Cover for A Silver Medallion

The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for A Silver Medallion

Because A Silver Medallion 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

90788
Had I not sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I can't really say if I would have chosen to read/sample this title. I do read books in this genre, but it would also depend on the reviews (which are great) and the price.

I've decided to buy the book because the first ten pages interested me enough to warrant purchasing. Plus, the 99 cent price is a great deal and this book seems well worth that price.

This book seems to be professionally edited. I did not notice typos or grammatical errors.

Callan has set the story up well in the first ten pages. We know from the blurb that this book is a thriller about human trafficking. Right away we meet Rosa who reveals that she is a slave. I'm interested to find out where this goes.

This book was officially reviewed on OBC.

First Ten review added on April 25, 2017, at 8:37 am by truebookaddict.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Annelore Trujillo

97769
I would have sampled this book based on the OBC review. If I had just read the Amazon blurb, however, I would not have sampled this book. The blurb was not well-written. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be finishing this book. It had good description, but it didn't pull me in. I did like the concept, and might have considered reading it a little more if it weren't so long. Unfortunately, it is too long for me to fit into my schedule. It did seem to be professionally edited.

First Ten review added on April 25, 2017, at 2:10 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

jungkookblog

92866
I don't think I would be reading this book because it seems like it would be about politics from first glance. Now that I've read the first ten pages, it seems like there would be lots of suspense and action packed into the book, and I would read it. It seems like it's professionally edited. I did not see any review, and I don't think that it would affect my decision.

First Ten review added on April 25, 2017, at 1:28 am by jungkookblog.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Gravy

60847
I didn't notice any errors and quite liked the author's style. The cover isn't very attractive, but this is really just a matter of taste, and it doesn't suite mine.
I would not have looked at this, and I don't really see myself reading it. Mostly, because it just isn't what I typically read, and it didn't pull me in enough to change my mind.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 8:57 pm by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Cjgarland89

72859
What initially caught my attention was the Slavery aspect as well as the setting of the book. I think the cover presents mystery to the reader, and fits well. The first ten was attention grabbing enough, with no errors that I saw. I will be purchasing and finishing this book in the near future.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 8:25 pm by Cjgarland89.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

AA1495

104697
Had I not sampled the book, I would not have read it. I usually read romance books. Having read the sample, my opinion remains. I liked how natural and realistic the conversations in the sample seemed. The sample was easy to read and understand. However, it did not make me curious about the plot. The book seems professionally edited. The book has a favorable onlinebookclub review. Since the sample did not make me curious about the plot, I will not be purchasing the book today.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 7:05 pm by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Heidi M Simone

76506
I really enjoy the cover and title. Sometimes I do enjoy a good mystery and this one seems to have good ratings, including the OBC review. However, the content, human trafficking is one that makes me feel uncomfortable. Therefore, I would not have sampled this read without this program. Based on what I read, the book does seem professionally edited. I enjoy how clearly the author describes the scene. If it wasn't for the sensitive subject, I might want to finish the book. However, because it is, I do not plan on purchasing the book today.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 5:04 pm by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MarisaRose

106960
'A Silver Medallion' immediately caught my eye because of the controversial and relevant topic at its focus. After reading the positive OBC review as well as the Amazon reviews, I wanted to at least sample, and possibly purchase this book. The beginning sample was engaging and well-written. The narrative held my interest for the entirety of the sample and I found myself wanting to read much more. I think I was most intrigued by the premise of this book. Human trafficking is a relevant yet rarely talked about issue. I'm curious to know how the author will handle this subject. The beginning sample piqued my curiosity enough to want me to continue reading this book.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 4:23 pm by MarisaRose.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

jamesabr

117324
This book was very interesting. If I were not a part of the First Ten program, I would have sampled it due to the intrigue that the Online Book Club review sparked in me. Crystal and Eula Moore's characters are quite lively from the very beginning. My favorite part of the sampling occurred when the two characters were trying to figure out how to speak Spanish to Rosa Lopez. I will definitely buy and read the rest of the book. There were no typos or grammatical errors.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 3:12 pm by jamesabr.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

CataclysmicKnight

67089
The title made me think of an Olympics-based book, but the cover definitely elides to something darker... And that's exactly how the book starts at least. Poor Rosa has a rather terrible life at the moment, and while I'm intrigued by what Crystal and Eula can do for her, I wasn't quite hooked enough to want to buy the book and read more.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 2:19 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

James Craft

108171
The cover for this was interesting, though the opening could have used a little bit of work to hook me a little bit more. I wasn't really sure what it was about, and it looks almost like an Olympics-style book which doesn't really seem to be the direction the author would want us to go. The opening wasn't poorly done, but it could have used a little bit more setup to make the book a little bit easier to read and follow along with. All in all, it looks like a good read but not one I will be continuing.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 2:07 pm by James Craft.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

L_Therese

49351
At first, I wasn't especially attracted by this book. The title and cover didn't offer much by way of clues about its content, and the cover didn't appear professionally generated. When I learned a little more about it, though, I was far more impressed, but the fact that it is the second in a series still made me reluctant. As I read the first ten pages, I found a far more interesting story than I had anticipated. I still don't plan to finish the book today, but I came closer to that conclusion than I had thought I would.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 10:54 am by L_Therese.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Christina O Phillips

127531
The title and summary of this book did not interest me. The summary's sentences had awkward syntax that made them unclear so that I had to re-read it in order to understand it. The summary also made the book sound too full, like there was too much story going on for the summary to be written clearly enough. I read the first ten pages anyway. The opening of this book did not pull me in to the story. I found some of the language unbelievable: Crystal says she does not speak much Spanish, but proceeded to use verb tenses and vocabulary that she would not know if she did truly not speak much Spanish. The first couple chapters were all dialogue: a lot of telling and not much showing. It was too slow of a set up for me.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 9:43 am by Christina O Phillips.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Scerakor

45879
I likely would not have picked up this book based on the cover, blurb, and reviews alone. It really doesn't seem like something that I would read, simply based on the genre/content. After reading the first ten pages, I did not change my mind; I will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. This is not to say that the book is not well written/edited. In fact, I found the text extremely compelling and it was extremely interesting. The author brought you into the main conflict of the story very quickly and I loved that. I won't buy/read it simply since out of everything I am reading presently, this isn't enough to surpass the rest on my TBR list. The official OBC review didn't affect my decision at all.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 7:57 am by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

chocomeiske

79308
This cover is somewhat interesting and the premise is too. The topic of human trafficking is such a scary one to me. I read the sample and found it to be intriguing. The opening chapter sets the story up perfectly and in such a way that I my interest is piqued and I want to read the full story.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 4:50 am by chocomeiske.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

bookowlie

63036
The summary blurb doesn't appear to be professionally edited, as the first paragraph repeats the first two sentences. Also, the summary is written in a choppy style with numerous very short paragraphs. As a result, I found it hard to follow and lost interest quickly. While the beginning pages have a nice flow, the story didn't keep my interest. Based on the sample, I am not planning to read the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on April 24, 2017, at 12:11 am by bookowlie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Amagine

138242
The story was very interesting. I read the first two chapters and was already drawn to the story. The author adds the right amount of suspense, as the mystery of Senor Blackwood and Rosa, his slave, intensifies. The plot is well written and easy to understand. Even though I haven't read the entire story yet, I can already tell that each character is going to be interesting in their own way. I'm sure there is some major development of characters as well. I look forward to reading the rest of this book.

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 10:41 pm by Amagine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Mollymae

119986
Although I did not find the book cover or the title to be especially interesting, I found the sample to be intriguing. The story line is very believable and the author does a good job of developing his characters. I liked the opening chapter very well, but did not like the introduction of a subplot involving Crystal's former advisor and a sexual assault. A lot of information was presented in a truncated fashion. It was too much, too soon in the book for my taste. In general, I think the book could be a good read though.

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 9:56 pm by Mollymae.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kdonegan91

108481
The cover and title caught my attention right away. After reading the sample, I was intrigued. However, after reading the OBC review, I am not sure this book is for me. I am not a fan of books that are about criminal chains or worldwide crime. Therefore, I will not be purchasing this book.

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 6:09 pm by Kdonegan91.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Catherine Hsu

104096
If I had not read the sample, I would not have read the book. The cover does not quite appeal to me, and it does not seem in my genre. I have not changed my mind after reading the sample. The incorporation of Spanish was interesting, but I feel a bit disconnected from the main character and the setting itself. I did not read the official review. The sample was professionally edited, other than a few unnecessary spaces before periods.

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 6:08 pm by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

CrescentMoon

56447
After reading the blurb, I don't think this book is for me. This sounds like it's really hard to read with the description of slavery and I usually am not into this kind of genre. After reading the first ten pages, I definitely think this book is well written. I don't think I'm up to read it though.

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 3:40 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Vermont Reviews

94574
James R. Callan author of today's book of the day has shown his readers his ability to develop characters, that even though they have flaws, they make heroic decisions to help save the lives of others. I love the idea of this story. Well developed plot and believable characters take this story to a whole new level. I did purchase the book based on the preview. The reviews overall were 5 stars, showing that the readers liked the story. Looking forward to finishing this one to see what happens to Crystal and Rosa as well as Lucita and her children.
Vermont Reviews

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 3:25 pm by Vermont Reviews.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Azeline Arcenal

120828
After reading the first ten pages, I decided not to finish reading the book. It just didn't interest me enough to finish reading it. I didn't notice any major grammatical errors.

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 2:55 pm by Azeline Arcenal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sarah_Khan

89585
At first glance, I found the title and the plot of this book intriguing. I thought the online book club review was favorable. After reading the first ten pages, I can say that this book seems professionally edited and well-written. Unfortunately, I feel like the plot is a bit too much for me. Therefore, I do not intend to purchase this novel today.

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 1:13 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ananya92

65409
This is the second book in the series, with Crystal Moore, as its protagonist. The good news is that the book can be read as a stand-alone and one doesn't need to read to the first novel to get a hang of this one. The books seems to be edited properly. The description and the review were quite encouraging as well. However, all these positive features were bogged down for me by the writing style. Despite the fact, that the book is dealing with a sensitive and largely unexplored modern-day slavery issue, the author could not evoke any deep emotion in me and the plot seems slightly frayed at the edges, as if the author got to the point rather abruptly. Therefore, this book seems pretty interesting, I'll give it a pass.

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 12:15 pm by ananya92.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gali

50066
I probably wouldn't have sampled the book on my own, as it is the second book of the series. I prefer to start series from the start whenever possible. The cover is nice. The blurb is too detailed, though, and contains spoilers to boot. Also, its first two lines are the same. The book was well written in most part, and I noticed just one typo ("git" instead of "get"). I won't buy the book as its subject matter is too heavy and emotional for me to tackle at this time. The official review reinforces that impression.

First Ten review added on April 23, 2017, at 10:29 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 27%

A Silver Medallion earned a score of 27%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 27% 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 A Silver Medallion