The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for The Ninth Circle: (World on Fire - Side Jobs Book 1)
Because The Ninth Circle 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 have sampled this read. The reason being is I have read Raven's Peak by this author and have become extremely interested in Arthur's character. This is a perfect read for me because I felt like I needed more of his background story. Based on what I read, the book does seem to be professionally edited. I really like the author's writing style and the ease of jumping right into the story; I am already hooked. At this point, I am invested in continuing Arthur's journey and will be giving it a full read.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2017, at 8:11 am by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Cjgarland89
I haven't finished the previous book to this one so I wasn't sure how this one would stand up. There isn't an OBC review to assist in where this one begins. Based on just the cover and association with the other book I'm likely that I'll want to read it eventually. The sample was pretty good, I didn't feel like I was jumping right into something with no knowledge. Based on the sample I'll likely pick this up in the future and finish it up.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2017, at 6:39 am by Cjgarland89.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
jungkookblog
I don't think I will be reading this book because from the cover, it doesn't look very amusing, but I'm not totally sure if it will be good though. I will be reading this book because the first ten pages have already got me on the tip of my toes. It would be hard to put the book down. It seems professionally edited. I did not see any review, and I don't think I will be reading this book.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2017, at 2:10 am by jungkookblog.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
L_Therese
I'm not a big fan of violent books as a general (but not quite absolute) rule, so after reading the first ten pages, I was not really inclined to finish. The Illuminati-esque "Ninth Circle" seemed like an interesting angle. I wondered if it would be more like a Dan Brown-type secret society or a mafia-ish group. However, the big decider was simply the fact that I've already over-committed myself in terms of books. I just can't add another to the list if I'm on the fence today.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2017, at 12:14 am by L_Therese.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Azeline Arcenal
After reading the first ten pages, I decided not to finish the book. I usually don't read books like this and this book was a little too gory for me. It had a lot of suspense and tension, but the amount of gore just didn't cut it for me. I did not notice any major grammatical errors either.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2017, at 3:20 pm by Azeline Arcenal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Momlovesbooks
I knew I wanted to read this one when I found out it was the prequel to Raven's Peak. I want to find out what drove Arthur to do the things he did. I read the sample and then immediately downloaded this book. I'm looking forward to it.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2017, at 3:07 pm by Momlovesbooks.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shelle
This book looks really good and I'm glad I got the opportunity to sample it. The action starts almost immediately and I liked the descriptions the author used. I also think I like the main character and his mission sounds interesting. I think I'm going to like reading the rest of this book. This book appears to be professionally edited and error-free.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2017, at 11:54 am by Shelle.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AA1495
Had I not sampled the book, I would not have read it. I usually read romance books. Having read the sample, my opinion remains. I liked the quote in the beginning and how the characters' thoughts were described. The sample made me curious about the plot. I did not come across an onlinebookclub review for the book, but I do not think that the absence of one affected my decision. The book seems professionally edited. While I liked the sample, I do not think I would want to read an entire book of this genre and hence, I will not be reading the book further.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2017, at 8:01 am by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
jamesabr
My sampling of this book was very enlightening to the Raven's Peak book series. If I were not a part of the First Ten program, I would have sampled it due to the fact that it's a prequel to the aforementioned book series, which I'm highly interested in. A part of the sampling that stood out to me the most was the first four pages. The anticipation to the Hunters' mission against the Ninth Circle was fascinating. I will definitely purchase and read this book. There were no typos or grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2017, at 4:43 am by jamesabr.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Annelore Trujillo
I probably would have sampled this book without this program based on the cover, title, genre, and blurb. I also liked that it was a prequel to a series. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be finishing this book. The story didn't draw me in. As soon as they started talking about innocents and hostiles, I didn't want to read it. I liked the description used. I also like the length of the book. Unfortunately, it just isn't for me. It did seem to be professionally edited. There was not an OBC review, but this didn't really play into my decision.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2017, at 1:20 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gravy
I'm still on the fence with these books. I might have looked at this (though maybe not, as it's in a series). With the first ten of this short story, I felt that something was missing. I can't explain what exactly, just something.
I enjoy Arthur as a character.
I still have to say 'no', because I'm still not sure I want to read the series yet.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 10:40 pm by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Amagine
I enjoyed the character of Arthur and I was happy to read a story from his point of view. The author really fleshed out Arthur's character and it's enough to make readers feel more sympathetic to him. The action scenes with him fighting a demon and rescuing Abigail was exciting. This was a really well written book.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 10:28 pm by Amagine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
CrescentMoon
This book seems really interesting. I like that it's a short story and is a quick read. Normally I wouldn't have time to read too many books but based on the reviews, and the fact this is a prequel and is short, I think I will read the rest. I have read the beginning so far and am hooked on this storyline so far.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 8:38 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book. It is short and seems quick, but also very interesting based on the blurb. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I am very curious about the Raven's Peak universe, and this seemed like an intriguing prequel, especially since I have enjoyed the consistent writing style. It was professionally edited. There was no official review but it did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 6:43 pm by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sarah_Khan
I like the cover of this book and it seems like something I would pick up myself. I thought the blurb gave just enough information, without spoiling any of the plot. I liked that it was short and concise. After reading the first ten pages, I can say that this book seems professionally edited and well-written. Unfortunately, the premise does not catch my interest enough for me to commit to reading it.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 6:02 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vermont Reviews
Today's book of the day The Ninth Circle by Lincoln Cole adds the background story of Arthur and Abigail to the readers of the Raven's Peak series. Thanks you Lincoln Cole for making this one free to the readers of the series. Very much appreciated.
Vermont Reviews
I did download and read this one this afternoon. Well done.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 4:44 pm by Vermont Reviews.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
CataclysmicKnight
I've been a fan of these books ever since the first (Raven's Peak) was made book of the day, so I'm sure I would have checked this out sooner or later. This was perhaps the quickest first ten pages I've read so far, they just flew by as the writing was so smooth and the action grew so awesome. It even inspired me to write a little something myself! Since the book was free, there's no doubt I'll be finishing it.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 4:21 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
MarisaRose
I have previously read a book by author Lincoln Cole; I enjoyed the book to some extent, but had a lot of issues with it as well. For that reason, I am not sure if I would have chosen to read 'The Ninth Circle' prior to sampling it for this program. In the past, I had issues with the author's writing style and was worried they would appear again in this book. After sampling the beginning of 'The Ninth Circle' I was pleasantly surprised by the writing. The narrative flow seemed to be a lot better than I had anticipated and I did not notice any editorial errors. However, the general plot of the story (from what I gathered from the sample) didn't really interest me. I have a feeling that the outcome will be predictable and the story will have a sort of 'by the numbers' plot. For those reasons, I've decided not to continue reading this book.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 4:10 pm by MarisaRose.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Pilar Guerrero
Lincoln Cole writes well. His descriptions put the reader in the mood and the place where the action takes place. He is a good storyteller and for those who enjoy the horror and fantasy genre, this is a good pick. His work looks professionally edited, and the cover of book goes well with the story. I am not a fan of horror, otherwise I would buy this book.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 3:46 pm by Pilar Guerrero.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kdonegan91
The cover and title caught my attention right away. However, after reading the sample, I was disappointed. I do not enjoy this genre or the author's style of writing. I will not be finishing this book.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 3:12 pm by Kdonegan91.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ananya92
This is the first book in the spin-off series to the World on Fire series. This book narrates Arthur's story. Though I haven't read the World on Fire series, I have an idea from the samples of the books as they were BOTD a few days back. This novel is a prequel to Raven's Peak. From the description it was evident that this book is going to be interesting. The author does not disappoint. While not as exciting as the main series, the writing style is smooth, with special focus on the action scenes that are choreographed in a visually impactful manner in the book. The book seems to be edited professionally. Though there was no review available for this book, on the strength of the sample, I am persuaded to read this one completely.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 12:42 pm by ananya92.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
bookowlie
I don't really care for the dark cover as the picture is hard to see. The plot summary sounds intriguing. Books about cults are not my preference, although I do like murder mysteries. The summary and sample pages appear to be professionally edited. I wasn't interesting in the story. The writing didn't hook me, and I didn't feel the story was introduced too well. I felt a little confused in the first few pages.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 12:33 pm by bookowlie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
The cover, blurb, and reviews of this book were very attractive and given that it is a fairly short read, I may have picked it up on these qualities alone. After reading the first ten (quite honestly... much more than that) pages, I did not change my mind. The author sucked me into the protagonists cause and I loved the fight scene he portrayed through the entirety of part 1. Especially as this book is fairly short, I will read the rest of it. It looks very well written and edited and the lack of an OBC review did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 11:53 am by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
James Craft
Definitely going to read this one! It is a short story, which is excellent, and I certainly think it looks like something well worth checking out. The cover is awesome, the words easy to read, and I have loved everything else by this author so I can't wait to get my hands on this one!
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 10:48 am by James Craft.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Christina O Phillips
The title intrigued me because right now I am reading Raven's Peak and so I figured the two would be connected. Reading the summary told me this was a prequel to what I am currently reading. I enjoyed the first ten pages. Sometimes when prequels are written or published after the success or completion of a series, they can feel forced, as if the author is no longer as familiar with the characters. This is not the case here. I enjoyed the first ten pages and intend on reading this book. I like to read things in order though so I wish I had read this before Raven's Peak.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 10:43 am by Christina O Phillips.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
gali
I probably I would have sampled the book on my own, as I enjoyed "Raven’s Peak". The cover is awesome and the blurb concise and to the point. The sample started very well introducing Arthur, a character I find most intriguing. The opening pages were very exciting and had me hooked. The sample was short, but then so is the book. I got the book and will read it in due time.
First Ten review added on April 19, 2017, at 10:09 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Total ~ 58%
The Ninth Circle earned a score of 58%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 58% 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 The Ninth Circle
