
The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Aluria
Because Aluria 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.
Heidi M Simone

Without this program, I would not have sampled this read. The cover, the blurb, and from the OBC review, it reminds me of superhero stories. I do not enjoy these types of stories. Though there is a 4/4 OBC rating, there is also a 1/4 rating. This also makes me leery of the book, in general. I see that this book has a 5/5 on Amazon, but it still doesn't convince me that this one is for me.
Based on what I read, the book seems to be edited well. When the dark creature/hooded figure appeared, it definitely captured my attention, which I find clever of the author to do right from the beginning. I also thought it was sweet that Jason placed himself in front of Tessa to protect her from the magical evil creature. However, I don't find myself connecting with the characters, thus far. Due to this and the fact that the OBC reviewer mentions this is similar to the Batman story, I do not plan on finishing this book.
First Ten review added on February 14, 2018, at 7:28 am by Heidi M Simone.
Vickie Noel

I love everything about this book! I would have checked it out without the program based on the blurb and customer reviews. I can't claim to have understood the cover art but reading the sample clarified it. As a result I will be finishing this book. It seems to be professionally edited as I found no errors. I loved the entire plot line and it was such a fluid reading, I had no intention of quitting. The only issue I had is how Jason and Tessa 'saw' Raiz. The scene was supposedly pitch black so I'm wondering how it is that they saw Raiz dressed in black from head to toe, or how Jason saw Tessa's black eyeliner masquerading her face with tears of fear. There was no prior sentence with the indication of light seeping in so I'm trying to reconcile that part. I think some improvement might be in order. The raving OBC review I saw was likewise a huge contributor to my decision.
First Ten review added on February 14, 2018, at 7:23 am by Vickie Noel.
Alice Heritage

I might have sampled this on the basis of the cover and genre because I'm interested in science fiction. The official OnlineBookClub review and first ten pages, however, indicate that this is a superhero story and perhaps more geared towards young adults. I therefore won't read the rest of it as it isn't primarily what interests me. It seems professionally edited as I didn't notice any errors. What I liked best was the crafting of the story opening, which provoked the reader to ask certain questions. Nothing major needs to be improved. The writing's a bit plain but fits with the transparent style used.
First Ten review added on February 14, 2018, at 3:50 am by Alice Heritage.
SPasciuti

I considered reading this book initially. The OnlineBookClub review made me feel a little weary about the characters, but it sounded intriguing enough in the end to consider reading. I can definitely see where the batsman comparison comes in, even with the cover, which I admittedly thought was clever. After reading the sample, I've decided not to finish reading the book. It was professionally edited as I found no glaring grammar issues, but the writing didn't have much of a flow to it and the scenes felt very artificial. I didn't like the fact that he barely knew the girl he was dating and their conversation felt as though they had just met. The villain was hard to believe as well.
I think the main character was definitely interesting and has a lot of potential, so I enjoyed reading his thoughts. However, some improvements I would suggest for the book would be to develop a stronger motivation for the villain, work on the dialogue, and change the relationship of the main characters to something along the lines of them just meeting recently and going on a few dates or a significant and long-term relationship. The story itself isn't bad, exactly, I just think it needs a bit more work to feel realistic.
First Ten review added on February 14, 2018, at 2:15 am by SPasciuti.
Chelsy Scherba

I really enjoyed the character development and the author’s ability to capture quiet moments. I didn’t notice any spelling or grammar mistakes. The author is a very good writer, but I’ve heard criticism that the story is too much like Batman. I don’t really have a problem with that. The review was positive, but I prefer to sample myself and the make up my own mind. I’m not sure if I’ll read the entire book. I’m considering it though. I don’t really search for books outside of this program, but this book is interesting.
First Ten review added on February 14, 2018, at 1:34 am by Chelsy Scherba.
Catherine Hsu

If I had not read the sample I would not have read the book as I did not think the blurb was that interesting. After reading the sample, I have changed my mind. I really liked the writing style, and the panic in Jason's voice was very genuine, which really provided an immersive experience. It was professionally edited. I am excited to read the story. I did not read the official review but this did not matter.
First Ten review added on February 14, 2018, at 12:41 am by Catherine Hsu.
Annelore Trujillo

I would not have sampled this book without this program. I'm not a fan of the genre, and the OBC review and blurb didn't draw me in. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be finishing this book because it's not a story I could get into. I did like that the story flowed and was easy to read. However, the descriptions of Tessa were a little too cheesy for my taste. I would suggest toning them down a little. It did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on February 13, 2018, at 10:47 pm by Annelore Trujillo.
CataclysmicKnight

The cover of this one really captures the superhero-esque main character, so I absolutely would’ve checked this book out if I came across it. In fact, just seeing the cover today made me hyped to check it out! So far the author has really managed to capture a cute relationship between the main character and his girlfriend, or at least a girl he’s very interested in. By the end of the first ten pages is a catastrophic event, a MAGICAL catastrophic event, that definitely has me interested in what will happen next. There were no errors, and aside from one odd quote in the book - “Remember it. Because it’ll be the last thing you remember before your demise.” - I enjoyed everything I’ve read so far. I definitely want to read the rest of this!
First Ten review added on February 13, 2018, at 10:12 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
MarisaRose

'Aluria' is not a book I would typically choose to purchase. Nothing about the blurb interested me. In this case, the OBC review didn't sway my opinion because I simply wasn't interested in the supernatural/superhero premise of this book. After sampling the first ten pages, I didn't change my mind. Although I didn't notice any grammatical errors in the sample, I wasn't impressed with the writing style. The narrative comes across as juvenile and lacks depth. I had a hard time getting through the first ten pages because I felt like I had read about Jason before. There didn't seem to be a lot of unique content at the beginning of the book. I can see how this book might appeal more to a younger audience, but I don't plan to read any more of this book.
First Ten review added on February 13, 2018, at 3:33 pm by MarisaRose.
Sarah_Khan

I was immediately intrigued by the cover and title of this book. The plot sounds unique and has an aspect of romance, which I am a fan of. I did not read an OBC review and it did not impact my opinion. After reading the first ten pages, I can say that this book is professionally edited. I thought the dialogue was easy going and easy to read. I liked the main character from the get-go. Overall, the first ten pages proved there is a strong romance theme and I still find the plot intriguing enough to make me want to read the rest.
First Ten review added on February 13, 2018, at 2:20 pm by Sarah_Khan.
bookowlie

I would not have sampled this book on my own because I don't usually like sci-fi/fantasy fiction. One of the OBC reviewers rated the book 1 star, due to poor character development and simplistic writing. I found it intriguing that two reviewers had completely opposite views (a second reviewer gave the book 4 stars). The summary blurb gave me a good sense of the plot, although I noticed one error in the summary. There shouldn't be a comma after possesses; either there should be no comma at all or the comma should instead be after the word it. I was pleasantly surprised that the author had a nice writing style, considering one of the reviewer's harsh criticism. That being said, I found it difficult to become absorbed in the story. Based on the sample and my personal reading preferences, I am not interesting in reading further.
First Ten review added on February 13, 2018, at 10:51 am by bookowlie.
Yoli García

Even though I like reading fantasy, I would not have sampled this book without this program because the cover does not grab my attention. One OBC review was positive and the other OBC review was negative. As a result, I was not convinced about reading it. After I read the sample pages, I thought the book was professionally edited. The story reminded me a bit of Batman. Jason is rich, the head of a company, lives in a big city filled with crime, and has a housekeeper who takes care of him. The author’s writing is simple and sounds cliché at times. I liked that there is an air of mistery about Tessa’s past. I will not read this book because I am not into the story.
First Ten review added on February 13, 2018, at 2:05 am by Yoli García.
Azeline Arcenal

After reading the first ten pages, I decided not to finish reading the book. The sample wasn't interesting enough for me. The book cover and title are okay and if I were to sample the book based on just the cover and title, I probably would have skipped past this book. While reading the sample, I didn't notice any grammatical errors either. I also read the official OBC review for this book which was helpful in solidifying my decision on taking a pass on this book. The one thing that I would change about this book is the cover art.
First Ten review added on February 13, 2018, at 12:42 am by Azeline Arcenal.
jwalker73

This is not a book I would choose. I do not enjoy books with supernatural elements and the cover, title, blurb and review all allude to this. The first ten pages flowed well but failed to hold my attention. I also did not feel a connection with the characters. This may be due to a lack of description about their pasts. While this may offer a degree of mystery for some readers, I did not feel compelled to learn more about either Jason or Tessa. I also have difficulty visualising situations which see magic being performed and/or movement to different dimensions. I find these too unrealistic for my liking and prefer reading about situations I can relate to in real life. The start of this book seemed to have a lot of issues going on in a short amount of time without giving much depth to any particular one. I did not detect errors during these pages. Due to my disinterest in this genre, I do not intend to read the rest of this book.
First Ten review added on February 13, 2018, at 12:27 am by jwalker73.
Scrawling Pen

I am not planning on finishing this book because it just wasn't enough of my taste to really pull me into the story. However, I did enjoy some aspects of the sample that I read. For example, the description was detailed and good. I wasn't thrilled with the dialogue which felt a little bit stiff, but otherwise the character interactions were good. There is also a nice bit of action to capture the audience's attention. I did not notice any grammatical errors, and the book seemed professionally edited. The cover image reminds me of Batman which may be beneficial as readers who enjoy Batman are probably more likely to enjoy this book.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 11:58 pm by Scrawling Pen.
N_R

This book has a great cover page and a very nice name. However, when I read the sample, I decided that this book was not for me. I typically do not enjoy science-fiction or fantasy novels. Sadly, I am not going to buy and read the whole book as I did not feel that I was enticed enough to do so. The writing seemed quite unrealistic as to how people would speak or even how the main characters reacted to the situation they were in. I also did not feel that there was enough build-up to the incident. It does appear that the book has been professionally edited and I did not find any grammar errors or typing mistakes. The part of the sample that I liked the most was the fact that the characters allude to the issues in their family situation, but do not elaborate to provide the reader with too much information too soon. I did not rely on the other reader's reviews of a book to decide what I want to read or not, so having the sample is worthwhile for me.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 11:56 pm by N_R.
Afuglsan

Well, this book certainly looked promising. I love Fantasy Adventure books. I dig the cover/title combo. It definitely looks like it would be something I'd enjoy. The reviews are all positive. I read the OBC review after the first ten pages, perhaps if I had read that prior, I would have thought I would have liked the book. I despised the first ten pages. Despised. There was nothing unique, creative, consuming or enjoyable about this book. The dialogue is childish. The characters are incredibly underdeveloped. The plot is a dime a dozen. I was highly disappointed. I didn't have any grammar errors catch my eye, but the OBC review promised they were to come. I will not be reading this book.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 11:27 pm by Afuglsan.
Seraphia Bunny Sparks

After reading a sample of, Aluria by Tyler Cook, I have decided that I will not be purchasing this book today. I will be putting this book on my to-be-read shelf. At first glance, I didn't think that this book would appeal to me. The cover didn't grab my attention or pique my interest. If I had not read a sample of this book, I would have picked it up. While the cover didn't appeal to me, the blurb pulled me in. I am a fan of the fantasy genre. As I read this book, the author pulled me in, making me want to know more. I like the list of things the author tells us the character feels he deserves. I find it interesting. This story has some unique elements to it. Based on what I have read this book does appear to be professionally edited. This book does have an official OnlineBookClub review. The reviewer quickly engages my interest in the story. The reviewer helps to solidify my decision to read this book.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 8:17 pm by Seraphia Bunny Sparks.
NL Hartje

The title of this book immediately gets my attention because of the use of a fantastical word. It screams "something imaginative" to potential sci-fi/fantasy readers, and one-word titles are always alluring. The cover art, however, turned me off. The use of the Batman-like symbol made me think comic which is not what I would personally look for in sci-fi/fantasy.
I was also turned off by the use of the word "crush" in the blurb/jacket. Readers want meaningful relationships; she has to be more than a "crush" to be worthy of whatever may come. Even if the target audience is teens, the author is appealing to people who don't acknowledge that their puppy-love is only a crush and they see it as much more. I liked the interaction between Tessa and Jason in the first ten, but I was slightly let down by the lack of description of the twister. Wallop me with details right off the bat!
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 7:27 pm by NL Hartje.
CrescentMoon

After reading the blurb, I'm not really sure this book is for me. It sounds like the book would be a cute young adult story for teens to read, but I like more action, mystery, or science fiction adult stories. After reading the first ten pages, I didn't see any spelling or grammar errors. It looks professionally edited. The dialogue between Jason and Tessa seemed cheesy to me but I understand it's supposed to be a cute teen romance at first. The story does get a little more interesting when Aluria inhabits Jason's body. However, I didn't really get hooked into this book so I won't be reading the rest.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 6:44 pm by CrescentMoon.
Izesicle

Had I not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would not have chosen to read or sample this book based on the genre. I rarely read young adult.
I am not going to buy and read the whole book because I didn't like the sample. It is too simply written.
Based on what I read, the book doesn't seem like it was professionally edited. I noticed typos or grammar errors such as using "but" to start a sentence, misusing "shined", and commas.
What I like the most in the bit I read is the description of internal conflict and the cover.
What could be improved is the writing. Please edit some more.
The book does have an Official OnlineBookClub review that I saw.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 6:41 pm by Izesicle.
Dolor

With or without the First Ten program, I will pick this book up. I like everything in this book, though the cover looks like a Batman cartoon logo imitation. I was hooked by the summary description of this book on Amazon. And what more? This book garners perfect rating on reviews both on Amazon and on OBC. Reading the first ten pages made me see the slight downside of this book - punctuation and grammatical errors. "And that was exactly what he was doing at this moment." "He felt his body go tense." "And I hope you and your parents are one day able to work through your complicated relationship." - to enumerate a few. I suggest to have this book edited. Despite the minor errors, I will still buy and read this book. Aluria by Tyler Cook chronicles Jason Conner's vow to protect the innocent, to hunt down the guilty, and to avenge those who were tragically taken from him - with the help of an extra-terrestrial spirit, named Aluria. It has an underlying themes of heroism, good versus evil, sacrifice, love, and hope.
#Fantasy #Extraterrestrial #Adventure #Action #Heroes
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 6:15 pm by Dolor.
micoleon13

This is an interesting cover page which catches the eye. I'd be curious about this book. However, the symbol behind the man looks very much like a play on the batman signal. The OnlineBookClub review put me off a fair amount, mainly due to the fact that it seemed to outline the entire plot, leaving nothing for the reader to discover. I was also confused by some of the descriptions of batman similarities, but with a supernatural entity. The pages which I read were well written and edited. The story, sadly, didn't really grab my attention. The characters of Tessa and Jason seemed a little forced for my liking. I have no ideas for improvement and I will not be continuing with this book.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 4:26 pm by micoleon13.
Snowflake

The cover artwork is good but it doesn't seem to match the current professional trends. The title is interesting. I'm not sure if I would have sampled this book based on the cover. The Amazon blurb was good. It was informative and concise. I may have decided to sample the book after reading the blurb. I only read this genre on occasion so it could have gone either way. The sample was well written. The text and dialogue flowed smoothly. The thought patterns and words used made this feel like a young adult novel to me. I still enjoy young adult novels from time to time. I did not notice any obvious typos or grammar errors in the sample. I like the characters and the idea of the story. I liked the theme of integrity. I have a bunch of other books on the go at the moment and so I do not plan to read the rest of this book at this time. It seems to be a good addition to this genre though.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 4:10 pm by Snowflake.
Scerakor

From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I probably would not have given it a chance. I'm not usually a superhero book reader and didn't see anything in the aforementioned products that would have changed my mind. After reading the first ten pages I didn't change my mind. Although I enjoyed how the book got right to the point, action starting literally only pages in, defining that this was to be a book about supernatural powers, it isn't for me. The romantic aspects seemed a bit "young-adult" for me, slightly simply written, and definitely not enough to peak my interest further. Despite the comments above, it does seem well written and edited, but I will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. The official review did not affect my decision at all, but it did little to sell the novel.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 3:44 pm by Scerakor.
IsabelMay

The cover is attractive, but I was let down by the description because the premise is cliché. Even though I didn't find the official genre on Amazon, I expected this book to be teen fiction. The writing style kind of confirmed my thoughts, the target audience seems to be young adult. I'm not a big fan of such a writing style, but it's a matter of taste. The book seems edited, the description to dialogue ratio is good and the story starts with action, which is always a plus. I wasn't impressed with the storyline though, as I mentioned at the beginning. All in all, the book has potential, but I'll skip it and rather leave it to younger readers who might enjoy it.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 3:29 pm by IsabelMay.
MsTri

The cover for "Aluria" is interesting enough, but it was the title that really caught my eye; it's so lovely. The synopsis, though sparse, further peaked my interest. It was the review that really made me want to read this though. Even though I'm not wild about the romantic aspect, the supernatural parts are unique enough for me to overlook the whole relationship thing. During the sample, I noticed a couple of little grammatical errors, but they weren't enough to turn me off. My favorite part was when Jason spoke to the voice and then defeated Raiz. Aside from one more editing pass, I have no recommendations on anything to change in "Aluria". It might not be right away, but I DO plan to read this book at some point.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 1:40 pm by MsTri.
ladycraic

I would have chosen to sample Aluria apart from First Ten. The cover looks cool and gives me Batman-vibes! The blurb was definitely interesting and did a nice job letting me know what to expect from the sample. I thought it was funny how fast the events escalated in the first pages. At first, there's Jason and Tessa living their best life. Next, Jason merges with an ancient spirit, after he and Tessa are kidnapped, and becomes a hero! I actually loved how fast the beginning of the novel moved, since often times, the beginnings can move a bit slowly. I found the writing style very simple though, which detracted from my reading experience. In addition, I thought Tessa and Jason had an unusually strong romantic connection after only knowing one another for a month. Overall, I will not be reading due to the writing style, and my lack of interest in the development of Tessa and Jason's relationship. None of the OBC reviews influenced my opinion. This book seemed professionally edited but I did notice an awkward sentence: "...how to make his body to do things..." Removing that 'to' between 'body' and 'do' will make that sentence flow more naturally.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 1:37 pm by ladycraic.
BookishCreature

At first glance, I was definitely interested in picking up this book. The synopsis is super interesting, the genre is right up my alley, and the reviews are incredibly positive. I like the cover as well. After reading the first ten pages, I found the writing style to be rather bland and straightforward, which didn't catch my attention very much. I didn't find any grammar or spelling errors, though. I think the book could be improved by writing that shows a little more than it tells. Still, I like the storyline from what I can tell, and I'll probably still pick this up for the review team.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 1:34 pm by BookishCreature.
Kathryn Price

This story was interesting, a different take on fantasy that I appreciated, and the title was intriguing from the first. I would have been likely to pick it up out of curiosity. However, I thought that the author was introducing too many ideas too fast. Also, the author seemed to feel he had to explain several things that his readers could have easily inferred from the text already, which annoyed me. The overall story and idea were good, though, and I found no editing errors. Nevertheless, I don't think I'll finish this book. I can think of several other books in this genre that I would rather read.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 1:26 pm by Kathryn Price.
RebeccasReading

This is definitely not a book I would normally read. I'm not a fan of the science fiction genre. The blurb sounds confusing. There seems to be a lot of backstory for the opening book of a trilogy. After reading the sample, my original opinion is confirmed. I am not interested in the story line. I did like how well-written it is and its focus on the emotions of the characters. My only suggestion for improvement would be to simplify the blurb. It does seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 11:54 am by RebeccasReading.
ritah

Based on the cover, title, and genre I would have sampled the book because it caught my eye. I read the official review and then sampled the book. I did not see any errors in the pages I read. I liked the dialogue; and enjoyed the conversation between Jason and Tessa. The only issue is as I read on I began to lose interest, I felt as though the storyline wasn't for me, which is why I won't be reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 11:44 am by ritah.
va2016

The title is indicative of one of the important
characters in the story. The cover is confusing
and made me wonder if this is a Christian
religious book. I had to sample to find out
what the book is about. I am not going to read
this book in full because I don't usually read
fantasy stories. The happenings in the story
are beyond day-to-day real life ones, and I would
find it difficult to comprehend and digest what's
going on in the story. The book has been
professionally edited, and I didn't find any
mechanical errors. I did find a couple of
OBC reviews for the book, but my decision to not
to read the book in full is based on my own
sampling.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 10:37 am by va2016.
gali

I wouldn't have sampled the book on my own as neither the cover nor the premise enticed me. Reading the sample further made me realize that the book isn't for me. While the premise of gaining superpower by merging with an ancient spirit is an original one, I prefer my superheroes in the movies and not in my books. The sample opened with a bang, I will give it that. An evil entity chased Jason and his girlfriend, and a spirit came to his rescue in the nick of time. However, there were too many dialogues and not enough narrative, and pretty soon my interest waned. Although I didn't notice any glaring errors, some phrases like “sinister laugh" made me raise an eyebrow. I found the language a bit simple. In fact, it read more like a YA book than an adult one. I won't read the book as the sample didn't pique my interest. The positive OBC review did not sway my opinion either way.
First Ten review added on February 12, 2018, at 8:39 am by gali.
Total ~ 21%
Aluria earned a score of 21%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 21% 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 Aluria