The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Vacation To Graceland
Because Vacation To Graceland 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.
Heidi M Simone
The cover is cute and the title is clever. There are high ratings for this book (including the OBC), however, humor isn't typically a genre that I read. Therefore, without this program, I wouldn't have sampled this read. Based on what I read, the book could use another round of editing. For example, the very first sentence has a comma and shouldn't. The protagonist seems like a likable person, which is something very important to me, as a reader. While reading, I have not found anything that is particularly funny in the read so far. However, it is part of the Blogger Review Program, so I plan on purchasing a copy and finishing this read.
First Ten review added on May 20, 2017, at 6:53 am by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Amagine
The cover of the book drew my attention and it contributed well to the title of the book. I read the sample and even though it caught my interest at first, I slowly started to become disinterested. I think perhaps the sample wasn't long enough because just from reading the first few pages, I couldn't get a sense of what the book was about. I didn't immediately feel any connection to the narrator either.
First Ten review added on May 20, 2017, at 3:53 am by Amagine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cjgarland89
Based on the cover and ONC review I wouldn't finish this book. It's a short funny read about a family road trip and that's not something I'd normally read. After sampling the book I've confirmed that it's not something that's interesting or draws me in at all.
First Ten review added on May 20, 2017, at 3:20 am by Cjgarland89.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
jungkookblog
I don't think I would be reading this book because it doesn't seem very interesting. The cover seems like the book would be about vacations and the journey there. I will not be reading this book because it doesn't seem interesting and doesn't drag my attention in. It seems professionally edited. I did not see a review, and I don't think that would affect my decision.
First Ten review added on May 20, 2017, at 2:52 am by jungkookblog.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mollymae
I'm sorry to say that I had a hard time with this sample. The book does not appear to be edited and the writing style is somewhat awkward. I would not pick out the book to read based on the title or cover.
First Ten review added on May 19, 2017, at 8:34 pm by Mollymae.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Christina O Phillips
Family vacations are always amusing. I can remember my own horror tales from trips. This one is set up well: the characters, the goal, and the potential difficulties. It read easily and was well-written. I will read this book.
First Ten review added on May 19, 2017, at 7:55 pm by Christina O Phillips.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
CataclysmicKnight
I was really excited by this one because it seemed like it would be a funny, short, enjoyable vacation story. However, ten pages in it has all been setup, and the writing is a bit rough and in need of editing. The reviews for it are very promising, but I don't see finishing it myself
First Ten review added on May 19, 2017, at 2:50 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gravy
I cannot say that this was professionally edited. There were multiple errors, to the point that they became distracting.
I'm not a fan of the style, and actually dislike the protagonist.
This isn't something I would normally read, though I have read the genre before. Because of this I was looking forward to trying it. Due to the issues I can't say that I want to continue with this.
First Ten review added on May 19, 2017, at 7:24 am by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book. I really like the cover and it seems interesting and funny, from the review. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. The writing was a bit too straightforward and felt like a list of events, but I liked the tone of the writing and the pace. It was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on May 19, 2017, at 1:59 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kitkat3
The title and cover are not really enticing to me. The blurb does not make me really want to read the book. The customer reviews are really positive and say that the book is very funny. I might have sampled this book without this program. The book does appear to be professionally edited, and the Official OnlineBookClub review indicates that it is well written and a funny story. However, I will not be reading the rest of the book after reading the first ten pages. Even though the situation described in the beginning is very humorous, I don't think that this will hold my attention.
First Ten review added on May 19, 2017, at 1:21 am by Kitkat3.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
L_Therese
The title and cover for this book didn't snare my attention, and I almost certainly would have passed it over if not for this program. However, the review had some serious words of praise for the book, and I learned that it is will focus on the dynamics of a family with an eye toward humor. As I started reading, I noticed several errors even on the first page - in fact, there was a comma error in the very first sentence! Beyond the errors, the majority of the sample seemed more matter-of-fact than funny or clever. For sure, I won't be purchasing this book today.
First Ten review added on May 19, 2017, at 12:31 am by L_Therese.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CarrieMe
Based on my initial impression of this book, I would have chosen to read it. The cover is absolutely fantastic, and even though I have no interest in Elvis or Graceland, the story looks like it would be a lot of fun. The reviews mentioned how hilarious the book is, which wasn't how it came across in the blurb. If humor IS a big part of this book, perhaps the blurb could be edited to reflect that.
After reading the sample, I've decided that I won't be buying this book. The writing was a little awkward and contained multiple grammatical mistakes. But, since the book is in first person, this might have been intentional. If so, this should be made more clear. Since the style is pretty informal and conversational, it was odd that no contractions were used in the sample. This would be an easy way to make the writing flow better. It didn't seem like the book was professionally edited because there were lots of punctuation and grammar errors. For example, the very first sentence has an unnecessary comma after the word, "started." If the writing were honed a bit and the editing errors were fixed, I'd definitely give this book a chance.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 9:16 pm by CarrieMe.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
classicaltwist
I wouldn't buy the book just based on the title, cover, blurb, and reviews. I thought the cover was cute. It's probably something that would catch my eye if I was just browsing. The blurb was boring, and two reviews isn't really enough to make me second think my first impression. So normally I would've moved on by now.
After reading the sample, I still wouldn't purchase this book. The book seems like it was professionally edited. However, there was a lot of telling rather than showing, which made reading it a bit dull. I couldn't get into it, and I felt that the story was bogged down with lot of unnecessary details that were uninteresting.
There is an official OnlineBookClub review, but it didn't change my impression of the book.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 8:36 pm by classicaltwist.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CrescentMoon
After reading the blurb and the first ten pages, this novel does definitely seem humorous. It reminds me of National Lampoon's vacation movies where dysfunctional family members take disastrous road trips together. It is a very humorous trope. However, I really am not interested in the book or the genre, so I'll pass on reading this.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 6:33 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kdonegan91
The cover and title are creative but not enough to catch my eye. I was not sure what to expect out of this book. After reading the first ten pages, I was left wanting more. It was not because the book was suspenseful but because it felt down to Earth and humorous. After reading the OBC review, I still felt like I wanted to read more because the review did not offer much more than the sample did. I am going to purchase this book.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 5:08 pm by Kdonegan91.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Azeline Arcenal
I read the official OBC review and it says that the book had little suspense which is a little strange. It seems like an interesting and humorous book to read, but I usually don't read books like this one. So I don't think I'll finish reading this book. I didn't notice any major grammatical errors either.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 2:47 pm by Azeline Arcenal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
I like the cover and the title of this book. I think they match the plot of the story perfectly. The Online Book club review was favorable. After reading the first ten pages, I can say that this book is easy-to-read and well-edited. The plot itself might be interesting to others but personally, it does not intrigue me enough to commit to buying the book.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 1:47 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vermont Reviews
Today's book of the day Vacation To Graceland by Phillip Cornell shows the reader the adventures of a family getting ready to go to Graceland on vacation. I could relate to the story. Often times what we plan changes many times before completion. One correction.
She still liked to get out of the house (every) once in a while. (NOT EVER)
I would have purchased the book based on the preview.
Right now I have too many books to read. I will not be downloading the book.
Vermont Reviews
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 12:57 pm by Vermont Reviews.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ananya92
This is a book in the non-fiction genre about a dysfunctional family which goes on road trip to Memphis, and how this trip changes the equation between them for the better. The author narrates his personal experience with a good dose of humor and wit, that makes the short book an enjoyable read. The book seems to be edited properly. However, the description and the review seem to be at odds, as according to the latter, though the experience was funny, it did not really bring about any lasting change that the author hints at in the description. I found the sample funny enough and realistic too, however, since I was perplexed by whether the description is accurate or not, and currently I'm not up for reading books in this genre, I'll skip this one.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 12:48 pm by ananya92.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
By the cover, blurb, and review of this book I may have picked it up. It looked like a solid, short, and funny book that I easily could have enjoyed. After sampling the story however, I do not think that I will be buying/reading the rest of this book. For some reason, I just couldn't get into the narrators style and found that it was getting on my nerves. In the sample itself, I didn't find it that funny either; maybe the humorous parts were coming later. The book did seem well written and edited but it just wasn't for me. The official OBC review didn't affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 12:39 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
e-tasana-williams
Had I not sampled this book for the First Ten program I would not have chosen to read it because the blurb did not grab my interest. Reading the sample did not change my perspective, and I do not plan to buy this book. The narration had a "this happened, then that happened" feel to it, with not much suspense built in. It does not appear to be professionally edited. I noticed four errors in the sample I read. For example, "...on what my mom and sister *was* always doing...", and "she still liked to get out the house". The best part of the sample I read was the image of the grandmother riding her scooter around the cul-de-sac for fun. The grammatical errors were distracting and need to be edited.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 12:34 pm by e-tasana-williams.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
bookowlie
I love the offbeat, fun cover of this book! The summary is well written and gave me a good sense of the plot. I also liked that the OBC reviewer stated that the book was very funny since I enjoy humorous books. The sample pages appear to be professionally edited and the writing has a nice, easy flow. That being said, I am not too interested in the subject matter so I am probably not going to read the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 11:02 am by bookowlie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gali
I probably wouldn't have sampled the book on my own as it isn't my preferable genre. The cover isn't very fetching, but the blurb is concise and to the point. The sample seems well written, but I found the language a little stilted and dry. According to the reviews the book is hilarious, but nothing on the (short) sample made me smile. The rest of the book may be more humorous, though. I won't read the book as it didn't really grab me, nor did I connect with the writing.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 10:40 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
James Craft
I feel like this is a book I could read in one sitting since it is so short, but the question is whether or not I would enjoy reading it. I don't generally like books that focus solely on humor and don't have a lot more going on, but this one does seem quite interesting and well-put together. The characters come to life in the opening and their interactions are great, but the thing is I'm worried that there won't be enough here to actually give me a solid resolution. The cover is great, it seems very professional, but I don't think I'll be continuing this one right now.
First Ten review added on May 18, 2017, at 10:07 am by James Craft.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 17%
Vacation To Graceland earned a score of 17%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 17% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for Vacation To Graceland
