The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Life Expressed in 25 Words or Less: Distilled Wisdom for Life
Because Life Expressed in 25 Words or Less 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.
Shelle
I don't usually gravitate to poetry books unless they come highly recommended by a trusted source, so I was a bit hesitant to look at this book. However, I am glad I had the opportunity to sample Cantwell's poetry book. The author is clearly passionate about poetry and haiku and every word is written for a specific purpose. If I were in the position to teach others how to use this art form, I would use some of these pieces as examples. However, as far a pleasure reading goes, this just isn't a book that holds my attention.
First Ten review added on October 5, 2016, at 6:54 pm by Shelle.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cjgarland89
I didn't get a good grip of the content of the book from the sample. However the basis of writing in simply haiku poems is something I haven't seen much of for an entire book. The foreword provided information on why the author wrote the book, and the Amazon reviews helped a little bit. But overall I don't see myself buying and finishing this book. I enjoy poetry every now and then, but this doesn't seem too exciting. I read the OBC review and it didn't sway me from not wanting to read. It was well introduced and was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on October 5, 2016, at 6:02 pm by Cjgarland89.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Momlovesbooks
The review gave a good impression of this book. Even though I'm not a fan of poetry, especially haiku, I read the first few pages. It really wasn't enough to give me a good idea of the whole book, but I don't think I will read the rest (based primarily on the poetic aspect).
First Ten review added on October 5, 2016, at 3:16 pm by Momlovesbooks.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rachaelamb1
The cover of this book has a professional look to it though it isn't exactly exciting. This isn't a book I would normally read because poetry often makes no sense to me. The sample did not give me a whole lot to go on, but judging from the example in the foreward, I do not think I will "get" these haiku's. I noticed an error where "know" was used in place of "though" so I am guessing the book has not been professionally edited. I did not see the official Onlinebookclub review though I do not think anything could change my mind on this one considering my inability to understand poetry.
First Ten review added on October 5, 2016, at 12:06 pm by Rachaelamb1.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I was kind of interested in this book based on the genre, blurb and OBC review. It sounded like a great collection of poetry, and it had good ratings. I was disappointed by the sample of this book, however. I understand that it is a short book, but the sample does not include a single poem. I don't know if I would actually like the poetry, because I am picky in the style of poetry that I like. Even a single poem would have helped me decide this. Because I don't want to purchase a book that I don't like, I will not be buying and finishing this book.
First Ten review added on October 5, 2016, at 11:00 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
psychopathycathy
If I had not sampled this book, I would not have read it; although the title seems interesting, the blurb was a little confusing for me and I wasn't exactly sure what direction the book was supposed to take me. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I continue thinking that the book would be interesting, as I liked the writing style of the foreword and introduction, but because the sample was so short, I was unable to get a true glimpse of the book's actual essence, which is why I am unable to commit to reading it. So far, it does seem professional and although I did not read an official review, my mind was not changed.
First Ten review added on October 5, 2016, at 2:54 am by psychopathycathy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Thimble
I'm not a fan of most poetry, so the blurb, cover, title, and reviews (including the Official OnlineBookClub review) did not tempt me to read this. It sounded too serious and not very fun. The sample on Amazon only gave me the foreword and the beginning of the introduction. I didn't get to actually read any of the poems. What I got appeared to be professionally edited. Since I didn't actually get any of the real content, I don't have a favorite part and I don't know what can be improved. I will not be purchasing and reading the book since the foreword and introduction did not change my mind.
First Ten review added on October 5, 2016, at 12:26 am by Thimble.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CrescentMoon
Based on the cover, title, blurb, and reviews, I would not pick this book up because I am generally not a fan of poetry. After reading the first ten pages I will not continue reading more because I know this genre is not for me. There is nothing wrong with the book it's just not for me.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 11:18 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
L_Therese
I was very curious about this book. It sounded like an interesting concept, and I wanted to know how well the author achieved his goal. The reviewer spoke highly of the content, although there was some confusion with the formatting. When I downloaded the sample, I was disappointed to learn that the entirety of the sample was introductory matter. I wish there would have been at least a few of the allegedly 100 poems so that I could gain an idea of whether or not the book is worth purchasing. Since I don't have the opportunity to find that one out, I am not going to choose to read this book. There are other options that will allow me to actually sample the essence of the book instead of merely reading the introduction to it.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 7:03 pm by L_Therese.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Heidi M Simone
With just looking at the unappealing cover and the title, I don't think I would pick this book up on my own. Also, poetry can go either way for me - I may love it or not. However, based on the fact that the OBC reviewer has enjoyed this read, I may be willing to give it a full read.
Based on what I read, the book does seem to be professionally edited. Within the pages I read, I was confused about the direction in which to read the poem due to it being diagonal. On the other hand, I do like that the author then explains why he wrote the poem. Overall, I would like to increase the amount of poetry I read, so I am willing to give this a full read.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 5:09 pm by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Gravy
I wish I could give my opinion on the actual book, but the sample contained nothing I can offer an opinion on. I enjoy poetry, and might have been interested in this book (though I doubt I would have looked at it without this program), but without some example of the poetry I'd be wary of actually purchasing the book.
There was a poem in the foreword. It was nice, but not enough to convince me to keep reading.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 3:34 pm by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Serena [Poetree]
The cover seems to advertise a gimmicky nonfiction book, which really doesn't interest me, and the Amazon summary doesn't give a very good idea of what it's about or, more importantly, why I should read it. Having only two reviews isn't very convincing, either. The official OnlineBookClub review is immensely helpful, explaining that this is a book of poetry, and giving it very high praise. The review piques my interest. Unfortunately, the free sample only shows the foreword, which doesn't give me much insight into the book itself. I did like the one haiku included in the foreword. I am very selective about the books of poetry that I buy, and since I can't even read a sample of the poems (except for one), I'm hesitant to purchase this book.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 3:28 pm by Serena [Poetree].
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kourtney Bradley
This book seems like something that anyone could benefit from reading. The cover seems a bit boring to me, however, it's possible that the author prefers for it to appear simple. The reviews, synopsis, and first ten pages all have me interested in reading the rest.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 2:35 pm by Kourtney Bradley.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
VinuW
The cover and the title seemed pretty straightforward and professional, but it made the book look dull. Amazon didn't provide enough reviews to draw conclusions about the book. I wouldn't have read the book if not for the promising review on onlinebookclub. I did enjoy the poetry - it was original and interesting. However, the descriptions were not very impressive. I did not come across grammatical errors. I don't think I would read the book, but I'd like it if I could go through the poetry.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 2:24 pm by VinuW.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
If this book was not part of the First Ten program I would probably still have chosen to read it. The title is very interesting and the cover really draws the eye with the black and yellow color and size of the title. I do have to say the synopsis is a little confusing, after reading it, I am still a little unsure of what to expect. Reading the onlinebookclub review helped clarify what the book was about.
The poems in the book are well written, and I really like the fact that they are not extremely long. The format of the poems could use a little improvement to help make things easier to understand.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 1:58 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
gali
I probably wouldn't have sampled the book as I don't read poetry. Reading the positive official review and the sample didn't change my mind. I find the cover unappealing, but the blurb was good. The sample just covered the foreword and the introduction, so I didn't get a real taste of the poems themselves. However, I was impressed that most of the author's haiku were inspired by his own life’s experiences. Saying that, I won't buy and read the book as poetry isn't my cup of tea.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 1:16 pm by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AA1495
Had I not sampled the book, I would have picked it up. The title and caption appealed to me. I like books and stories that make you think and reflect upon life and this seemed to be one of those. Having sampled the book, my opinion remains. I like the genre and I will read the book further. What I liked best about the book is that readers can relate and reflect. However, What I didn't like was the fact that the foreword, introduction and message from author take up a lot of pages. The book has been written well and seems to be professionally edited. It has also received a favorable OnlineBookClub review which further encourages me to purchase the book.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 11:39 am by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
easy_dc13
A lot of people love poetry but for some reason, It doesn't seem to catch my eye at all. I could read a certain 100-200 page book but not read poetry, it's weird. That being said, I will not be buying and reading the whole book. Though, it was very insightful and well, provided plenty of wisdom. I will say that my opinion doesn't bear that much weight and others will still want to check this out if they could. No typos and errors found.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 11:14 am by easy_dc13.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
bookowlie
The cover is a little bland and it's not something I would notice in a bookstore or online. The Amazon summary blurb appears to be professionally edited and gave me a good sense of what the book is about. I can't say the sample pages were interesting as there is only one example of the author's writing other than one haiku. Instead, the sample is just the forework written by Francis Ryan with his personal thoughts about the author's book. It didn't tell me enough to make me interested in reading further.
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 10:52 am by bookowlie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vermont Reviews
The preview of Life Expressed in 25 Words or Less by Jack Cantwell reflects the life of Jack Cantwell in haiku poetry. The forward written by a friend was excellent. My reading schedule is right now very full. For anyone who loves poetry this would be an excellent choice. I do like the cover. After reading the preview I would have purchased the book. I also read the reviews.
Vermont Reviews
First Ten review added on October 4, 2016, at 10:28 am by Vermont Reviews.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 20%
Life Expressed in 25 Words or Less earned a score of 20%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 20% 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 Life Expressed in 25 Words or Less
