarah_Khan
At first glance, I really like the cover of this book, it certainly draws the eye with the blue color of the water. The title and blurb made me want to start reading.
After reading the first ten pages, I can say that this book is professionally edited and well-written. I like the main character from the start and the story does seem intriguing. I downloaded this book today and I look forward to reading it.
First Ten review added on January 24, 2017, at 12:21 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
bookowlie
The Amazon summary is well written and I was able to get a good sense of the plot. I can't say I was too interesting in the book since the second chance romance theme is not unique and the story seems too much of a light beach read/fluff-type story for my taste. The cover picture is eye-catching with an attractive font used for the title. The beginning pages have a nice flow and the main characters are introduced well with their backstories. Still, the story doesn't really interest me due to my reading preferences.
First Ten review added on January 24, 2017, at 10:54 am by bookowlie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
James Craft
The concept of this book is very entertaining, but I worry that it is too specific to one place and time to actually generate a lot of long term interest. The Olympics are over and fallen out of public obsession, so until the next one this is a very specific topic to cover. More than that, by the time Olympic interest is back it will be on the next country, not Rio. That being said, the cover is well-designed and compelling, the blurb interesting and not too long or dense, and the opening of the book is quite good. It reads easily and without many issues, and this is certainly a book I can see many people enjoying. I think it would have benefited, however, from not tagging a specific real world even that won't live up forever.
First Ten review added on January 24, 2017, at 10:27 am by James Craft.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gali
I probably wouldn't have sampled the book without the program, as I don't read too many romances. I love the cover and find the blurb informative. I enjoyed the sample more than I thought I would and liked the writing, so will read the balance of the book eventually. I didn't see any official review, more the pity, but I will give it a try anyway. I love second chance romances and this seems like a good read.
First Ten review added on January 24, 2017, at 10:07 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Total ~ 45%
Fighting to Win earned a score of 45%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 45% 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.
Go to main Bookshelves page for Fighting to Win
