
The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for The Necklace: The Dusky Club, June 1962
Because The Necklace was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Cjgarland89

I wouldn't have sampled this without the first ten. The cover is not appealing and I don't like romance. The OBC review talked about the time travel aspect and made it less interesting to me. After sampling my opinion hasn't changed and I'm even less likely than before to read. It wasn't exciting for me, but it did look error free.
First Ten review added on March 1, 2017, at 7:38 am by Cjgarland89.
Kourtney Bradley

Based in the cover of this book, I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought. The cover looks like one of the ordinary romance novels that my grandmother reads, and something I always pass on. However, once I got started on the blurb and synopsis, I started thinking there may be some potential here. I'm looking forward to the rest of this one
First Ten review added on March 1, 2017, at 6:47 am by Kourtney Bradley.
Momlovesbooks

I enjoy romance novels, so was captured by the cover. The review was positive and anything involving time travel is a plus. I read the first few pages and was intrigued. The characters are interesting and the plot definitely seems out of the ordinary. I downloaded the book and will be reading this one as soon as possible!
First Ten review added on March 1, 2017, at 6:34 am by Momlovesbooks.
Gravy

This doesn't land anywhere near my usual reading tastes. Needless to say, I would not have looked at it.
I noticed no errors, and while I'm not a fan of the cover it's okay.
This isn't something I intend to read, but would recommend it to those who want a cute and fun escape of the romantic variety.
First Ten review added on March 1, 2017, at 2:04 am by Gravy.
Annelore Trujillo

I would have sampled this book without this program base solely on the genre. I am a sucker for romance novels. After reading the first ten pages, I will be finishing this book. I want to know what happens! I want to know if Susan and James ever see each other again. I want to know why she ran away from him. There's so many things I still want to know after only reading the first ten pages. It also seemed to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on March 1, 2017, at 1:58 am by Annelore Trujillo.
jungkookblog

I don't think I will be reading this book because it doesn't seem like my type of book. Especially since it is time travel and along with time travel. The cover has made me uncomfortable because it seems like he is grabbing her breast. I am not going to be reading this book because it seems very unprofessionally and it does not drag me into the book. It gives me no interest in the book. It does seem professionally edited though. I did not see a review, and I don't think it would affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on March 1, 2017, at 12:56 am by jungkookblog.
MarisaRose

"The Necklace" is not a book I would typically choose to read as I am not a big fan of romance novels. After sampling the first ten pages as part of this program, I do not think this book is for me. Although the beginning appeared to be well written and was free of any noticeable grammatical errors, I found the beginning of the story to be rather creepy and a bit unsettling. Further, the cover for the book is equally as unsettling. Though this book may appeal to fans of the genre, I am definitely not one of them! The OBC review did not impact my decision about this book. I will not continue reading this one.
First Ten review added on February 28, 2017, at 3:49 pm by MarisaRose.
L_Therese

When I first looked at the cover, I was not impressed by the image of the man groping the woman's breast. It seemed a little overly-blatant and made me feel like the novel might be on the trashy side. To the contrary, the reviewer played up the time travel aspects and indicated that the novel, although it would include some passionate scenes, would focus more on the characters. So I gave the book a chance, downloaded a copy, and read the first ten pages. During this introduction, the opening and characters didn't resonate with me, so I'll end it there.
First Ten review added on February 28, 2017, at 5:28 am by L_Therese.
ananya92

This seems like an interesting book involving time travel romance. There are some clever references to a popular band by the author which adds some fun to the story. The central character, Susan, has obsessed over James, for almost half a century now. It is interesting that while she has carried on with life, got married, had kids, etc, she still thinks of James from time to time, which makes this novel an out-of-the box romance. While I liked the general plot line, the male protagonist i.e. James was not very likable, as far as I could gauge from the sample. Based on the review and the description of the novel, though I like the fresh storyline, I'm not sure that I would enjoy a novel with an unpleasant hero. Therefore, I'll pass this one.
First Ten review added on February 28, 2017, at 2:25 am by ananya92.
Kdonegan91

At first glance, I would not buy this book. The cover and title have a cliche and generic feel to them. However, after reading the first chapter and OBC review, I am intrigued and anxious to read more. The author's style of writing is incredible. It really pulled me into the story and made me feel like I was there with Susan. Also, the storyline is unique and interesting. I will be buying this book.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 11:57 pm by Kdonegan91.
CataclysmicKnight

I'm rarely into romance and the cover of this one looked a bit naughty (dude's hand across her chest), so I wouldn't have given it a chance if it wasn't book of the day. Although the writing seems fine thus far and the Disney intro was sweet, I don't see finishing it since it's supposedly raunchy and doesn't really have me hooked.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 11:49 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
bookowlie

The cover didn't interest me too much as it made me think the book would be a cheesy romance. While the summary blurb appears to be technically free of errors, the writing is long-winded and has a rambling feel. The beginning pages are easy to understand, but I felt the writing lack subtlety - there is too much tell instead of show. I also don't really care for light romances or time travel themes, so I am going to take a pass on this one.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 11:49 pm by bookowlie.
Azeline Arcenal

I don't really like romance novels so I probably won't read the entire book. The sample started off well because the author was able to pull me in and make me interested in the story. However as the story progressed, my interest started to wane. There wasn't enough drama or tension for me. On the other hand, I did not notice any grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 11:37 pm by Azeline Arcenal.
Bfrisco

I would not have looked into this book if it wasn't a book of the day. I don't enjoy reading romance novels. I did feel the book was professionally edited. I personally didn't enjoy the typical romance novel cliches that showed up early on. The famous boy sees a regular girl and becomes infatuated immediately, the girl is being abused by family, etc. I think the author did a good job with the writing style, and frankly, if I liked this genre and the typical cliches that accompany it, I might have been more interested. I will not be reading the rest of this book.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 7:50 pm by Bfrisco.
ashley_claire

Although I sometimes enjoy time travel, the overtly sexual cover isn't something that would make me want to pick this book up. The OBC review promises well developed characters for a unique storyline. I like that the first ten pages were professionally edited and the writing style was easy to read. While the idea for the book is an original one, I will not be reading the rest of this book for the simple fact that I don't see myself relating to the main character.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 7:42 pm by ashley_claire.
Catherine Hsu

If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book. The official review was great and I've read and loved few time-travel romances, so I'm curious about how this one goes. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. The story was extremely interesting right off the bat and I loved the lyric references. The writing was engaging. It was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 7:29 pm by Catherine Hsu.
Vermont Reviews

Today's Book of the Day The Necklace by Linda S. Rice reminded my of my early day's back in the 60's when we had a garage band. It was some of the best days of my life. I bought the book based on the preview. Although it was free according to onlinebookclub my download did not work. Not a problem. I enjoyed the preview enough to want to purchase the book. I would love to read more of Linda S. Rice's novels.
Vermont Reviews
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 5:57 pm by Vermont Reviews.
jamesabr

The first ten pages weren't anything special. It told of Susan and James's meeting in the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty castle quite well, but nothing stood out as a favorite in my mind. If I were not a part of this program, I would have overlooked this book due to the genre and book cover. The Online Book Club review of this book was positive, emphasizing the compatibility of the couple, but I found myself bored while reading The Necklace. I will not purchase or read this book in the future. There were no typos or grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 4:29 pm by jamesabr.
CrescentMoon

After reading the blurb, I don't think I would pick this book up because time travel romance is not really a genre I am into. After reading the first ten pages, I think this book does sound pretty historically accurate and interesting. I think readers of this genre would appreciate this novel more. However I don't think this is for me, especially considering this book is a series. I would rather read stand alone novels.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 3:30 pm by CrescentMoon.
Heidi M Simone

The cover is pretty unappealing; it looks like the man is grabbing the woman's breast, which makes me feel uncomfortable. The title is fine, and the blurb is somewhat interesting. I do like some time traveling books and the ratings are fairly positive. However, without this program, I would not have sampled this read.
Based on what I read, the book does seem to be professionally edited. I think the love Susan has for a famous singer is realistic for many around her age. However, it is also this that convinces me this may not be a read for me. The love Susan feel for James is a bit immature and too fairy tale for me. Therefore, I do not plan on finishing this read.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 3:22 pm by Heidi M Simone.
AA1495

Had I not sampled the book, I probably wouldn't have read it since it is part of a series. Having read the sample, my opinion remains. I liked how the characters were introduced and the author's writing style. However, I did not like the pace of the plot in the sample. The book seems to be professionally edited. It has a favorable Onlinebookclub review. While I will not be reading the book further now, I might read it in the future.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 2:55 pm by AA1495.
SandraTWP-BRW

Based on the category (romance) and cover alone, I would not select this book to read. I'm not a fan of romance novels. I admit I did find the blurb intriguing. the idea of time travel where one is not traveling as one's whole self, but rather as one's current consciousness back into one's much younger body... that does open a lot of possibilities.
I found the first ten pages to be a quick read, which is a good sign. I was caught up in Susan's story and hurt when I read of her troubles as a youngster. I was perplexed reading her conversation forty-six years later, which I was tickled to recognize as the difference between a 16-year-old girl and a 62-year-old woman.
I did not notice any errors.
Overall, this sample seemed to be well written and well crafted. I will not be reading the rest of the book simply because romance novels are not an area of interest for me.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 2:19 pm by SandraTWP-BRW.
Sarah_Khan

At first glance, I probably would not have picked this book up if it was not part of the first ten program because it does not seem like something I would read, and the cover feels a little unprofessional.
After reading the first ten pages, I was pleasantly surprised. This novel is well-written and professionally edited, the story is also interesting and easy-to-read. I have downloaded this book because it is free for today and I look forward to reading the rest.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 1:41 pm by Sarah_Khan.
James Craft

Interesting looking book and certainly one I might be interested in checking out. I'm not usually into romance but this sounds fascinating. That being said, the cover is a little bit strange and hard to tell what is going on. It could use a little bit of work to clean it up and look more professional. The book did get a 4 out of 4 from OBC and that makes the cover even worse because I would never read this on its own and knowing it is good means there is money being left on the table from people who would pass on first impression. I won't be continuing, but hopefully the author will be able to fix the cover and make it more enticing.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 12:51 pm by James Craft.
gali

I probably wouldn't have sampled the book based on the cover, as the cover implies it is just another run–of–the–mill sleazy romance. The blurb and the official review corrected that impression though. I found the prologue a bit boring, and its language dry and a bit choppy. Adding song lyrics is a nice touch, but after a while it can become tiresome. I have to admit I skipped it. The present was more to my taste and its language flowed much better. As I love time travel romances, and I love books that integrate cruises in their plot, I will read the balance of the book eventually.
First Ten review added on February 27, 2017, at 10:55 am by gali.
Total ~ 32%
The Necklace earned a score of 32%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 32% 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 Necklace