The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Light and Transient Causes
Because Light and Transient Causes 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 the first ten pages as part of this program, I would have chosen to read this book based on the blurb. I loved the sound of this political fiction that sounded like it was very reflective of current events.
The book was free so I did download it. I intend to read the whole book eventually. I was already intrigued by the subject matter and after reading the author's note, and a portion of the first chapter, I'm convinced that this is going to be a scary, but important read.
The book seems to be professionally edited. I did not notice typos or grammatical errors.
The author's note at the beginning is very powerful and relevant to our current times. I enjoyed how right away in Chapter One we are shown how bad things have become with the announcement that all races much register. Also, the powerful speaking of the professor made me want to keep reading. I think this is going to be a great book.
This book was officially reviewed on OBC.
First Ten review added on March 8, 2017, at 8:45 am by truebookaddict.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AA1495
Had I not sampled the book, I wouldn't have read it. I usually read romance books. Having read the sample, my opinion remains. I liked the author's writing style. However, I thought that there were many descriptions.
The book seems professionally edited. It has a favorable onlinebookclub review. While I'm sure fans of the genre will enjoy reading the book, it isn't for me.
First Ten review added on March 8, 2017, at 3:53 am by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
jungkookblog
I don't think I would be reading this book because of what the story is about. It just doesn't seem to fit what I am interested in. I will not be reading this book because the first ten pages has me confused with all the vocabulary. It seems professionally edited. I like how the author designed the characters, they seem to think before they act, unlike many other characters. I did not see a review, and I don't think it would affect my decision.
First Ten review added on March 8, 2017, at 1:41 am by jungkookblog.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would have sampled this book based on the blurb and OBC review. I don't normally read political fiction, but this one seemed really interesting. It seems so much like our country today, that I wanted to sample it. After reading the first ten pages, I will not be finishing this book. I liked the concept, but not the style of writing. The writing is too wordy for me. The author uses multiple sentences to say what could be said in one sentence. I also didn't really like the use of the speech at the beginning, I understand why it was there, but that's when my attention started to waiver. It did seem to be professionally edited. I'm just not a fan of the writing.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 6:04 pm by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cjgarland89
At first glance I didn't think I would be interested in this book. After checking out he OBC review I got really excited. This is something new that I've never read before and the topic is really awesome to consider. After sampling I will definitely be finishing he book. Although it seems a little vague I think it will come together throughout the book.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 5:35 pm by Cjgarland89.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Heidi M Simone
The cover is very unappealing and the title is confusing. Though the reviews are fairly positive, both the genre and the blurb are not of interest to me. Therefore, I would not have sampled this read without this program. Based on what I read, the book does seem to be professionally edited. The main character, Ben, seems like an interesting character; the way the author has written him so far, I can't tell if I like or dislike him, but maybe this is the point. I'm not sure if I like how the author refers to Ben's students as "the creature that is the audience"; it sounds a bit forced. Overall, my attention isn't piqued and the authoritarian leader aspect of this book is unappealing to me. Therefore, I do not plan on finishing this read.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 5:08 pm by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gravy
This doesn't fit my normal reading taste, so I doubt I would have looked at it. The style doesn't suit me, but I noticed no errors. The cover could be a bit clearer. I can see how it fits, but those elements are easily overlooked.
As this isn't something I'm currently interested in reading, I don't plan to continue.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 4:09 pm by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Momlovesbooks
The title didn't give me much insight into what this book is about. I read the short blurb and it seemed to be based on Trump and things happening now in the U.S. After reading the OBC review, I gained a better understanding of the book and the fact that it was written before Trump took office. I enjoy some political thrillers and this one seems to be well-written and eerily accurate in its portrayal of current events. I downloaded this book and will add it to my long list of books to read.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 3:03 pm by Momlovesbooks.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shelle
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book and was glad to have the opportunity to sample it, however, this book seemed tired and overdone from page one. This same storyline and running theme has been released a million times over since November and I'm really wondering if all these authors were sitting on their books until then or if they raced to get them out, thinking there would be a run on not-so-futuristic political prophecies/novels. I'm sure this novel (like all of them) has some kind of twist or quirk to set it apart from the 100s of others out there, but in the first 10 pages I didn't see it. Had I sampled this book a year ago, I likely would have had a different response, but as this was released at a time when the market is heavily supersaturated, I likely won't look at it again. The book appeared to be professionally edited and error-free.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 1:50 pm by Shelle.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
SandraTWP-BRW
I found the plot summary and the comments from other readers very motivating - this is a very timely topic to build a fictional story around. The cover is very neutral. It does not discourage me from reading, but it does absolutely *nothing* to encourage me to, either. Also, the title really gives no clues about the story. Perhaps it becomes clear when reading farther than the first ten pages, but it also is not motivating.
The first ten pages weren't what I expected based on the plot summary. I expected to be dropped into the actions of the elected leader, but after a bit, I realized that the reader is being introduced to a leader of the opposition, a man who is rallying the people. The insights into his character, and how it differed significantly from the imagery he projects, was very interesting. The first ten pages did not give me an idea of how the story would unfold, but it was motivating to continue reading to find out.
Personally, I will probably not finish this book. It seems all right, and it's in my library in case I find myself with spare time. But I did not find this except sufficiently compelling to bump another title from my to-read list.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 8:26 am by SandraTWP-BRW.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kourtney Bradley
Going by the cover of this one alone, it's probably not something I would have chosen to read. But after hearing this OBC review, it's obvious that the reviewer has nothing but praise for this story. Unfortunately my reading list is too long right now or else I would jump right in to this one.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 5:59 am by Kourtney Bradley.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ananya92
The first fact that hits the reader about this book is how it resonates with reality, especially with the events that have played out in the USA since last year. While the plot works on a good idea, the author could have made the plot progression tighter. I found my attention slipping slightly in some places in the sample. The official review of this book was encouraging, however, the author's writing style did not inspire much confidence in the novel. Therefore, I'll skip this one. Also, the author could have come up with a more interesting title instead of the present one.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 5:33 am by ananya92.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
L_Therese
When I saw the cover and read the title, I wasn't imagining a political/dystopian thriller. It probably would not have attracted me because the thumbnail image of the cover looks beige and bland. I suppose it is a tribute to the author's astuteness that when I read the Amazon description of this book, I thought it was a thinly-veiled anti-Trump novel. When I realized that it was published years ago, I was amused and curious. That said, I generally prefer to read non-fiction when it has to do with politics. As I read the first ten pages, the registration procedure seemed a little on the nose. However, it was apparent that forces were on the move, and if I had more time, I might consider the book more seriously. As it is, I'm planning to pass.
First Ten review added on March 7, 2017, at 12:44 am by L_Therese.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
bookowlie
The cover of this book is pretty bland and would be something I wouldn't look twice at in a bookstore or online. As for the summary blurb, it doesn't appear to be edited well - it's very long and wordy, and there is no line break between the last two paragraphs. I didn't care for the long-winded writing style in the summary and it made me think the story would also be long-winded. Sadly, I was right in my assumption - the sample pages are long-winded and there is an overabundance of description. Taking everything in account, including the review that states the characters and scenes are sometimes not developed well, I am going to pass on this one.
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 11:57 pm by bookowlie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vermont Reviews
Mel Hawkins author of today's book of the day. Has done a great job of presenting a story that is riveting.He had shown his rereaders a story that could be in our near future. We must defend our freedoms.
I did download today's choice for book of the day.
Vermont Reviews
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 11:14 pm by Vermont Reviews.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
psychopathycathy
If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book. I am very interested in politics, and this book seems very relevant to modern times. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I liked that we saw the setting from different characters, and I also enjoyed how the setting seemed realistic, yet very different from the America we all know. It was professionally edited. I read the official review but it was confusing because the reviewer gave the book 4 stars but then said that there were some issues with plot development.
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 7:42 pm by psychopathycathy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
jamesabr
Benjamin's character is very interesting. The first ten pages were a fascinating if not ominous look into a fictitious future. If I were not a part of this program, I would have likely sampled this book because of its premise, which I read on Onilne Book Club. For me, the best part was the message in the beginning of the chapter. This message outlined which races of people were to be called up, and the fact that Benjamin threw away the paper showed me the mindset of some people during the time period. The exposition was not forced at all, which I also appreciated. I will buy this book and read it. There were no typos or grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 7:00 pm by jamesabr.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Bfrisco
Frankly, the title and the cover of the book would not have captured my attention. In addition, the blurb would not have encouraged me to look any further either. I don't think I would have read this book based on these alone. However, reading the onlinebookclub review intrigued me, and when I started to read the sample, I was drawn in. I think I would like to continue reading this book. It seemed professionally edited to me. I think the author did an excellent job with the dialogue as well as balancing the description with an appropriate amount of dialogue.
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 5:50 pm by Bfrisco.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kdonegan91
The cover of this book is creative. However, the title did not spark my interest. I am not a political thriller fan. After reading the first ten pages and the OBC review, my opinion of this genre has not changed. The portion of the book I read did not hold my attention. Also, the author's style of writing is wordy. Sometimes adding too much detail can take away from the plot. I will not be finishing this book.
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 5:38 pm by Kdonegan91.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CataclysmicKnight
I like the cover of this one - playing on historical documents fading to near-nothing - although it made me think more of a nonfiction book at first. Once the story started, however, I was delighted to find out this was a near-future potential reality and not nonfiction. While the first ten pages don't reveal much of what's to come, the Amazon description does. I don't see finishing the book myself, but for anyone who loves politics or is concerned about the future of America I can certainly recommend it!
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 2:04 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
James Craft
The cover is plain and simple but also appealing. It looks like an enticing novel, though some of the words are hard to read. I don't think from the cover that it is my type of book, but the rating on OBC makes it sound quite appealing, especially with the war scenes. All in all, I won't be buying a copy, but the opening of the book is strong and I can see a lot of people really enjoying this book. Well done putting this together and I hope the author has a lot of success in the future!
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 1:36 pm by James Craft.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
At first glance, the cover and title of this book caught my attention, therefore I probably would have picked this book up even if it was not part of the first ten program. I felt like the blurb was too long, it gave too much information and made me overwhelmed.
After reading the first ten pages, I was pleasantly surprised. This novel is well-written and professionally edited. I enjoyed the introduction and the plot is certainly interesting, I look forward to reading the rest of this book.
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 1:15 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
CrescentMoon
After reading the blurb, I don't think I would pick the book up because I was actually kind of confused about what the plot is and what the book is about. I also think the cover is really bland and boring and doesn't catch my eye. It would be easy to pass over this book. After reading the first ten pages, I don't think I will read the rest. I actually am a big fan of political thrillers so I like this genre but I wasn't really enticed into reading the rest of this story.
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 1:01 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gali
I probably wouldn't sample the book on my own, as the cover and title aren't very fetching. The blurb was far too detailed and revealed too many details about the plot. The official review had me hooked though. The book started well enough, with the Emergency Order that gave me the shudders and reminded me of dark times, then moving to Ben's speech. The book sounds too realistic for comfort. Political books aren't my usual read, but the premise intrigues me. Since I enjoyed the sample, I will give the book a try.
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 11:49 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
ashley_claire
Political fiction is normally not a genre that interests me. Reading the summary on Amazon does little to change my mind on this. I did have to do a double take at the year this was published because a lot of the issues really speak to what is happening right now. The book is well written and for a political fiction book it actually moves along at a nice pace. I think this is a great book for people who are interested in this genre, I'm just not one of them.
First Ten review added on March 6, 2017, at 10:57 am by ashley_claire.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 40%
Light and Transient Causes earned a score of 40%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 40% 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 Light and Transient Causes
