The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Tell Me When It Hurts
Because Tell Me When It Hurts 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.
Cjgarland89
After reading the reviews of Amazon this book caught my attention right away. The loss of a child is difficult and overcoming it is even more so. After reading the first ten, I am definitely intrigued by what I saw. I am curious to see how the relationship between Archer and Connor plays out, and what happens to Allegra as well. The book reads easily and there weren't any grammatical errors either. I'll be finishing this book in the coming week!
First Ten review added on August 29, 2016, at 7:07 am by Cjgarland89.
truebookaddict
I was intrigued enough by the gorgeous cover, and the story line described in the blurb, that I would have chosen to read this even without sampling the first ten pages.
Yes, I will read the whole book. I really liked the writing style and how I was able to nestle down into the story right away.
The editing is well-done. I did not notice typos or grammatical errors.
I liked how the story got going right away and I could immediately feel the sorrow of her loss. Being a mother, Archer going through her daughter's things was very poignant. From what I read in the first ten pages, I can really suggest no improvements.
First Ten review added on August 29, 2016, at 5:16 am by truebookaddict.
braver
I think I may have a soft spot for hard-luck female protagonists. I was intrigued by the book's description, but didn't expect to be sucked in as immediately as I was! I was drawn to Archer right away, and the hooks just kept coming: who's Annie? What happened to her? What will happen to Allegra? Who is Connor? The writing is clean and engaging, and I can't wait to learn more about these characters and see the relationships develop!
First Ten review added on August 28, 2016, at 10:20 pm by braver.
Annelore Trujillo
I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this after reading the review. After reading the first ten pages, I want to finish reading it. So far I haven't seen any grammar errors, and it was interesting enough to capture my attention. The description seemed great, and I'm already wondering what is going to happen next. I also like that it leaves a little suspense about the history of the characters. This is part of what drew me in.
First Ten review added on August 28, 2016, at 10:39 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Momlovesbooks
From the title and the description, I thought this would be a sad book and something I wouldn't want to read at this time. However, I started reading the first few pages and was drawn in. The main character seemed to be well developed with many layers to her. The storyline seems to have more action than I originally thought. I didn't notice any grammatical errors in these first pages. I definitely want to read the rest of this novel.
First Ten review added on August 28, 2016, at 9:21 am by Momlovesbooks.
Heidi M Simone
Even if it weren't for this program, I would still would have sampled this read. The title, cover, blurb, genre, and reviews all peak my interest. After sampling the first ten pages, I have decided to continue this read.
Based on what I read, this book does seem to be professionally edited. My favorite part is how the author is able to grab my attention right from the first page of this read. I also like how the author is beginning to mold her story, making me want more. At this point, I do not see any need for improvement.
First Ten review added on August 28, 2016, at 9:20 am by Heidi M Simone.
Catherine Hsu
If I had not sampled this book, I would not have chosen to read this book; although I like the cover, the blurb did not pull me in. I have also read a few customer reviews, and many of them say that the story is more about a recovery than a thriller/mystery, which I would have enjoyed. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind; I was not immediately engaged with the story, and only at the end of the sample did I feel a little interest. I did not catch any grammatical errors, although I am a little confused as to why the chapter was split into such small sections, with some paragraphs bolded. I feel like the writing style felt a little flat, although I did enjoy the flashbacks with Adam and Archer. I felt a little disconnected from the main character right off the bat, and I found that I was just unable to get into the writing.
First Ten review added on August 28, 2016, at 1:50 am by Catherine Hsu.
CataclysmicKnight
I was curious about this one as soon as I read the Amazon description, and the book hasn't let me down yet. It started off with some really quick action and then has built a rather powerful background, and now it's leading into interesting territory. It's on my to-read list now!
First Ten review added on August 28, 2016, at 12:07 am by CataclysmicKnight.
Gravy
I would not have looked at this book, had I come across it. The title is confusing to me, and the cover doesn't clear anything up.
The writing is clear, and it appears to have been professionally edited.
I might have grown curious about this book, save one thing: I can't like the main character. The main reason for this is the (in my opinion) complete lack of character shown in her handling of the Allegra situation.
So, for reasons of personal preference, I will not be reading this book.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 11:55 pm by Gravy.
Kourtney Bradley
I was instantly interested in this story with how the first ten pages played out. The cover seems fitting, as there is a horse that is mentioned in the beginning. The editing seems done well so far, which usually encourages me to continue.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 9:38 pm by Kourtney Bradley.
ashley_claire
Based on the description and the majority of the reviews of this book, it is definitely something that grabs my attention as a book that interests me. This is a book that is easy to read and easy to fall in love with the main character. I love a main character that is deeply affected by their past, but not so much that they can't function. This book seems like a perfect blend of that. I will be reading this book.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 8:18 pm by ashley_claire.
Rachaelamb1
This isn't a book I would normally choose to read based on the description or cover. I also saw a lot of mixed reviews on Amazon, so I probably would not have chosen to sample this book. I did enjoy the first ten pages, though. I like Archer and am intrigued to find out more about her. I did notice a typo. In one instance, Hadley is called Haddie.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 8:16 pm by Rachaelamb1.
CrescentMoon
Based on the cover, title, and blurb, I would definitely pick up this book. I love action and thriller stories and reading about a retired assassin who comes out of retirement for revenge, sounds like such an an intriguing read. The book has a 4.5 star rating on amazon so based on reading some of the reviews, it seems like readers really enjoyed this book, which is a huge plus. After sampling the first ten pages of this book, I can definitely say that I am hooked. The book starts off with a bang! The opening paragraph with the main character, the assassin, setting her sights on her intended target, really made the book attention grabbing. So far, I noticed some grammar errors such as missing commas, but nothing worse than that. I will definitely continue reading this book.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 7:47 pm by CrescentMoon.
L_Therese
I didn't think I'd like this one when I saw it. The description wasn't striking any of the right notes with me, and even when I started reading it, I still wasn't loving the story or the characters. However, for some reason I want to know what happens next. I can't guarantee I'll read this book to the end, but I just can't put it down yet. I need to continue reading.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 6:23 pm by L_Therese.
Serena [Poetree]
The horses on the cover grabbed my attention, but the description, which talks about assassins, really turned me off. However, the reviews all say that this book is not a suspenseful thriller, and that it has some very good character development--so I might be tempted to give this one a shot! The book seems to have been professionally edited, and aside from the first chapter, is definitely not a thriller. Although I'm not a huge romance fan, I'm intrigued by Connor's character, and I really want to know what happens to Allegra.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 5:43 pm by Serena [Poetree].
Kia
Based on the description of the book I probably would not have chosen to read it. This is based completely on the fact that I do not usually enjoy murder stories. However, the first few pages really managed to enthrall me and so I think I will eventually finish the book. Bringing up the death of a child and the fact that Archer murders criminals certainly creates a catch for the reader. I found it to be free of spelling or grammar mistakes.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 3:40 pm by Kia.
gali
I would have sampled this book as the blurb intrigued me. The reviews further sparked my interest. The cover is very lovely and I loved it. The book started well enough, though the pace seems to slow down after Archer came back to her cabin. I like the writing and find the premise interesting, so I believe I will finish the book eventually.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 12:53 pm by gali.
Vermont Reviews
Again I must say this one did hook me. I did after reading the preview want to finish the story. I like the cover as well. Justice is not always what we want or agree with. I like the author's style. Sounds to me like a great story. Looking forward to finishing this one.
Vermont Reviews
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 10:27 am by Vermont Reviews.
bookowlie
The Amazon summary blurb appears to be professionally edited and gave me a good idea of what the book is about. I don’t care for books that include an assassin in the plot, although I do like the topic of second chances. The main picture on the cover is attractive, although the red part at the top comes across as an abstract area that’s just stuck there. The beginning pages are technically well written, but there is a distant feel to the main character and I couldn’t really connect with her. Based on the sample and summary blurb, I am not interested enough to read further.
First Ten review added on August 27, 2016, at 10:25 am by bookowlie.
Total ~ 84%
Tell Me When It Hurts earned a score of 84%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 84% 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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