The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Caught Inside: A Boys on the Brink Novel
Because Caught Inside 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
Had I not sampled this book as part of this program, I probably would have chosen to read/sample based on discovering that it had LGBTQ themes. I've been trying to broaden my reading horizons in that direction.
I am not going to buy and read the whole book because the price is above my spending limit for eBooks. If the price were lower, I probably would have considered purchasing and reading the whole book.
The book is well-edited. I did not notice typos or grammatical errors.
I enjoyed the laid back style of the writing. Luke seems like a likable character. The prologue foreshadowed perhaps an interesting twist later in the book. Going by the first ten pages, Caught Inside seems like a great book.
This book was officially reviewed on OBC.
First Ten review added on January 27, 2017, at 8:47 am by truebookaddict.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cjgarland89
After reviewing the cover and the OBC review I knew this book wouldn't be for me. The review does a good job of revealing the overall point of the story and I can tell that it's not something I'd be interested in. After reading the first ten I have confirmed my initial thoughts. It is an easy to read book but it's not something that interests me in the slightest. I didn't see any errors in the sample.
First Ten review added on January 27, 2017, at 6:41 am by Cjgarland89.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
jungkookblog
I don't think I would read this book because the beach and the vibe of the book doesn't seem like it would be a very good book. I am not going to be reading this book because it's just like sports, and I'm not into sports that much. It seems professionally edited. I liked how the author gave a peaceful vibe in the beginning of the book. I did not see any review, and I don't think it would affect my decision.
First Ten review added on January 27, 2017, at 12:23 am by jungkookblog.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kourtney Bradley
From what I have gathered so far, this story sounds unlike anything I have read before. I'm not very familiar with LGBT themes in novels. I'm not judging on the lifestyle, but I don't think it's something I would take particular interest in. There is an OBC review for this one, with grants the book with a nice rating and referral to others. Although others have seemed to enjoy the story so far, I'm going to pass on this one, while wishing the author the best of luck.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 10:05 pm by Kourtney Bradley.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
chocomeiske
This is something I would love to read in the summer. It's about the only time I'm in the mood for contemporary reads. The sample was interesting, the writing and dialogue flowed well and I love that there is diversity present in the form of an LGBTQ relationship. It also appears to be well edited.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 6:43 pm by chocomeiske.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Heidi M Simone
Everything about this book is appealing to me: the serene cover, conflicting title, the genre, the intriguing blurb, and all the positive reviews (including the OBC one). Therefore, I would have sampled this read on my own.
Based on what I read, the book does seem to be professionally edited. I love how gripping the beginning is - Luke hurling himself into the ocean with clearly something troubling him and the interesting relationship he has with Zara. To be honest, I'm not sure how the story can improve at this point. I'm really enjoying the read, so I will buy the book and plan on finishing it!
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 2:42 pm by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Momlovesbooks
The cover of this book caught my eye. The OBC reviewer gave this book 4 out of 4 stars. The reviewer loved it and highly recommended it. After reading the review, I didn't think it would be a storyline I was comfortable with. I read a few pages and decided it wasn't my type of book. I won't be reading the rest.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 1:37 pm by Momlovesbooks.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MarisaRose
"Caught Inside" is not a book I would normally choose to read. I'm not a fan of the romance genre and I have never read a YA book quite like this. After sampling the beginning of the book for this program, I was impressed with the writing and could tell the book appears to be well edited. However, the overall content and characters of the book didn't grab my attention. Blake and Riley seem to be typical teenage kids with typical teenage problems. While this may appeal to certain people, especially a younger audience who may be more close to these issues, they didn't do much for me. Further, I wasn't impressed with the sexual nature of the opening (the scene with Aaron); though again, I can see why a younger audience may relate or appreciate this type of scenario more. I have chosen to stop reading this book.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 7:37 am by MarisaRose.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book. The blurb made it sound extremely interesting, and I thought the cover was beautiful as well. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. The writing was realistic and straightforward, and I found that I could connect to the main character from the very start. I loved the dynamic between the two people in the relationship, and I am curious as to how the author will navigate the main character's emotions. I did not read an official review. This book was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 2:41 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
dhwanis
Loved the cover! Reading the first 10 pages, I had a feeling that this was a typical romance novel. It was the promise of the upcoming LGBT theme which interested me.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 2:38 am by dhwanis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
L_Therese
I'm not likely to add a YA novel to my list of books I intend to read for fun, so as I became acquainted with this book, I didn't plan to download the full version. The more I learned about it, the more I liked the idea, and when I read the first ten pages, I was impressed by the writing and the way you can start to know and like Luke right away. I'm still not buying the book because it's YA and I have way too many books I need to read already.
First Ten review added on January 26, 2017, at 2:12 am by L_Therese.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AA1495
Had I not sampled the book, I wouldn't have read it. This is not a theme I usually read. Having read the sample, I found the plot interesting. Further, I liked how the characters' feelings were described. However, I didn't like the pace of the plot in the sample. The book seems to be professionally edited. It has a favorable Onlinebookclub review. However, the sample couldn't interest me enough to want to read further, & hence I will not be buying the book.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 6:02 pm by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gravy
Nothing about this would have been likely to catch my eye, so I doubt I would've looked at it.
I found no errors, and enjoyed the writing. Given the fact that I don't often read contemporary, I'm on the fence with this one, though slightly more on the side of reading it. As I only read physical books, however, I'll be making a note of it for later.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 6:02 pm by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shelle
The cover and blurb looked interesting and I was glad to have the opportunity to sample this book. I'm not sure I like the characters and the dialogue seemed very shallow. I didn't feel that anyone was very genuine and that the LGBT aspect was simply tossed in because it's in style. The book appeared to be professionally edited and error-free.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 3:00 pm by Shelle.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CrescentMoon
After reading the blurb, I really don't think this is my type of book. I'm not a huge fan of love triangles and this book also seems like there is cheating in it which I really don't like. After reading the first ten pages, I think this book would appeal to people who like this genre, but this book is not for me.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 2:40 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kdonegan91
Although I enjoyed the sample and the OBC review gave it a perfect score, I do not believe this book is for me. I do not like books that contain this type of relationship. Therefore, I will not be buying this book.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 2:38 pm by Kdonegan91.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
James Craft
I'm not a fan of surfing or surf culture, so right off the bat this book doesn't look like something I would like. Also, the color scheme is a little bit old fashioned and the words blend in, so I don't think it is a great start for it. The blurb is alright, and it sums up the story well, but it doesn't really make me think I will like it anymore than before. The first ten pages didn't change my opinion either. It seems well-written and put together, but it just isn't my type of read. That doesn't mean it's bad or anything, and actually the opening hook is rather good, I just have no desire to continue further into the story. It has some good reviews, but only twelve so it could use some more to actually show a common reader interest.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 1:27 pm by James Craft.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
jamesabr
This story is great! If I had not decided to sample it for this program, I would’ve read it due to the OnlineBookClub review that it received because it was overwhelmingly positive as well as informative of themes that interest me. It is an easy enough read so far, and the themes are subtle enough to keep me engaged. My favorite part of what I read was the Prologue. It added mystery to the main character’s future, as I suspect that the desperate attempt to surf in his underwear is a later attempt to forget something that is either tragic or too good to be true. I will definitely purchase and read this book. There were no typos or grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 12:39 pm by jamesabr.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Vermont Reviews
Today's choice for book of the day by Jamie Deacon titled Caught Inside shows the reader the story of the main characters; Luke Savage and his girlfriend Zahra and her cousin Theo. The three are spending time in Cornwall for the summer. Luke's passion and obsession for surfing has brought
Him here. He is about to question his feelings for Theo. I found the story to be an interesting read. I will not be downloading the book. My reading schedule is currently overbooked. I liked the story and the preview. As well as the cover art.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 12:06 pm by Vermont Reviews.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
bookowlie
The Amazon summary blurb gave me a good flavor of the plot without giving too much away. It is well-written and appears to be professionally edited. However, the subject matter is not really my cup of tea and the book seems more like a beach read (not my taste) - the cover also reminded me of a fluff type of read. I didn't care for the writing style in the sample pages too much as there is an overabundance of descriptive terms for minor things. As a result, I found the pacing dragged and I wasn't too interested in reading further.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 12:04 pm by bookowlie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
At first glance, I like the cover art, specially the font of the title. I think the blurb is adequately written, it gives enough information without any spoilers. After reading the first ten pages, I can say that this book is easy-to- read and it seems professionally edited. Unfortunately, this is just not my type of book therefore I do not intend to read the rest of it.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 11:20 am by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gali
I probably wouldn't have sampled the book without the program, as it isn't a genre that I normally gravitate to. The cover is lovely and the blurb informative. The official review was very enlightening I have to say. The writing is excellent, but the plot didn't keep my interest. I won't buy and read the book as its subject matter doesn't interest me, nor am I the intended audience.
First Ten review added on January 25, 2017, at 10:10 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 18%
Caught Inside earned a score of 18%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 18% 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 Caught Inside
