
The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for It's All Good: Times and Events I'd Never Want to Change
Because It's All Good: Times and Events I'd Never Want to Change 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.
Jeremie Mondejar

The cover photo, simply portrays happiness, which connects to the title. I sampled the book and often times made me remember about my Dad. The first few pages were a bit monotonous, however, the concept of family-ties sound fascinating to me. The author's narration about his family, holidays, and cuisines were projecting a kind of well-bonded family. I want to read it further, but reading memoirs make me homesick. When the author included his path to enlightenment, I was hooked a little bit, pause and ponder upon it. In conclusion, the OBC review has a good synopsis of the book. In the portion I read, I did not spot any errors.
First Ten review added on January 10, 2020, at 12:31 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Annelore Trujillo

I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, cover, title, and OBC reviews. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. The OBC review said this was a collection of essays, but it said they were told like stories. However, I definitely felt that they read more like an essay with interspersed anecdotes. For example this first “essay” talked about playing baseball and how the author’s mom going and talking to the coach was such an important moment in his life. This could have been told in more of a story format than it was. I did like the pictures that were included. However, I thought it was odd that the captions were in the third person perspective even though the book was told from the first person perspective. The book did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 9, 2020, at 10:14 pm by Annelore Trujillo.
MarisaRose

I don't typically choose to read memoirs; they are just not my favorite type of book. After reading the blurb for "It's All Good: Times and Events I'd Never Want to Change," I didn't think the book would interest me, mostly based on the format. I was slightly curious by the author's easy formatting choice; sometimes I find essays are more enjoyable and easier to digest than full on memoirs made up of chapters. However, based on the genre alone, I wouldn't choose to purchase this book blindly. An OBC review wouldn't sway my opinion about this book because the blurb didn't pique my interest. After sampling the first ten pages, the thing I enjoyed about the sample was the format of each chapter. The chapters are short and concise, most only lasting two or three pages. This formatting choice made it easy to read through the sample. I also found the addition of photographs of the author in his youth and with his family enjoyable. I like to be able to put a face with a name. However, what I disliked about the sample was the writing. I didn't think there was anything special about the author's style. The narrative is very straightforward: the author details major events in his past, like when he took up baseball or watched his family play card games in his big Italian neighborhood. While these stories are surely nostalgic for the author, they didn't evoke any type of reaction from me. On a positive note, I didn't notice any grammatical errors in the sample. Overall, I wasn't hooked after reading the sample for Sacchetti's book. I don't plan to purchase this memoir.
First Ten review added on January 9, 2020, at 5:14 am by MarisaRose.
Aubrey Lewis

The overall appearance of the book is a bit too colorful and not very eye-catching, in my opinion. When I read through the official OBC review, I felt that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the book since I'm not fond of reading memoirs. When I finished sampling the first ten pages, I decided not to read the rest of the book. The contents seemed professionally edited so far, and I found it touching when the author's mother talked to his coach, pleading the latter to give her son a chance in baseball. Unfortunately, the genre isn't my cup of tea, so I'll have to pass on this one. Since my reason is due to my own personal preference, I don't think there are any improvements the author needs to make.
First Ten review added on January 9, 2020, at 4:58 am by Aubrey Lewis.
Mrunal Tikekar

The cover of the book has a very nostalgic appeal to it. I could guess by the title that it was a memoir and I am not very fond of memoirs. I would have skipped sampling this book if it hadn’t been a part of this program. The official OnlineBookClub review for this book was full of praises and I understood why after I sampled the first ten pages. The author has written in a very simple, conversation language which would make the book an easy read. Also, it was nice to know about how things were for the author in the olden times, like the pasta ritual. The book seems to be divided into small chapters with a photo at the end of each chapter. I liked how the photos add to the nostalgia that the book brings about. From the first ten pages that I sampled, the book seemed to be professionally edited. However, as I do not enjoy memoirs, I don’t feel like giving this book a try.
First Ten review added on January 9, 2020, at 3:48 am by Mrunal Tikekar.
Shrabastee Chakraborty

The title and the cover hint at endearing tales of one's childhood. The official OBC review confirmed this by mentioning the good memories the author shares here. From the first ten pages, I found the author's writing was smooth-flowing and without errors. The first essay describing his mother's intervention in his dream of playing baseball did not appeal to me much. But the one where he described the lazy Sunday afternoons with family made me remember my own childhood. The sense of peace found in this book is too precious not to give this a try. I do intend to read this one.
First Ten review added on January 9, 2020, at 1:54 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Washboard

I normally don't read books from this genre. The title and cover art are endearing. The official review makes the book sound well done. I did not notice any errors in my reading. The first essay talks about how important baseball was to the author's life, and the huge impact his mother had on making it a positive experience for him. I won't be continuing to read this one, as I don't typically enjoy collections of short stories.
First Ten review added on January 9, 2020, at 1:07 am by Washboard.
AvidBibliophile

The cover art conveys a sense of nostalgic sentimentality, in a quirkily adorable way. The Amazon product description is soothingly persuasive in its approach to convey that "ample amounts of humor and sincerity" will be woven into the 27 included essays. The sprinkling of personal photographs throughout is such a beneficial component to this memoir. While I was never athletically-inclined as a child, I can definitely envision myself also being the one avoiding splinters on the bench. The amputated pinkie finger incident brings to mind a memory of my own great-grandmother, who lost the tip of her finger to a violent refrigerator mishap in the 1930s. This book appears to have been professionally edited. The 2 published OBC reviews certainly provide helpful insight, as do the additional 29 (incredibly positive) Amazon user ratings. While many of the era-specific references fall outside of my past and experience as a "non" baby boomer, I can surely see how they'd resonate with many other audiences. Having not come from a large family, I have no memories of traditional, ancestral meals, sporting events or card games. This book is probably not a good fit for me, but what a treasured piece of documented history it undoubtedly is!
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 11:50 pm by AvidBibliophile.
Sanju Lali

The cover and the title were quite impressive for me to grab the book. The official review gave an insight that it is a humor-filled collection of essays and attracted me to get this book. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that this is a very cool and inspirational read and reminded me of my childhood. However, the content is a bit of a common history of those days, and not so spicy enough to put it on priority reading list.
However, I don't suggest to make any changes in the book, except to fix one error that I below. Sometimes in the future, if I need to cool myself out of stress, I would surely consider this book to read.
I found the sentence "Then it happened" in the middle of two paragraphs, which was an incomplete sentence and made to search for a clue for a while.
I have marked this book to be read in the future at an appropriate time when the need comes, but I will not be able to buy and read this book today.
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 11:07 pm by Sanju Lali.
Juliet+1

Based on the title, cover, blurb, and OBC review, I didn't think I would want to read this book. I enjoy memoirs written by people whose lives have been very different from my own, but this author could have been "the boy next door."
Reading the first 10 pages confirmed my first opinion. The time period, culture, family structure, and location are all too familiar. The only difference is gender; little girls were not allowed to play baseball in those days.
The book is very well written and appears to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 10:33 pm by Juliet+1.
Brenda Creech

If I hadn't read the official review and the sample of this book, I probably would not have checked it out. The cover and title did not pull me in right away. The review was enlightening but did not convince me this was a must-read. When I read the sample, I enjoyed the essays, but I wasn't overly intrigued. I like the addition of the pictures the author added. The book is exceptionally well-edited; I found no errors in the portion I read. I didn't feel the nostalgia I expected to explore, so the book did not draw me in. Therefore, I have chosen not to finish reading the book for the reasons mentioned above.
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 6:01 pm by Brenda Creech.
MsH2k

I would have read the blurb of this book even if I had not been part of this program. I liked the title and could immediately relate to the sentiment. The sample pages were a delight to read. I enjoyed the author’s stories about his childhood, especially the card games involving his grandfather and his sons. The pictures were a nice addition to the book, and they helped to bring his stories to life. I was disappointed that he did not have a picture of his mom with the baseball story. While I enjoyed reading these stories, I do not feel the need to finish the book. The sample pages gave me enough of a feel for the rest of the book. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages, and the featured OnlineBookClub review had no bearing on my decision not to read this book.
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 2:21 pm by MsH2k.
Kaitlyn Canedy

I loved the cover art for It's All Good: Times and Events I'd Never Want to Change, which is why I chose to read the sample. I liked how the author created the book in a family album style; I felt as if I could relate to him on a personal level. Because of the time frame that this book is set in, I don't think that I would be able to relate to the author as well as the older generation. For this reason, I will be passing on this book. I didn't see any notable grammatical errors in the sample. I don't think that there is anything that the author needs to do to improve the book; personal experiences work great! There is an Official OnlineBookClub Review for this book, but it did not impact my decision to not read it.
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 1:49 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Kaylee Elmer

It's All Good: Times and Events I'd Never Want to Change is a collection of stories that act as a memoir. I prefer fiction, so I wouldn't have been drawn to this book initially. After reading the sample, I changed my mind. The anecdote about the author's first baseball team had me hooked. The official review of the book said the stories were heartwarming, which makes me even more eager to continue reading. I love the photographs in the book. I feel like they enhance the story and put faces to the names mentioned. The book seems to be professionally edited and I am interested in reading the whole book.
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 1:07 pm by Kaylee Elmer.
Howlan

A nostalgic cover of a childhood scene fits the warm theme of the background, and the unorthodox lettering of the title well. As for the synopsis well, it looks more like a review than a synopsis. As for the stories, I generally look for a good detective or a mystery fiction to read, so this book does not suit me well. I would have passed by it in the bookstore without a second thought. The stories seem to be written as separate events in the author's life. The narration is good and the structure of the book feels like you are having a normal conversation with the author about his life. I like this approach, but the only thing I dislike about it that somehow they do not actually draw you into the book, it feels easily skippable. there is no scene in the sample that pulls me into the conversation. So I do not think I will be buying this book. No typos were found in the first ten pages. The Official Review is present, and the reviewer finds it a "heartwarming collection."
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 12:42 pm by Howlan.
Laura Lee

Are you sure that free sample was 10 pages? It went by so fast, I wanted to keep reading!
While I like the photo on the front cover of the book, the font makes it look self-published. I probably would have passed save for the scoring on Amazon. The blurb on Amazon was good, except that I don't typically read books in this genre, so I still would have passed but seeing that it has such a high rating (92% as of this writing), really interested me. It's rare to see such a high rating on any book. The reviews on Amazon were good, but it was the lengthier Online Book Club review that really interested me. Its analysis and description made me want to give the sample pages a try.
The sample pages themselves are what convinced me that this is one book I definitely want to read now. The warmth of the author's memories when recalling his family and boyhood home were a huge draw. I loved the photos, too. All the affection the author felt for his family, I felt, too. That's why I want to read the book. I want the chance to bask longer in the amazing warmth of a close-knit Italian family. That's what this book offers, and that's what I like best about it. Reading, I feel like I'm right there, inhaling the lingering aroma of Italian sausage while the men yell and swear at each other in Italian between rounds of pinochle. It's also why I'm planning to buy and read the book.
The book was clearly professionally edited. There wasn't anything in the too-short sample that could be improved upon. It really is an amazingly well-written book that pulls you in immediately.
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 11:47 am by Laura Lee.
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

I found the cover of the book a bit misleading. The picture used gives a Mexican vibe and the author's family is Italian-American. The use of sepia tones also gives the idea of a much older time period than the 60s. The blurb is good but I think it lacks a clear purpose, namely an answer to why should the reader choose to read this particular collection of essays. It has good reviews but, for the reasons I mentioned, I wouldn't have chosen to read it or buy it just based on first impressions. I read the first ten pages and I think the narration is simple but relatable and touching. My favorite part was the respect everyone showed for Grand Pop. Respect for our elders is a big part of my culture too, so I was able to see my family in the author's story. These essays give the feeling of talking with an old friend, which can be very pleasant, but the narrative voice also has a "cranky boomer" quality to it, for example when he complains about participation trophies. It's a trite complaint and can be off-putting for millennial readers like myself. Having read the first ten pages I can see positive assets like the ones mentioned but I don't find the stories interesting enough for me to choose this book among the many others in my to-read list and I'm not in the mood to feel like I'm being scolded by another baby boomer. I will not read or buy the book. I think this could be improved highlighting the positive aspects of growing up in the 60s without comparing or criticizing the way younger readers live. The cover could also be improved. The book seems professionally edited and I didn't find any mistakes. It has an official review that hyped me up until I sampled the book.
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 11:38 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Nikolas Farmakis

This book is a memoir of the author, who is an American-Italian. He writes about his family and his early years playing baseball. I would not have read this book, as I was not deeply intrigued by the title, the cover, or the genre since I am not interested in memoirs. I will not read this book, as I found it boring and not close to my interests. This book was professionally edited, as it did not include any errors in the sample I read. What I liked most about this book was the fact that the author included pictures that illustrate his childhood. To improve, the author must add more suspense, tension, and drama to the text, in order to better engage the reader. This book had an Official OnlineBookClub review, which did not affect my opinion.
First Ten review added on January 8, 2020, at 10:06 am by Nikolas Farmakis.
This book appears to have been Book of the Day more than once. Only responses from the most recent Book of the Day focus group are shown. Older responses have been hidden by default to avoid confusion. If you would like to also view the older first ten responses, you can unhide them by clicking the button below.
Total ~ 17%
It's All Good: Times and Events I'd Never Want to Change earned a score of 17%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 17% 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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