The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Isn’t it kind of funny that
Because Isn’t it kind of funny that 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.
Soraya Bayah
The sample of this book was less than a couple of pages that end with the table of contents. Thus, there were no errors. The illustrations and font style were luring. I can see how this book would appeal to both a young and mature audience. The topics that are mentioned, the description of the book, and reviews like OBC made it easy for me to see this book something I would enjoy. It seems that it delves into philosophical thoughts in a simple manner. Indeed, why does some people have to suffer lack of essential life components while there are an abundance of them all other the world. I would not have picked up this book from the cover, title, or genre, as they did not seem that attracting. But as I said, the rest, like description and reviews, were luring. Also, nothing could be bettered, as I did not get the chance to read enough of it. Hopefully, it will be as fun and educative as I envision it to be.
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 4:59 am by Soraya Bayah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
va2016
The title "Isn't it kind of funny that..." and the cover do not convey the theme of the book. There are no Amazon customer ratings for the book. The Amazon summary states that the book is about questioning the way we live. Since I am interested in this topic, I would have sampled the book even if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the sample containing the title page followed by the table of contents. As I am interested in the overall theme of the book, I am going to read this book in full. As I could not find any content to review in the sample, I am not in a position to say if the book has been professionally edited or not. What I liked most about the book is its theme. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of the book. Although I didn't find any OBC review on the book, my decision to read this book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 4:55 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jeremie Mondejar
Isn’t it kind of funny that by Jerry Schaefer is a thought-provoking book for all ages. I sample this book based on the program. I like that the author uses simple images to present the plot. The color is quite eye-catching and the drawings perfectly fit in the concept of the book. I don't see any errors in this book, so I assume this book is professionally edited. I read the OBC review that influences me to read it. Lastly, there's nothing that needed any changes at all.
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 4:47 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Stellah Chege
I would have read this book simply based on the cover page and title alone. They give an idea that it's a book of questioning things as they appear. I sampled the first few pages, the sample did not allow me to go beyond 4 pages. I did not see an OBC review or a blurb. This has discouraged me to read this book. What I loved most is the epilogue where the author alludes to us being unhappy despite having everything a human needs in order to remain happy. I did not find any errors and I believe the book is professionally edited. I can only suggest that the author make the book easier to access. I had a difficult time trying to find it. I will not buy or read this book due to above reasons.
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 4:45 am by Stellah Chege.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gabriella H
The OBC official review, blurb, editorial review, customer reviews, cover, and title didn't make me feel like reading this book. The mention of rhetorical questions that will make readers think in the OBC official review made me go, "oh, I don't think this is for me. I already think a lot." Truly, the first ten pages already had me analyzing things, which I would rather not do currently, as it can get quite unhealthy. So, I will pass on this one, although I like the illustrations and arrangement inside the book. Otherwise, the cover is quite plain. If I weren't a part of this program, I wouldn't have sampled this book because it looks plain. I didn't see any errors in the first ten pages, so I believe those pages were professionally edited. I have no suggestions for improvements.
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 4:43 am by Gabriella H.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mutai Marshal
I would have passed the chance to read this book because I couldn't connect with both the title and cover page. This means that I wouldnt have read the book without sampling. From the customer reviews and the book's description, I liked that the book addresses real-life issues, such as pollution, pandemics and wars. This is my favorite aspect in the book because I couldn't access the book's sample. Consequently, I can neither conclude whether the book was edited professionally nor provide suggestions for improvement. Since there was no OBC review, I will not complete reading this book as I didn't find sufficient conclusive information about the book's genre.
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 4:41 am by Mutai Marshal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shrabastee Chakraborty
There was no OBC review for this book, but other published reviews seemed to praise it. Yet, I did not intend to read the book based on the premise. I found no errors in the first ten pages. The book was dedicated to everyone who created the new earth. The author presented a thought-provoking question, that is, with all the resources available on earth for everyone to be content, why wasn't anyone happy? I liked the white and green theme and the whimsical line drawings. I had no suggestions for improvement as such; however, I would have loved more insight into the book from the excerpt. Based on my reading experience, I decided not to read the entire book.
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 4:40 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Dzejn_Crvena
Outside this program, I would have sampled this book because of the catchy and thought-provoking title. I didn't see any OBC review, but the lack of it didn't affect my decision. From the Amazon reviews, I learned that the book contains questions that talk about how people behave and think. The sample contains dynamic discussions about life and living. I like the illustrations that helped me visualize the topics in the book. It seems professionally edited, and I don't have suggestions for improvements.
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 4:35 am by Dzejn_Crvena.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Manang Muyang
From the title and cover, one assumes that this book is humorous non-fiction. The blurb says the book contains thought-provoking questions about life. I usually enjoy similar funny one-liners, so I would have sampled the book outside of the program. The sample was too short, though. I wish there were more pages to check out. I did enjoy the attractive illustrations and the descriptive chapter titles in the Table of Contents. However, I will not buy the book because I couldn't predict whether I would like the writing style. Another factor that made me unsure if this would be a good buy was that there was no accompanying OBC review. I didn't find any errors, but I was curious why "Cars 'R Us (one)" was spelled differently from "Cars Are Us (two)." The idea of no cars in the world seems unthinkable now, but that scenario would be glorious, I guess. Just imagine the predictable results: cleaner air and safer roads!
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 3:46 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
SweetSourSalty AndSpicy
I will skip this book outside the program. The cover, title, and blurb hint at self-help which I seldom read. Customer reviews are enthusiastic. From the sample, I liked the colorful presentation. However, it was short that I did not have enough material to know the contents. I suggest adding a few pages to the sample. Likewise, I did not notice editing issues. The official OnlineBookClub review has helpful insights, but I will pass.
First Ten review added on June 27, 2022, at 12:06 am by SweetSourSalty AndSpicy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
The cover and title of this book are average. After reading the Amazon blurb, I would not have sampled this book because I do not read non-fiction. The free sample was very short, but I liked the illustrations. I do agree that it's funny that we have enough to help everyone but we don't. Unfortunately, I did not see any official OBC review, but the customer reviews were positive. Overall, the free sample did not interest me enough to continue reading. So, I will not be reading the rest. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 9:53 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, cover, title, editorial reviews, and customer reviews. I don’t usually read non-fiction books. The Amazon description also didn’t give a description of the book. It just jumped straight to other reviews. There also wasn’t an OBC review, and I don’t read books without them. After sampling the book, I won’t be finishing this book. It seems to be too serious for me. It talks about how we have everything to provide for everyone, but we don’t do it. This is a serious topic. The sample was also lacking content, which could be improved. I did like the format of the book. It did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 9:21 pm by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
I would not have picked this book up based on the cover alone. It appears to be a joke book or possibly a children’s book. The title seems simple but it doesn’t really tell me what the book is about. I haven’t read any customer reviews or blurbs; however, the onlinebookclub.org review was very positive and recommended the book. The sample that I read of the book focused on how unhealthy we are. It stated that we have everything available to us to lead happy and healthy lives, but we don’t. I think the statement is true. People generally don’t use the resources available to them to stay healthy. I didn’t see any errors in the sample, so I believe the book was professionally edited. I also didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon. However, based on the first ten pages, I will not finish reading this book. I didn’t learn anything new from it and it didn’t interest me.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 8:17 pm by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mbrooks2518
The book's title caught my attention, and the Amazon synopsis piqued my interest further, so I would have read the sample even without The First Ten. I liked the tone of the writing in the preface. The author's writing about fulfillment and the progression of consciousness has an optimistic feel. I also liked the simple illustrations which are fun to look at and offset the book's heavier topics. After reading the sample, I decided to buy the book. There were no editing mistakes, and nothing needs to be improved. The lack of an OBC review did not affect my opinion.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 5:17 pm by Mbrooks2518.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jorge Leon Salazar
The cover and title are striking and consistent with the content. I think many interested readers should be attracted. I like the approach of questioning, in a fun and thought-provoking way, how people do some things. The blurb indicates the book explores the manner humans live, questions the status quo, and seeks to inspire change. Also, the blurb mentions that the book invites the reader to reflect on a wide range of topics. For example, consciousness, time, food, war, thoughts, space, and death, among others. The customer reviews are quite flattering. Based on these elements, I could give this book a try. The sample is considerably brief. However, it shows funny and catchy images. What was mentioned about why we don't properly use everything we have so that everyone has everything they need to be healthy and happy made me reflect. Definitely, in many cases, our behavior as humans is not the most appropriate. The Table of Contents includes intriguing titles and comments on some topics. For instance, life without cars, thought control, being a slave to time, wars, death, and food. The book has an interesting and original focus, but it didn't completely grab me. What I sampled was very short and didn't allow me to form a complete idea of the whole content. Therefore, I won't read the rest of the book. The editing looks outstanding as I didn't see anything to comment on. Overall, I didn't see anything that I believe could be improved. The book did not have an official OnlineBookClub review, but if it did, it might have made its scope and positive aspects clearer. Probably, it could have changed my decision not to read the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 4:27 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
It was evident from the cover and the title that this is a humorous comic book. I read the OBC official review of this book to understand what is inside. Unfortunately, I could not find any OBC official review of this book. It is the OBC official review that helps me decide whether or not to buy any book. I read the free sample of this book because of the program called the first ten. After reading the free sample, I did not find any free pages of the main content of this book. So, I cannot say whether this book was not professionally edited or not. From this sample, I cannot say what I liked the most or understood about this book because it lacked the main content. My suggestion to the author is to give at least a few free pages of the main content for us to decide whether or not to purchase this book. Therefore, I decided not to purchase and read this book today until the author gives an appropriate free sample.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 1:43 pm by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Diana Lowery
The title had me humming the Elton John song "It's a little bit funny" even though the words weren't exactly the same. I liked the graphics and the colors of the cover. The Amazon blurb was interesting because it mentioned questioning the status quo of how we live. I was disappointed that there was not an OBC review. The Amazon reviews were all positive, but they did not convince me to read the book. I liked the illustrations in the book. I found the text to be too philosophical, but I will keep it in my Kindle to ponder over in small doses. I had to download the book because there were no text pages in the free sample. I am not sure if this was a pun or an error, "Mine the gap" is usually written as "mind the gap." I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 9:52 am by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Rodel Barnachea
Following my going over the title’s Amazon page, I decided not to purchase the book. I am not fascinated by the author’s intention to make the readers think differently about their lives. I am also not intrigued by the different topics (such as death, evolution, time, etc.) that the title explores. The absence of an OnlineBookClub review of the book is a factor that affected my decision. Perusing its Amazon sample failed to change my mind. I would not acquire it because nothing in the text had me wanting to peruse the remaining pages of the title. The first ten pages contain Chapter 1: Space, Chapter 2: Car ‘R Us, and a few pages of Chapter 3: Thinking. My favorite part is the color scheme used in the illustrations. I did not identify any errors in the text. I believe the book is professionally edited. I have nothing to suggest to the author.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 9:45 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rosemary Owolabi
The front cover looks very bold and comical, but it carries serious questions afterwards. The sample is available on Amazon.
I didn't notice any typos or errors when I was going through the book's introduction, table of contents (chapters 1 to 28), copyright, preface, and illustrations. The total number of pages in the sample was not up to ten pages. I didn't have much to work with. though the book seems to be professionally edited.
What could be improved? I didn't have much content to work with, like I said earlier. This gave me a bit of concern because I was worried about how to review a book that didn't have much content. The name of the author wasn't so visible for me to read until I zoomed in on the app. More chapters should be added, and the contents shouldn't look scanty or blank.
From what I was able to deduce from the book, it is for grade levels six to twelve. It is full of thought-provoking ideas from the writer's perspective. Each topic will either provoke some reactions from the readers. It will make the reader agree or disagree with how the writer feels about the environment or what the writer considers a healthy lifestyle. There are some questions in the book that readers may want to look into as truthfully as they can. I will not buy the book because I don't have enough content or information to work with to convince me enough to buy it.
What I liked in the sample that I read was the topics on the table of contents. They seem to be very important discussions to have. I also like the writer's commentary regarding the book.
On Twitter, there is an OnlineBookClub forum review of the book. This doesn't affect my decision.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 8:52 am by Rosemary Owolabi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
KafeliKe
Jerry Schaefer's It's Kind of Funny sounds like a fantastic book. In this book, the author discusses a variety of topics. He urges people to envision a life full of wonders rather than, for example, a world without cars. The aspect of this book that I loved most in the few pages I read was its beautifully designed cover. Nothing about the book disappointed me. On a number of websites, including Amazon, customers have given this book favorable reviews. I'm not going to buy and finish reading this book. This is because of the book's premise rather than its cover, title, or readers' reviews. I will, however, suggest it to my friends who enjoy works like this. The book is alright and doesn't require any more improvement. I didn't detect any flaws in the first few pages I sampled. This is a blatant sign that it was meticulously edited.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 8:28 am by KafeliKe.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
The book seems to be a self-help book, but due to the genre mismatch, I would not have sampled it. I did not come across an official OBC review of the book, but this still would not have changed my mind regarding sampling because of the genre mismatch, in addition to the fact that the book design seems a bit amateurish. In this case, first impressions do matter. Based on what I can see of the sample (which stops right after the table of contents), I don't really think there are objective grammar errors, although I would like to point out something that is rather unclear. At loc 9, in the table of contents, the sentence under chapter 2 "Cars 'R Us (one)", the sentence states "...miraculous (eventually) results...". If it were me, it would have been better to place "eventually" before the word "miraculous" for better flow. Of course, this is not an objective error, but I have listed this as an instance of awkward flow. Other than this, I don't really think the sample contains instances of errors that are real errors (i.e., cannot be passed off as stylistic choices). However, from what I can see, I think that the author should work with a professional editor to improve typography. This is because, from what I can see, the first page includes a question to the reader, but the author has made a choice to alternate the colours used, i.e., the first word is in green, the second in black, so on and so forth. I do not see a reason for this alternating pattern, and it only serves to distract the reader, rather than to contribute anything significant. It is best to only use different fonts/colours only when emphasising important points (and only sparingly at that) to give an impression of professionalism. Hence, I will not be buying the book today because I think that the editing and typography can be improved; the genre mismatch is also another factor in my decision not to purchase the book.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 5:56 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rita Nuncia
Isn’t it kind of funny that by Jerry Schaefer according to an Amazon review, is a thought-provoking book with humor. It contains questions that cause one to think deeply about the ways of human life. The title of the book piqued my interest. Therefore, I would have read the book without the First Ten Program being the reason. After reading the available sample of the book, I discovered it only has up to the page for table of content. However, the content on that page got me captivated. I would like to see and read what the author has to say on those topics listed there. This book seems professionally edited as I did not notice any grammatical or typographical errors while reading the first ten pages of the book. I like mostly the title of this book and the illustrations. It made it captivating and fun from the beginning with questions and humor. I do not see anything that needs to be improved as I did not notice any fault in the few pages I read. I did not read an OnlineBookClub official review however, it does not affect my opinion of the book.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 4:54 am by Rita Nuncia.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Vidhi Adhikari
I liked the fact that the book clarifies it's theme from the get-go with the bold title written on the cover and the brief but clear description. Since I too like to question the conventional norms that our society operates around, I was sure that I will enjoy and relate to this book. The positive customer and OBC reviews further strengthened the book's impression. Although I loved the colour scheme followed in the book, there was not enough content in the sample for me to form an impression of the book. Hence, I shall not be reading it anytime soon. Although I didn't come across any errors in the sample, I would suggest adding more pages in the sample so that the reader knows the kind of topics discussed in the book.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 2:39 am by Vidhi Adhikari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ari Martinez
If it hadn't been for this program, I wouldn't have sampled this book based on its title, cover, genre, or blurb because I don't tend to read these types of non-fiction books that "inspire change." After reading the sample, I will not read the rest of the book because the sample was too small to be able to convince me to read it. Since the sample was so small, I would have liked to see an Official OnlineBookClub review to give me a better insight into the book. My favorite part of the sample was the formatting. It was very creative and eye-catching. I can't think of any way to improve the book, and it appears professionally edited.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 2:05 am by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jennifer Garcia 555
I like the bold but simple cover of this book, but I am not a fan of non-fiction or self-help books. The description makes this book sound like this is not the type of book I enjoy reading. I would not pick this book to read. I did not see an official OnlineBookClub review but I read a few other reviews. I like that the author helps people to stop and think about their lives. People rarely spot and reflect because we are all in such a hurry. I did not see any editing errors in the short sample, so this book seems professionally edited. I have no suggestions for improvement. Although I can see how this book may be helpful to some, it is not the type of book I enjoy. I will not buy or finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 1:59 am by Jennifer Garcia 555.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Damian Keyes
The first thing I noticed about this book was the title; I had to find out what "Isn't It Kind Of Funny..." is. Then I went to the official review on the OBC website and knew that this book was for me. I saw that this book was $0.99 on Kindle, so I decided to buy it. This book is worth more than I paid for it. I love thought-provoking books that are able to enlighten me on various topics of life that I could inturn implement those lessons in my life. I love how the author redefines words to fit the nature of each chapter. For example, in my favorite chapter of the book, 'Cars 'R Us', the author defines cars as: "motorized devices that go around with an invisible straw sucking the juice out of the earth, another straw shooting gases into." I have gotten to chapter six and did not find any grammar or spelling errors. I believe this book is professionally edited. I think this book is perfect; nothing I could tell the author would make this book even better. I cannot wait to finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on June 26, 2022, at 1:27 am by Damian Keyes.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
psychopathycathy
If I had not read the sample as part of the First Ten program, I would have read the book. The cover looks very fun and the blurb intrigues me; I am interested in psychology and behavioral sciences. The Amazon reviews also call the book thought-provoking and I love reading books like that. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. The formatting of the book really matched the tone of the writing — it made reading the book feel fun and easy. I also really loved the first chapter being about "Space" and how it talked about both science (atoms) but also life (furniture). It was also professionally edited so there was nothing that I would change. I liked everything. I did not read an official review but that did not affect my decision; I would still recommend this to readers of thought-provoking psychology or humorous books.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 9:04 pm by psychopathycathy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Gabrielle Sigaki
Isn’t it kind of funny that by Jerry Schaefer is a thought-provoking philosophical non-fiction book that talks with humor about several themes, such as death, awareness, food, time, space, and a lot more. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its customer reviews, its blurb, and its genre since I'm not interested in philosophical non-fiction books in general, even though this one also brings humor. This book didn't have an Official OnlineBookClub review, but its lack didn't affect my decision since the customer reviews were enlightening. The book's cover and title didn't affect my decision. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I won't read the entire book because of the reason I stated before. The book seems professionally edited, but the sample was too short and didn't contain a lot of reflections, so the only aspect that could be improved is the amount of pages in the sample. Besides, I liked the fact that the book brings some simple drawings with lines and words in big fonts, which makes the book more friendly.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 7:35 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
The title and cover captured my attention. This seemed like it would be a light but thought-provoking read, and I enjoy nonfiction books with illustrations. I would have sampled this book even if I were not part of this program. I did not notice a blurb in the sample, and the sample pages were too few to get an idea of the style of writing and illustrations, so I will not buy this book. The chapter titles and excerpts indicated the topics included, but that was not enough for me to want to read more. I cannot say if the book was professionally edited because the sample was not large enough. A suggestion for improvement would be to include more content in the sample. Sadly, there was no featured OnlineBookClub review, so I did not get any additional information from that source either. Other editorial reviews or customer reviews did not influence my decision.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 6:09 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Amy Luman
There were not ten pages of reading material in the free sample. Based on this, I cannot determine the quality of the editing. There was also no OBC review of the book, so I could not go to see other OBC reviews. The reviews on the Amazon page convinced me that I did not want to read this because I was not really interested in Mr. Schaefer’s view of how the world should change. I can’t say what should be changed or my favorite part.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 4:59 pm by Amy Luman.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Yvonne Monique
The book cover does not clearly explain what kind of book this is, but as the title is attractive, I would pick this book up if I would see it in a bookstore. The blurb and customer reviews give a good idea what this book is about. I could not find an official OBC review. The sample is rather short and did not show what to expect from this book. The few pages with text did not have any spelling errors. The two statements at the beginning of the book are very true, but did not convince me to buy the book. Unfortunately, I could not sample the first chapter, as the sample was not long enough. That is why I will not buy this book. As an improvement, I would suggest to offer a sample with at least a couple of pages of the first chapter.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 4:48 pm by Yvonne Monique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'Isn’t It Kind of Funny' is a non-fiction book. It is written by Jerry Schaefer. The book aims to make us introspect and think about life. It consists of nine chapters. I like the illustrations. The concept is unique as well. The sample is pretty short. So, I am not sure how well-edited it is. I did not find any errors in the sample though. As the sample is short, I cannot say if it requires any improvement. I believe an OBC review would have been helpful. I would have skipped this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews as I am not in the mood to read books of this genre as of now. For the same reason, I have decided to skip this book.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 4:25 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
If Isn’t it kind of funny that hadn't been the OnlineBookClub's book of the day, I would have read the sample anyway because of the description on Amazon.com. I also became very intrigued by this book because one of the customer reviews mentioned that the content in the book can be used as a conversation starter at parties. In the sample, I liked the use of pictures; very few philosophical books use photos when talking about serious topics. I also did not see any grammatical errors in the sample at all. If there is one thing I would improve, it would be to add a few more pages to the sample so readers can get a more accurate synopsis of the book. At this time, an official OnlineBookClub review does not exist for this book, but I decided I wanted to read the book anyway because of its use of photographs and humor. Readers who enjoy books about philosophy may like this one.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 4:00 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Laura Ungureanu
I love titles that make you think and wonder what they mean. The book's title and the blurb made me want to see more. There is no OBC review, but I didn't feel its absence because I was already keen on sampling this book. The book seems to have multiple Amazon editorial and customer reviews. The illustrations match the book's cover and theme. They were a bit simplistic for my liking though. The first idea to think about is why we are unhappy when we can have everything, which makes you worry less. I like a book that can affect the reader's mood. However, I expected something more complex. A bit more writing could help develop the ideas that are already expressed. That would be my suggestion for improvement. I won't continue reading this book because of that. The editing seemed flawless.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 3:42 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Stephanie Runyon
The cover is bright and easy to read. I would think this would be a comedy book. I would have sampled it based off the title and cover. The sample provided by Amazon was too short for me to make an opinion on the content. The chapter titles on the Table of Contents page are interesting. I also cannot state anything about the editing of the book, nor suggest any improvements. There was no OBC review available for this either. I didn't see anything online that would convince me to read the book. I will pass due to not having enough information about the book to make an informed decision.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 3:36 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Emy Katherine
Although the title caught my attention, I would not have read the book based on the cover and genre. I liked the engaging Amazon blurb, and I also noticed that the book had numerous positive customer reviews and editorial reviews. However, as I am not fond of non-fiction books, reading the sample did not convince me to read the rest of the book. Actually, I was disappointed to see that the sample only contained the table of contents. For this reason, I would suggest that the author add at least two or three pages to motivate the reader to buy the book. For obvious reasons, I cannot say if the book was professionally edited. This 80-page book contains twenty chapters covering different topics such as death, food, war, consciousness, time, and life. Based on the customer reviews, this book is also filled with eye-catching illustrations and will surely appeal to those interested in reading thought-provoking books that inspire people to make the world a better place. Of course, the lack of an OBC review did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 3:22 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
markodim721
I would choose to read a sample of this book because of the cover and title. I read the editor reviews and customer reviews but they did not influence my decision. I did not find the OnlineBookClub review. The blurb helped me to understand the concept of the book and the topics that the book deals with, and in that sense, it influenced my decision. The title of the book differs from similar books and stands out. The cover of the book is simply designed and fits perfectly with the title. I will read the book because I am interested in learning more about determinism and free will, especially in a completely new way. While reading the sample I did not notice any errors or typos and the book seems like it is professionally edited. Reading the sample did not change my mind from my original guess. I like that it is pointed out that our true identity is consciousness because it encourages thinking. I don’t think anything needs to be improved in the book.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 1:59 pm by markodim721.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Chelsy Scherba
This is a good book for people who’ve never thought deeply about the world around them. It’s short, concise, and seems to let you draw your own conclusions. I like that the author in particular exposes the health and food industries. The editorial reviews gave a lot of information about the contents, and Amazon reviews were equally positive. There was no OBC review, but I feel the amount of reviews was sufficient. I generally like philosophy that has more meat to digest, so unfortunately this book is too brief for my liking. The genre is great though, and one I have interest in outside of the program. I didn’t see any editing issues or typos, so I have no suggestions for improvements. I like the illustrations.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 1:35 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
I like the cover of the book. It's intriguing (what's funny?) and original. It's not the classic self-help book cover, or romance cover, or so on. It truly made me wonder what this book is about, and who doesn't like funny things? I appreciate humor, and I really wish to live a more simplistic and less-materialistic life, so I loved the blurb too. The book also has high ratings, so I would have bought it based on my first impressions.
Unfortunately, the sample is way too small to ratify my decision, probably due to the total length of the book. I only have the legal pages, the dedicatory, and the index. The opening question before the table of contents is thought-provoking, and I wish we could change that. The chapter about death is the one that piqued my interest the most because the statement is strong and sort of controversial for those of us that have experienced life-altering losses: "Deprived of death, our lives are shallow. Death adds depth to our superficial lives." I didn't find editing mistakes. I would've liked to have an official OBC review because humor is sort of an individual thing. Is it dark humor? Crass humor? I'll still buy and read the book because it's short and affordable, so it's not a huge loss if I end up not liking it, but I advise the author to include a review since the sample is so small.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 12:26 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Chinazo Anozie
I knew I wouldn’t be interested in this book from the title, cover, description, genre, and customer reviews. I don’t read non-fiction, so I will not buy and read this book. However, I loved how thought-provoking some of the words were. For example, “Death adds depth to our superficial lives.” I think the author was very creative with this book. This book seems professionally edited because I didn’t notice any errors. I don’t think anything needs to be improved. This book didn’t have an OnlineBookClub review, but this didn’t affect my decision to read this book or not.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 12:12 pm by Chinazo Anozie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Patty Allread
If I hadn't been part of the onlinebookclub program, I still might have chosen to read this book based on the title, implying the book might be clever and humorous. The cover art caught my attention, and I like the colors. The Amazon blurb and the editorial reviews seemed to describe the book as containing spectator-type observations of life and the author's conclusions. I began doubting that I would enjoy the book, but I decided to sample it to see for myself.
Now that I've read a sample of this book, I will not read the rest. I didn't find the author's observations aligned with my own, so I wasn't engaged in those or the conclusions most of the time. I liked the idea of what public transportation would be like if children designed them. I didn't like the tiny print in the Kindle version, which I found very difficult to read. Even worse were the green pages with the tiny print, which I could not read at all. I suggest the author and publisher review this, change the font size on those tiny print pages, get rid of the green pages, or at least lighten the shade. I did not see any errors in what I read.
There was no Onlinebookclub review of this book. I would have liked to see what the reviewer said because the reviewers for OBC are usually very thorough and give a good idea of what an entire book has to offer. OBC reviews are normally honest reviews with an explanation for what was said. I might have changed my mind about reading the book if there had been an OBC review.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 11:55 am by Patty Allread.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ayomikun Babalola
I would have chosen to buy or sample a few pages of this book. I love the cover and title. They would have grabbed my attention right away if I was browsing for books. I love pondering or arguing about philosophical questions; therefore, I am willing to read books in this genre. The editorial and customer reviews did not influence my opinion of this book.
I will buy this book. There wasn't much content to read in the first ten pages, but the wonderful illustrations and the statement that was placed on the page before the table of contents convinced me to give this book a try. I could not find any errors in this book. I love the illustrations and the general message that this book is trying to deliver. Furthermore, I really liked the statement that the author included in the first ten pages. I feel that a larger sample of this book's content should be made available, even if it's just a page or two. It would really be nice to know more of what this book is offering, and it would generate more interest in the book. I did not see an official Onlinebookclub review.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 11:01 am by Ayomikun Babalola.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AntonelaMaria
I don't read many philosophical takeaways in books. even though I like nonfiction. This one has a funny title that promises an interesting read. The lack of an Official OnlineBookClub review is not an issue for me. There are some helpful Amazin reviews. I'm not curious enough to read this book. It would be beneficial to have an actual sample of the book to see what it is about and what the narration style is. However, the sample gives me only a table of content. That is something I would improve for readers. I didn't notice any errors.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 10:09 am by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Bertha Jackson
This book is not one I would have been interested in outside the program. The cover is attractive, and the title makes it appear to be a book of jokes I would be interested in, but the genre contradicts that idea. The blurb reveals that it is a thought-provoking book about life that I am not interested in reading. The customer and editorial reviews did not affect my decision not to read this book. There was no OnlineBookClub review to read. The illustrations and the little bit available to read in the sample appeared professionally edited. There was nothing I liked in the short sample because the author assumes that everyone has what they need to be happy, which is not true. Many people are born into poverty and never get out of it. I will not purchase and read this book for the reasons discussed above. I have no recommendations for the author.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 9:48 am by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kira Bonita Reece
I would choose to read this book based on the cover, title, blurb, and genre. The customer reviews that I saw state that this is an enlightening and eye-opening book that seeks to inspire change in human behavior.
The sample I read was not much to judge the book by. It only went as far as the table of contents so I don't know if the book was professionally edited or not and if it needs any improvements. This book did not have an official OnlineBookClub review.
I won't be reading this one because I wasn't able to sample it and the lack of an official OnlineBookClub review also influenced my choice.
First Ten review added on June 25, 2022, at 9:47 am by Kira Bonita Reece.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 29%
Isn’t it kind of funny that earned a score of 29%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 29% 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 Isn’t it kind of funny that
