
The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Too Bad She's a Girl: Playing by her own rules
Because Too Bad She's a Girl 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.
Rachel1019

Based on the cover and the title of this book, I initially thought this would be a self-help book. After reading the review on OBC, you find out that the book is about a girl who was born in a time period where gender roles were more strict. Based on reading the first pages of the book, it is very well written. I agree with the reviewer when they said that it is reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird. This is not the kind of book that interests me, but if you enjoy the genre then this would be a good choice. I will not be finishing the book.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2016, at 9:40 am by Rachel1019.
Kourtney Bradley

The title on this book automatically grabs my attention, and I remember reading the official review on it as well. With the synopsis and first ten pages, I can tell this is a book I will enjoy so I plan to give this one a try.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2016, at 7:59 am by Kourtney Bradley.
Genaaa

I definitely wouldn't have given the book a chance if not for this program. Reading the first ten pages didn't really change my mind much as it just didn't draw me in. The book definitely seems professionally edited, and the author is a great writer. I just personally wasn't drawn in quick enough and it was a boring start. It just isn't my type of book, but I'm sure others might love it.
First Ten review added on October 21, 2016, at 11:24 pm by Genaaa.
Cjgarland89

I would have sampled this book without the program, mainly from the 4/4 review from the online book club review team. I love YA books and with the alluding to Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, I knew I had to read it. Patty Jo is a free spirit and I was laughing to myself when she described her conversation with Mrs. Martin, it was my favorite part in the sample. I will be purchasing and finishing this book. It was free from errors and hard to stop reading.
First Ten review added on October 21, 2016, at 11:03 pm by Cjgarland89.
CataclysmicKnight

The title of this one rather powerfully conjured an image of a woman who won't let any man get her down! In reading the first ten pages I was happy to know I was (mostly) right, as it focuses on a girl who stands up for herself on a frequent basis. It also has a good sense of humor and sets scenes rather well. However, it's a little verbose overall, and without a hook as to what to expect for the rest of the book I won't be finishing it.
First Ten review added on October 21, 2016, at 4:17 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Gravy

The cover gives the wrong impression and could be improved upon. The premise is interesting, though not really my taste. I wouldn't say it was professionally edited, but I can't point to a specific instance. I would not have looked at this book, as it isn't my genre, and doesn't really have anything that makes me want to read it. However, I do think that fans of the genre would enjoy it, and would probably recommend it.
First Ten review added on October 21, 2016, at 3:35 pm by Gravy.
Rachaelamb1

The title is great. I think the subtitle is a little unnecessary. To me it destracts from the awesome title. I don't think the cover of the book looks professional and it is kind of bland. The OBC official review initially got me interested in this book. I liked the first ten pages. The main character seems lovable and mischievous. It seems like it is a really good book, but I don't actually feel compelled to buy it. While I like this genre, it is not my favorite and I have too many other books on my plate right now. I will keep my eye on it for when I'm looking for a good historical book. I think it has been professionally edited.
First Ten review added on October 21, 2016, at 1:50 pm by Rachaelamb1.
easy_dc13

I'm fine with reading YA books than Fantasy ones, but I was a little underwhelmed with this. I wasn't able to grasp the plot or the characters for some reason. From what I was able to read, it seemed like the book took one scene and just rolled with it for a long time. It didn't feel like anything was advancing. For that reason, I will not be buying and reading the rest of the book. I did not spot any errors of some sort so that's something, atleast.
First Ten review added on October 21, 2016, at 4:52 am by easy_dc13.
Annelore Trujillo

I was interested in sampling this book after reading the OBC review. It seemed like an interesting historical fiction book from an era that I tend to enjoy. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be purchasing the book. I wasn't a big fan of the writing style. To me, the sentences seemed to run together. This, of course, is just my opinion. I didn't notice any errors in the book. This just isn't the book for me.
First Ten review added on October 21, 2016, at 12:17 am by Annelore Trujillo.
L_Therese

I love the premise of this book. It promises to make history accessible and show a face of feminism at a time when women were still openly discriminated against. However, I also noted that it was written to appeal to a YA audience. I tried out the first ten pages, but the book was a poor fit for me. I probably would have loved it when I was a teenager, but for today, I'm going to say "no, thank you".
First Ten review added on October 21, 2016, at 12:05 am by L_Therese.
lane_vespertine

I am going to start by saying I have no intention of reading beyond the first ten pages of Too Bad She's a Girl. The language is opaque and difficult. There are no typos or obvious grammatical problems, but the abundant use of long and rambling sentence structures followed by abruptly short and terse sentences turned me off. I found it to be jarring and it made it difficult to read. Once the dialogue began, it did become easier to follow, but I was already one foot out the door.
If I could make a suggestion to the author, it would be that flowery and lilting language is better used once the reader has made an emotional connection to the story/characters and is not an engaging way to begin a story. Also, the same language style is an unfortunate way to deliver exposition or establishment (already two things that readers usually find to be the most boring parts of a story.)
If I had not read the first ten pages, I may have been interesting in reading the book simply based on the title and cover art. They are suggestive and interesting.
But, as it stands, I won't be reading it.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 10:01 pm by lane_vespertine.
Catherine Hsu

If I had not read the sample, I would not have read it. Although the premise sounds interesting, the blurb fell a little flat to me, and the cover does not catch my attention. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I still think the premise is strong, but as I read the first few pages, I felt like it was a little too much "tell, not show" and that it seemed to tell us directly what kind of character the main character was, instead of showing us. Afterwards, I did think the writing was more engaging. I think it was professional, and it did not matter whether or not I read the official review.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 8:05 pm by Catherine Hsu.
Shelle

I really hated the condescending title and almost skipped sampling this book. Even after reading the first few pages, I still hate the title. The cover also does nothing to show me the book's contents. The story itself seems fine. The main character, Patty Jo, is probably likable and interesting. However, the writer keeps telling me that she plays by her own rules, but doesn't really show me. The writing style also seems choppy in places, but there are awkward and bulky sentences in others.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 6:21 pm by Shelle.
Heidi M Simone

The cover is beautiful and the title is eye catching. The blurb and the OBC review seem interesting and positive. However, the fact there aren't any customer reviews, I would not have read the sample to this book.
Based on the bit that I read, the book does seem to professionally edited. I really liked the imaginary the authors towards the beginning of this book, where Patty is enjoying nature. Also, I liked how spunky Patty seems to be. It seems like it would be a good book, but there were moments where I had a tough time concentrating in reading it; it almost felt like a lot of information about where Patty moved was given and it made me feel a bit overloaded. Based on this, I will not be purchasing this book today.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 4:13 pm by Heidi M Simone.
Vermont Reviews

What a wonderful choice for book of the day. Too Bad She's a Girl by JW Templeman is a great book. The preview is excellent. My favorite part is whne Patty Jo steals the pants from the boys while they are swimming. When one of the brothers chases her to get them back and she saves his life before he gets hit by the train. Right now my reading schedule is over booked. Other wise I would have bought this book. Well written and does appear to have been proofed and edited.
Vermont Reviews
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 3:39 pm by Vermont Reviews.
gali

I probably wouldn't have sampled the book as the blurb isn't very fetching. In fact, I found it too long and tiresome. I love the cover though. The official review had me hooked with the comparison of the heroine to Scout, one of my favorite characters. After reading the sample, I decided not to read the book as it failed to grab me. I found the pace of the book too slow. Also, I felt overwhelmed with the information given right at the start. The sample didn't interest me enough to want to read the balance of the tale, but others may find it more to their taste.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 2:32 pm by gali.
Kdonegan91

The cover of the book Too Bad She's A Girl was not appealing to me at all but the title sparked some interest. The cover is boring and almost resembles the devotional type books that I read for Sunday school. Since I read the first ten pages, I have changed my mind about the book. I will be purchasing it. I love how the author not only introduces the setting of the book but also packs it full of emotion and action in the first ten pages or so. I also like the “southern drawl” because I am from Ohio and most of my family lives in northern Kentucky so this book really relates to me. The OnlineBookClub.org review helped my decision to buy this particular book by outlining it without giving away too much detail.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 1:58 pm by Kdonegan91.
Sarah_Khan

At first glance, I have to say that the cover art does not look professional but the title is great. The synopsis seems interesting although I found a few writing mistakes.
I was disappointed after reading the first few pages, the writing was very dull and there were a couple of times when the same sentence would be written twice, back to back. The author also spends too much time describing stuff. With all that said, I think it is safe to say I will not be reading the rest of this book.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 1:12 pm by Sarah_Khan.
CrescentMoon

Based on the cover, title, and blurb I would pick this book up because it sounds very interesting. It sounds like a female empowerment book which I really like. After reading the first ten pages, I think I will continue reading the rest. I enjoy the writing style and the premise.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 12:19 pm by CrescentMoon.
AA1495

Had I not sampled the book, I wouldn't have read it. I prefer light hearted books and this didn't seem like one, from the cover and title. Having sampled the book, my opinion remains. What I liked about the sample was the characterization. The protagonist was introduced well. However, I thought the descriptions were excessive. The book seems to be professionally edited and has a favorable Onlinebookclub review. I'm certain that people who like the Genre would love the book but it isn't for me.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 11:26 am by AA1495.
bookowlie

The Amazon summary blurb is not well edited. I noticed three errors - the word "a" is missing before "beautiful," there should be a comma instead of a semi-colon after "personality," and the word "the" is missing before "gun." Also, I don't think it's appropriate for the entire OBC review to be reprinted in full in the summary blurb. The cover artwork is pretty, but it's very generic rather than a reflection of the subject matter. The sample pages are interesting, but I don't really care for the author's writing style. The beginning isn't good or bad, but I am not too interested in reading further.
First Ten review added on October 20, 2016, at 10:40 am by bookowlie.
Total ~ 24%
Too Bad She's a Girl earned a score of 24%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 24% 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.
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