The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Wisdom: unleash yourself
Because Wisdom 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.
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample, I would not have read the book as I do not read self-help books. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. Although I liked some things that the books talked about like how friends are there for you, ultimately I did not think it was something that related to me much, like the chapter about the IRS or discussion about workplace. It was professionally edited. The official review did not change my mind.
First Ten review added on July 19, 2020, at 4:57 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ekta Kumari
The book centers around ideas and everyday issues that can have huge impact on our lives. The author focuses on small changes and improvements that can help improve our perspective and make us a better person each day. I liked the premise of the book but wasn't too intrigued, so I wouldn't have read the book. Though, the concept is inspiring and motivating. Based on the sampling, the thing I liked the most is the author's communicative language. Plus, I liked the author's deep insight into all the issues he is talking about. I also like the clean and comprehensible format of the book. It was easy on the eyes. However, I'll not read the rest of this book as I do find the author's tone to be a little preachy, which I didn't like. As for the editing, the sample carries no grammatical errors. So, I'll rate the book as professionally edited. I did see an official review before sampling.
First Ten review added on July 19, 2020, at 4:55 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ritah
Based on the cover and genre, I wouldn't have sampled the book because I don't usually go for books in this genre and category. I read the official review and sampled the book. I didn't notice any obvious errors in the pages I sampled or any areas that needed improvement. I always thought of 'responsible' in one way, I liked how the author broke it down and highlighted the different attributes that make someone responsible. I won't be reading the rest of the book because I didn't feel compelled to read on once the sample pages available were over.
First Ten review added on July 19, 2020, at 4:37 am by ritah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
va2016
The cover and the title convey the theme of the book. There are only 2 Amazon customer ratings, which is not a sufficient number to decide whether I should sample the book or not. The Amazon summary of the book is interesting, which conveys that the book is about making a change in the way people think about things, out of the box. As I am interested in the topic, I would have sampled the book even if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing who make the best teachers, and what it means to be responsible. As I didn't find the narration interesting, I am not going to read this book in full. I didn't find the book professionally edited. Although I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors in the sample, I found the formatting to be very primitive. For example, the embedded picture about best teachers almost overlaps with the text without sufficient spacing. I did not like anything specifically about the book. As an improvement, I would recommend improving the formatting. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on July 19, 2020, at 4:36 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jeremie Mondejar
The title nor the cover photo didn't sway any interest to me. As I sampled the book, it was all about the best teachers in the world. I like the definition and the abbreviation of 'RESPONSIBILITY.' Though the author's purpose is plainly to educate the readers, I don't like the way it is written. It looks like a textbook to me than a self-help book, which puts me off reading this book. The OBC review was present and through the review I learned a lot. The book seems to need another round of editing because of run-on sentences like in the 68% of the sample. This is my only concern for improvement.
First Ten review added on July 19, 2020, at 3:47 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Alice Heritage
I probably wouldn't have sampled this without the programme because although I read some self-help books, these tend to be focused on particular themes. I also won't buy this today as it seems to be quite general rather than focused on a specific issue. I noticed a few errors in the sample: "for your whole lives" should read "for your whole life"; "Lack of money and hard time" should read "Lack of money and hard times", and with reference to these, "They make you realize the true family and friends" isn't very precisely phrased and should read something like "They make you realize who your family and friends really are". I liked the author's reference to natural forces such as the sun and air as teachers because this is quite profound. This book might be improved if it started out by addressing a specific question or problem. The official OBC review was somewhat helpful, but my decision was mainly based on the sample.
First Ten review added on July 19, 2020, at 3:00 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, and title. I didn’t think this collection of writings would interest me since I rarely read non fiction books. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. The first piece in the collection was about teachers. It gave a list of the best teachers and explained why. The second was about responsibility. I liked that the author used different structures in each. In the first he gave a list. In the second, he used responsibility as an acronym and defined it. This makes each piece unique. However, I didn’t find either of them to be that engaging. The book did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on July 19, 2020, at 2:52 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
I like the cover and title of this book, but I would not have picked it up because it looks like non-fiction, which I am not a fan of. The Amazon blurb left me confused, I did not understand the point of this book. I did notice some errors (e.g. What they teach you on a daily basis stays with you for your whole lives). Overall, it just seemed like the author wanted to get some of his thoughts down on paper. While I do agree with the author on certain things like how we have many teachers throughout life, I do not see the point in reading the rest of this book. The official OBC review mentioned the need for further editing. The reviewer said that there were times when the book was boring, which solidified my decision to pass on reading the rest. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 11:44 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vickie Noel
I may not have read this book outside the program based on its title and cover art; both aspects appear too cliché to spark my interest. Reading the sample hasn't changed my mind. I appreciated the author's breakdown of the various types of teachers that we all have, starting from the parents down to even objects, like money. Defining the word "responsible" in mnemonics was also cool. However, I didn't feel like I was learning something new from the book as the information contained within it appeared very regular and conventional to me. I don't think I'd be purchasing it. I didn't find any grammatical errors within the sample pages and have no recommendations for improvement. I saw an OBC review, but it didn't influence my decision.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 10:22 pm by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
kljrox
The cover is beautiful and the title is promising. The description said it was a compilation of articles and posts to shake people up, so they can see the world from a different perspective. I would be willing to look further into the book at this point, because it sounds interesting. After reading the sample, I discovered that the author mainly talked about who has been a teacher in a person's life. I didn't notice any grammatical errors in the small part I read. The part I liked most is when the author said, what you learn from teachers depends on you. Although the book is something that could interest a certain audience, the audience is not me. I will not be reading the rest of it because I do not find it pertaining to me at this point. It did not grab my attention or pull me in. It does have an OBC review and after reading the review, I would probably have passed on the book without reading the sample.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 9:32 pm by kljrox.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
The book cover and the title indicated to me that this book must be a self-help book to enlighten ourself, in the light of that, I read the official review of this book because I wanted to know the contents of this book. The official review helped me to understand that the book portrays the author’s various thoughts on life. The author leaves his opinion about themes such as patience, wealth, responsibility, and politics. The book appeared to be quite motivational. This information encouraged me to read the sample of the book before purchasing it. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors. For example, the sentence, "What they teach you on a daily basis stays with you for your whole lives.", which should have been "What they teach you on a daily basis stays with you for your whole life." The thing l liked the most is the idea of finding motivation from the problems we face. Like for example, Lack of money and hard times teaches us to stay strong and be independent. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing of this book. Moreover, make this book unique by adding some creative ideas to improve the reader's life. Considering all these facts, I decided not to purchase and read this book today but wait until the author could help by addressing my suggestion so that I could enjoy reading the book.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 1:45 pm by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Maria Esposito
I knew I would not be interested in reading this book before I sampled it, because I do not like reading compilations of essays or articles. I think the cover design matches the title and contents of the book quite well. The book has one positive customer review on Amazon, but this did not play a role in forming an initial opinion about the book. Reading the first ten pages did not make me change my mind. The first essay/article in the book is about teachers and what we can learn from the people we encounter in our lives. Then, the book goes into defining responsibility.
I found a couple of errors concerning the misuse of articles ("they make you realize the true family and friends") and prepositions ("they never come back at us"). Hence, I think that the book might not have been professionally edited. There was nothing I particularly liked or disliked about this book: I simply do not like compilations. On top of that, the lack of professional editing further steered me away from this book. I came across an official review of the book on Online Book Club, but this had no impact on my final decision.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 1:40 pm by Maria Esposito.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sonya Nicolaidis
The title of this book is bold and stands out impressively. However, I wasn’t sure how the visual of the lion fitted into the idea of wisdom so I began the sample a little puzzled. The reviewer was quite positive, indicating that there was any interesting points in this book despite many grammatical errors. My first instinct would be to avoid this kind of book but I tried the sample with an open mind. The language was enjoyable and easy to understand and I enjoyed what I read. The point about who our teachers are in life was interesting, especially the assertion that hardship can also be a teacher. As I read, I felt I was getting more and more confused by the lion on the front page so this part is what I disliked the most. I would suggest another cover illustration for this book to attract readers to it. I myself didn’t note any errors in the sample; however the sample I read was short and errors may still be up ahead. I wouldn’t read this book, in line with my first impressions, but wish this author well.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 1:26 pm by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Howlan
The cover looks good. According to the synopsis, this book will help readers change their perspective towards life and help them think outside the box. I really did not enjoy the Amazon sample. First it talks about who the best teacher is for you. It drags straightforward ones like our parents or teachers but also drags out nature and money to be our teachers which is really thinking outside the box. The next topic introduced is responsibility. After a dictionary definition, the narrator breaks the word "responsible" into letters and brings out its inner meanings. Along with these explanations, big wallpapers having the words "Best Teacher" or "Responsibility" are present in between text, which is frankly useless. So, I am not going to buy and read this book as I did not enjoy the sample at all. No typos were found in the sample. The Official Review is present, and the reviewer mentions "the text was boring, unoriginal, and unprofessionally edited". In terms of improving the book, first and foremost, the content should have some originality. It was plain boring and nothing to engage the readers. Second, drop the useless pictures in between text. Also, the narrator should add some humor in between the monologues to make it a bit more appealing to readers.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 1:14 pm by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
moowshiri
I loved the book's cover, a factor that would have restrained me from skipping the read at first sight; It is attractive. However, I didn't like the sample provided at Amazon; it's concise and only goes up to the table of contents section. As a result, I didn't get to sample its first ten pages. Mago should improve on the scope of that sample. I won't be reading the book since I have no further clue about it, apart from one that I got from one of its official reviews from OnlineBookClub. There are also no grammatical errors in the small bit that I sampled.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 1:01 pm by moowshiri.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
edztan15
My opinion on self-help books varies on a case-to-case basis. The blurb for this one seems to indicate that the book covers a wide variety of subjects. The review also stated the same, but it also has some criticisms about it. A deal-breaker mentioned in the review is that the book is dull and boring. This may be a matter of personal taste, but perhaps it has some basis to warrant that kind of opinion. Given these factors, plus the fact that I'm picky when it comes to self-help books, my first impression was that I will be taking a pass on this book. Upon reading the first few pages, it is quite difficult to pinpoint what the specific target or subject matter of the book is. It covers a wide array of topics that I can't help but think that the book is too generic and as one commenter mentioned, just a matter of common sense. I did not find any typos in the first few pages, but the reviewer said that it has several errors. Perhaps these errors will be more prominent in the succeeding chapters. With these factors, I may have to take a pass on this one.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 9:17 am by edztan15.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
aacodreanu
I would have chosen to read or sample this book based on the cover, title, and editorial review that I saw, because I am interested in learning in general. I might buy and read the whole book, reading the first ten pages made a positive impression on me. I am a little reluctant of handbooks for self-improvement, but, perhaps, this one is different. The book seems like it was professionally edited, at least the part that I read, as the reviewer signaled some deficiencies. In the bit I read, I liked most the way the author speaks about teachers, teaching, and learning, as I have been a teacher myself. I am not skilled or knowledgeable enough to say what could be improved.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 5:11 am by aacodreanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Susmita Biswas
Wisdom by Arun mago is a non-fiction novel. The cover has a picture of a lion, and I don't know how the title suits the cover. A lion can signify pride or power but not wisdom. It doesn't have a blurb. There were only one or two customer reviews, but they were positive. The editorial reviews were also few and positive. It has an official OnlineBookClub review. The sample only had the cover page and list of content. That is why I can not say what I liked or disliked. I am very disappointed about it and don't want to buy the book. I request the author to provide some more pages in the sample because lots of people read the sample before investing their money. It can decrease the number of readers.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 4:44 am by Susmita Biswas.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Elvis Best
Based on the genre of the book, I would have read it because I love reading self-help titles. However, after reading the first ten pages, I've decided not to buy and read the rest of it because I found the writing to be uninspiring. I believe the book is professionally edited though, as I found no errors in the first ten pages. The one thing I liked most was how the author aimed to educate with his writing. Consequently, I do not have any suggestions for improvement. I did read an Official OnlineBookClub review that I think presented the book well.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 3:35 am by Elvis Best.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MeganDJ
To be honest, I would not have picked this book up based on the cover and title alone, and after reading the first 10, it has not changed my mind. Its appearance is bland and understated, much like the style of writing the author uses to explain his point of view. I found myself wanting for more expression and I was not looking for cookie-cutter definitions of words I already know. With that being said, I will not be buying this book. It seems that it was well-edited, as I did not find a single error. I liked the idea of what the author was going for in terms of sharing his idea of wisdom, but from what I was allowed to read, it fell flat. I did find an Online Book Review, and I do agree with what was said there, especially the book being bland and unoriginal.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 2:38 am by MeganDJ.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Aditi Sapate
I wouldn't have chosen to read this book based on the title, cover and genre, as I usually don't read self-betterment books anymore. The official OnlineBookClub review was written quite well and in an organized manner. When I started sampling the book, I found that the author has broken everything down for the layman. However, as an adult, I felt this book would be more suitable for pre-teens or teens, due to its basic and simple nature. I will not continue reading the book. The sample did not contain any grammatical errors. I didn't dislike anything about the book, only felt that the audience intended is a bit younger than me.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 2:30 am by Aditi Sapate.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
elisathelvarik
I would not have chosen this book based on its title, cover, description, and reviews. It is not my type of book. I thought the book would be a little more polished, but the sample changed my mind. The sample only showed me 6 pages so I got less content. The text was very basic and dry. I felt that the text had no personality and the book topics did not interest me. I liked the idea of the topics, but they were not executed very well. For example, the first topic on teachers could elaborate more on specific personal teachers in the authors life and their influence. I will not buy this book. The official review also convinced me that this book was not for me. I did not find any typos or errors, but the book does not seem well-edited. The sentences are very simple and not professional at all.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 2:24 am by elisathelvarik.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Melisa Jane
I wouldn't have sampled this book based on its title because I'm not interested in self-help books. After sampling this book, I won't finish reading it because the topic doesn't interest me. I like that the author helps the readers appreciate different types of teachers. I didn't like how the author converted independent words such as "responsible" into abbreviations to try and justify his points. I don't find any grammatical errors throughout the reading. This book has an official OBC review.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 1:57 am by Melisa Jane.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
J_odoyo
It has been my habit to read books that motivate and encourage readers on some vital life issues, which enables one to realize his/her full potential. The book’s title was attractive, and I think the cover page was also attractive. The book had a positive OnlineBookClub review, which gave insight into what the book entails. I liked the book’s description on the Amazon website; it was succinct and informative enough to allow for an accurate guess of what the book is all about. I didn’t find any error in the sample, and It’s possible to wager that the book was professionally edited, though that wasn’t the case. The book engaged me from the earlier pages as the author explains his best teachers. I had not appreciated how much my parents taught me as I did while reading this book. I didn’t know the many teachers we have (friends, lack of money, hard time, nature, etc.) that don’t even ask for money. That was an amazing revelation. He has also explained what it means to be responsible. I think this is a great book. After reading the sample and the OnlineBookClub review, I’m going to finish reading this book because of my love for motivating books.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 1:50 am by J_odoyo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Stephanie Runyon
The cover makes this book seem like it carries a powerful message. I agree with the OBC review, as I found errors in grammar and the ideas presented were lacking in originality. The first error that stood out was a run-on sentence that lacked punctuation: "If you really want to understand what being responsible is and if you want yourself to be called responsible and if you want to take on responsibilities, then you need to understand the meaning that I have explained in mnemonics below." Another round of editing would definitely improve this book. I had some difficulty with the ideas of how the author lumped experiences, like lack of money, as teachers equal to people. I will not be reading the rest of this book due to the errors and lack of personal belief.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 1:26 am by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shrabastee Chakraborty
I loved the cover and the simple title. The official OBC review rates it a 2 stars. Based on the review and the fact that I don't like self-help books, I wouldn't have read this. The excerpt was written with a clear logic and in a concise manner. The author discusses how the teachers we have encountered in life have shaped us. Next, he teaches us what being responsible means. Despite the claim the official review made about having numerous editing issues, I couldn't find any errors myself. I wouldn't suggest any improvements either, as the book seemed well-written. However, my general aversion to this genre causes me to pass this one.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 12:48 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Tonika632
Based on a genre of this book, I would not pick it for sampling. I don't like self-help books, but after I read the official review, I changed my mind. I think that this book would really help me in the end, and therefore, I will read it. The first ten pages also changed my mind. I like how the author highlighted important things and talked about them in general. I like the author's style of writing. I would not change a thing in the book. There are no errors, and I think that this book is edited professionally.
First Ten review added on July 18, 2020, at 12:39 am by Tonika632.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kaitlyn Canedy
I would have skipped Wisdom if it had not been the book of the day through the OnlineBookClub. Honestly, the sample itself was very boring, and I was unable to discover or learn anything new from it. I was also unable to find anything that I truly enjoyed in it, as it was only a few pages long. As such, I will be skipping out on the rest of the book. There were no grammatical errors that I could find. I think that a few improvements that could be done are the following: make the font bigger so it does not strain reader's eyes, and add more pages to the sample to engage readers better. There is an official OnlineBookClub review for Wisdom, and it solidified what I had already decided regarding reading the book. The review states that there are many grammatical errors in the book, but given how few pages were available to read, I was unable to determine if there are any further within. I can't recommend this title to any reader in its current state as I think that too many improvements need to be done to it. Self-help books are my favorite, but sadly this one did not make my list of books to read.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 11:30 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Juliana_Isabella
I wouldn't have chosen this book because I don't usually read nonfiction, and the review I read was fairly negative, so it didn't make me want to read the book. I didn't find any errors in the first ten pages, but I did agree with the reviewer that the ideas in the book are fairly unoriginal. While most people do think of a favorite teacher as a college professor, lots of people recognize that every person and every experience offers a learning opportunity. Because of this lack of originality, I won't be finishing the book.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 11:26 pm by Juliana_Isabella.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mrunalpatki
The book title is okay, but the lion on the cover, although majestic, is usually used to denote courage and not wisdom. I have read the official OBC review and the sample provided of the book. The author seems new; I want to applaud his courage in taking the first steps. But, the book needs thorough editing. Like in the first sentence of the sample - "When we talk about teachers, all of a sudden we only think about a school or college teacher or tutor. " After "sudden," a comma is essential. And the phrase "all of a sudden" seems out of place. It can be removed. The pictures in the book seem irrelevant. They don't seem original either. The information meted out by the author seems very general. Nothing specific. I wouldn't be interested in a book that pep talks about its way of self-help for readers. I am looking for definite steps or achievable actions. I will not be buying this book.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 10:51 pm by Mrunalpatki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CrescentMoon
After reading the blurb, I wouldn't pick this book up because I don't read non-fiction or self-help books so I'm not the target audience for this. After reading the first ten pages, I saw numerous grammar errors. In the chapter entitled Be Responsible, "The dictionary meaning of responsible is 'having...'" there should be a comma after "is." There were also many sentences that were missing commas throughout each chapter. What I liked most about the book so far is how he breaks a concept down to explain what each concept means. For example, he makes mnemonics for each letter in the word "responsible" and explains what each concept means to make it clear to the reader how important this word is and what it really means. For improvement, I think the author should definitely do some more editing. The grammar errors and typos were quite distracting. There was an onlinebookclub review, however I still would not read this book because I don't like reading non-fiction so this isn't for me.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 10:02 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
unamilagra
Before sampling this book, I probably would not have picked it up. I don't read self-help very often anyway, and the OBC review didn't make this sound very enticing. In reading the free sample, I was not that impressed with the information. It seemed like a person just giving their personal opinions about random things, many of which didn't even make sense. For example: "Money teaches you to have at least one best friend or become a best friend for someone who will always be there for you." I don't understand how these two things are related at all. I don't plan to continue reading this book. I didn't notice any errors in the pages I read.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 8:09 pm by unamilagra.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gabrielle Sigaki
Wisdom by Arun Mago is a non-fiction self-help book that concentrates on some life aspects. Since its Official OnlineBookClub review didn't give the book a good rating, because of the unoriginal plot, I wasn't willing to read it. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and decided not to read the entire book. The author's approach was aimed at people's motivation without practical applications, in my opinion. But I enjoyed that the texts were direct to the point the author wants to emphasize. Besides, the book seems professionally edited.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 8:03 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
I love the picture of the lion on the cover. To me, this implies wisdom is something innate that is honed through survival. I would have sampled this book even if I had not been part of this program. In “Best Teachers,” I didn’t quite get the money reason, but the others were interesting. I enjoyed the sample pages but not enough to buy the book. The sentiments were meaningful, but I was not inspired enough to read more. I didn’t notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages. A suggestion for improvement would be to include the first two stories in the Kindle sample—it only had the table of contents. The featured OnlineBookClub review had no bearing on my decision not to buy this book.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 7:49 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Brenda Creech
I love the cover on this book, and the title compelled me to check it out even before reading the official review. After reading the review, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read the book. The review revealed that the book has multiple errors. However, I only saw a few in the sample. Simple mistakes, such as at three percent of the Kindle edition, when the author gives a review of "Best Teachers," he gave "Lack of money and hard time." The word 'time' should be 'times." Also, I felt the narrative was slow and choppy. I had a difficult time reading it and feeling like it flowed smoothly. I had to read it a second time aloud, and I still felt like I was struggling with the flow. I didn't see enough errors to judge professional editing, as I only had a short section to read. As for what needs to be improved, I would like to see a more relaxed narrative with a smooth flow when reading. I like how the author used a mnemonic for the word responsible. I don't intend to purchase and finish reading this book for the reasons I mentioned above.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 7:32 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chelsy Scherba
The author presents his ideas in a clear, understandable way. I like how he honors the teachers in our lives, our parents, grandparents, money, etc. and the lessons we learn from them. The review was mostly positive, but didn’t influence me either way. I’m not really interested in this genre at the moment, so I’ll pass. The book appears to be professionally edited without errors. I love the cover, the lion is beautiful. I would not have found this book outside of the program. I don’t really have any suggestions for improvements because I’m sure fans of the genre will enjoy the author’s friendly tone and interesting explanations of words such as “responsible”.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 6:36 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Lee
It's hard to make much of a judgment call on this book because there were so few sample pages. The book review stated that the book really needs to be extensively edited. Maybe the author has already done that because I didn't really find a lot of problems in the sample pages but, again, there were only two pages to sample!
I'd agree with the review that the organization is well done. There wasn't enough of a sample to find anything within the writing itself that could be improved upon. I think weaving in some illustrative stories would have held my attention better, but perhaps that comes later in the book. The main thing I felt could be improved upon was the Amazon blurb. It was too general. It didn't really explain what the book had to offer that was different than other self-help books out there. I would have liked to have had more information about the book's content.
I won't be reading the book because it's not really a genre that interests me.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 6:35 pm by Laura Lee.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
LinaJan
My eyes stopped when they spotted the majestic being in all its glory on the cover of Arun Mago’s ‘Wisdom.’ The simplistic title was also a winner for me. However, I was unsure how I felt about the subtitle – ‘Unleash yourself.’ Maybe that is because this phrase has lost its power over time from being overused; I find it somewhat tacky. After learning that this book falls under the category of ‘self-help,’ I found myself having further doubts as it is not a genre that I usually get excited over. The official onlinebookclub.org review provided some insights that I was able to put to the test when reading the available sample. Whilst I appreciate the author’s simplistic tone of writing, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to such things as flow. I felt like the tone sounded somewhat patronizing towards the reader. Both the tone and minor punctuation mistakes, such as missing commas, impeded my enjoyment. On the bright side, judging by the table of content, it seems that the book discussed a wide range of some interesting and relevant topics. It also appears to be very clearly structured, which is always helpful.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 6:34 pm by LinaJan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Adrianna Melillo
I love the cover art for this book. The big, beautiful lion coupled with the title in large letters is really powerful. This alone made me want to look further into it. In reading the Official OnlineBookClub review, I found the reviewer praised the well-organized, persuasive nature of this text; however, they noted that it did not seem to contain original thought and needed quite a bit more editing. Nevertheless, the captivating cover interested me in sampling a few pages. In the first page alone, I found a handful of spelling/grammatical errors. For example, "Lack of money and hard time(s)." This is definitely something that deters/distracts me as a reader. Additionally, the chapters are not very detailed. I think including some examples and/or anecdotes would be really helpful in supporting the arguments. For these reasons, I will not be buying and reading this book. However, I think there is some potential here, as the information is good, there's just a lot of revising that needs to be done first.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 6:32 pm by Adrianna Melillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kelyn
If I had not been a member of this program, it is highly unlikely that the title, cover, genre, or author of this book would have attracted my attention. I generally do not find self-help books engaging, so the genre alone would probably have ruled it out. The title and cover, although they do go together well, are not ones that would particularly grab me and make me want to pick up the book. The author is unknown to me, so that would not have affected my decision either way. The blurb gives a good testimony of the author's intentions, but this still leaves it open to interpretation whether or not he succeeded, so it did not influence me overmuch. There was one, very short, mildly positive customer review. It was not particularly helpful in stirring my interest in the book. There did not seem to be a review from this program, but if there had been, I would have been interested to hear what the reviewer had to say. As far as the sample, unfortunately, I found the text to be boring, unoriginal, and the tone almost condescending. Although the ideas about our first teachers and the various meanings of responsibility that the author was espousing were valid and valuable ones, his 'speech', so to speak, was too 'dumbed down' to be attractive to the target audience. I'll be skipping this one. Although the wording itself was, at times, somewhat odd, I did not find any technically incorrect and countable errors in the sample. Therefore, the book seemed fairly well edited.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 4:57 pm by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Verna Coy
Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I would not have chosen it because I don’t think the title suited the cover. For this reason, I don’t intend to buy and read the whole book today. Reading the first ten pages didn’t change my mind about buying the book, although the early sections were interesting and direct. Based on what I read the book doesn’t seem professionally edited, as I noticed errors such as a grammar issue at location 41% of the sample, “They are teaching you to be happy and that there is no point for [should ‘to] this rat race, because in the end, you will be here at the same stage.” The sentence is also a bit confusing at the end and could be worded better. What I liked most about what I read is how the author cites nature as a good source of knowledge and teaching. I know that readers who enjoy self-help books will enjoy aspects of this one. As far as improvements, another round of proofreading would be good. I did read the Official Online Book Club review and found it insightful. It didn’t affect my views of the book.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 4:54 pm by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jorge Leon Salazar
The book starts talking about "The Best Teachers" providing a range of whom they are. It offers a list of best teachers, in which, it highlights parents, true friends, school or college teachers, nature, workplace, money, among others. The author stresses all of them teach us many learnings such as love, respect, not to discriminate, keep smiling despite the problems we can be enduring. In the last part of the sample, the book covers the concepts of being responsible and responsibility.
The focus of the book seems attractive to me and looking at the table of contents I see there are other interesting topics. However, in what little I read, it looked like I have already read similar ideas in other texts. The official review is not very flattering and disheartens me from reading the rest of the book. Therefore, I don't think I will read the rest of it. The cover seems adequate to me; it is inspiring. The edition looked proper as I didn't detect any errors.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 4:05 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
I like the title and cover art for this book. It looks interesting and caught my eye right away. I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. I haven’t read a customer review of this book, but the Online Book Club review gave it a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. The reviewer noted that the text was boring at times and didn’t sound interesting. The reviewer also noted that there were a lot of errors in the book. I notice some spacing errors in the book when I read the first ten pages. For example, on page 5 where the author provides definitions, there is inconsistent spacing after each of the numbers in the list. Sometimes there is one space after the number and sometimes there are more spaces. So, I don’t believe that this book was professionally edited. I didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon in the first ten pages other than additional editing. The first ten pages describe teachers and how we have many teachers in our lives, not just school teachers. The author also defines responsibility and what that encompasses. I thought the first ten pages were very basic in the information in provided. I will not finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 4:03 pm by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AvidBibliophile
The cover art certainly exudes a courageously bold sense of relaxed confidence. The Amazon product description provides a succinct story snapshot, motivationally mentioning shifting perspectives and our common tendency to overlook and disregard issues of little consequence. I appreciated the emphasis the author placed upon RESPONSIBILITY and those who assume "teaching roles" in our everyday lives. The inclusion of several definitions and mnemonics also helped solidify the points being made. At 56% of the sample, the 8-point list of definitions displays some inconsistency with the typographical spacing after each number. This book, otherwise, appears to have been professionally edited. The 2 published OBC reviews offer similar summaries but contradictory ratings. The 2 currently posted Amazon user ratings are both persuasively positive but brief. Since motivational self-help titles do not fall within my preferred reading genres, I will be passing on this one, but for readers who can appreciate gentle guidance techniques presented in an educational format, this one seems promising.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 3:55 pm by AvidBibliophile.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Caffrey_19
I decided to sample the book, Wisdom by Arun mago, after seeing an official review on OBC about its educative contents. The book seemed professionally edited, and I hardly encountered any grammar errors/typos. Although if I hadn’t read the first ten pages of the book, I would still have sampled it in the first place based on its genre. I liked that the book involved essential themes. But because the author tried to choose rationality over feelings, I will not be buying and reading the whole book. The author should respect people’s reasons for their decisions, especially when it involves feelings.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 3:31 pm by Caffrey_19.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Odette Chace
The title doesn't grab my attention. Perhaps because of "Harry Potter," I associate lions with bravery and courage rather than wisdom, so a different animal might have worked better on the cover. The synopsis on Amazon focuses too much on the author's intentions and what the author wants people to gain from the book. Instead, it should focus on what is actually in the book that people will find interesting and/or helpful. The official Online Book Club review stated that the work was boring and unoriginal. From the summary in the review and the synopsis on Amazon, I think that is a fair assessment. I wouldn't normally pick this book up. I didn't like the pictures included in the sample and their inclusion didn't help drive home the author's points. In places, the writing also came across as very preachy. For instance, "Never forget that you exist because of them" (0% of sample). I didn't notice any errors in the sample. However, I found the writing dull and don't plan to finish the book.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 3:17 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Emy Katherine
Even though the beautiful cover caught my attention, I would not have read the book based on the genre. As I do not read non-fiction books, I am not interested in reading a self-help book that motivates you to change your perspective and live a better life. Therefore, reading both the sample and the OBC review did nothing to change my mind. The author's writing style was straightforward and pleasant to read, but I noticed some errors while sampling the book. Therefore, I would suggest another round of editing. For example, it should be written "Old age/grandfathers" instead of "Old age / grandfathers." (3%) There should be a comma after "all of a sudden" in the following sentence: "All of a sudden we only think about a school or college teacher. . ." (3%)
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 3:14 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AntonelaMaria
I really liked the cover of this book. It is witty and impactful. I might have chosen to read it based solely on the cover but after reading the reviews and the sample of the book I decided to skip it. This book needs more editing. I would point out the fact that the formating of the passages are all off and don't match. That is something that needs improvement. I liked the idea of the book, wisdom being a thing teacher in our own life thought us. It is something to be reminded of. This book has an Official OnlineBookClub review that I have read and it was very helpful.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 3:07 pm by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Ungureanu
At first sight, I can safely say that I liked the cover, but I was reluctant upon finding out that this is a self-help/motivational book. I don't read books from this genre, so I could've stopped right there. The OBC review definitely didn't help, drawing a rather negative profile to the book. The odds were not in its favor. The sample talks about the best teachers and about responsibility. Although these topics are nicely chosen, I felt like the manner they are dealt with is completely unoriginal. Perhaps that is because of the writing, but the words passed by me with no impact whatsoever. I didn't find any grammar errors in the sample, but I will still stop here with this book because it didn't convince me to go forward.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 3:03 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Leen282
I like the cover; it's a beautiful picture of a lion. I would expect a different kind of book, though, a resting lion does not tell me to unleash myself. When reading the free sample, I must admit I don't feel the message. The description of the different teachers does not speak to me since I have a very different experience. It feels like the author wants to share his beliefs more than inviting the readers to think and come to their conclusions. My conclusion is more in line with the not so positive OBC review than with the very positive Amazon review.
The book can use an extra round of editing. I found several errors. One example is the definition of punctual: 'happening or doing something at the agreed or proper time or is on time.'
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 2:37 pm by Leen282.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Fernando222
If I hadn't read the first ten pages of the book, Wisdom by Arun mago, I would have still read it based on its cover because the cover doesn't portray a courageous and brave animal. I developed an interest to sample this book when I saw this fantastic review on OBC. I will not be buying and reading the whole book, not because I didn't like the themes deliberated in the book, but because the book was argumentative. The book did seem professionally edited, and I found no grammar errors/typos. I liked that the book is full of wise words and tips. I think the book needs restructuring to make the read more comprehensive.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 2:09 pm by Fernando222.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jsovermyer
I like the cover photo of the lion and the title, Wisdom. Both would make me take a closer look at this book. The author imparts his thoughts on life in this interesting book. I like the idea of people shutting themselves into boxes with their cell phones and the need for them to break free and experience nature around them. I don't agree with the official reviewer who said the book had no original content. I thought in the chapter on Best Teachers that listing lack of money and hardtimes,nature, and oldage and grandparents as teachers was very original. I found no grammatical or spelling errors in the pages I read. However, the official reviewer said grammatical errors was a problem in the book. I liked what I read so far and would like to finish this book.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 1:42 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Diana Lowery
The lion on the cover was a nice photo, but I did not read enough of the book to understand what the significance was. The genre did not interest me, and the review convinced me not to read the rest of the book because it mentioned a lack of originality. Even though the review mentioned that it was poorly edited, I did not see any errors in the sample that I read. It seemed the author used a very simplistic writing style that would not appeal to readers looking for a deeper meaning of wisdom.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 1:31 pm by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
I like the cover of the book because it's very different from other self-help titles. Also, the "unleash yourself" catchphrase is quite attractive. Unfortunately, the blurb already has editing mistakes and the constant repetition of "the author..." is annoying. This is a bad prediction of what the book contains so, even with the good ratings I wouldn't have bought it.
The sample was lackluster, in my opinion. Already on the first page, there's a mistake: "stays with you for your whole lives" where it should say "life". I agree with some of the ideas of the author such as respecting our parents, reconnecting with nature, etcetera but do we really needed a book to tell us this? I don't think the author adds anything to what's fairly common knowledge. I also don't like the idea of (paraphrasing) "we can hurt nature and it will keep on forgiving us" or the fact that he states that not everybody can be responsible. I also don't think all decisions should be taken based on logic.
For these reasons, I won't read the book. I would suggest a serious and thorough second editing round. The official review also mentions many flaws so it didn't convince me to read it.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 1:16 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
Based on the title and cover, it seems like a non-fiction book, which I am not in the market for; hence, I would not have sampled the book. However, I have come across a positive review of the book. After sampling, there are many errors present. For example, at 70% in the sample, there is a missing comma to mark the introductory word: "Now(,) let me explain the definition...". I would suggest more editing, as there are also many instances of awkward syntax. However, I appreciate that the author tries to explain his own arguments, and it is done pretty well. For example, in order to become a better person, the author explains that being responsible is one part of it. He defines what being responsible is, and he actually uses mnemonics to help, e.g., "r" is for reliable, and this means that you should become someone whom people can trust easily. However, as I am not in the market for non-fiction, I will not be purchasing the book today.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 1:14 pm by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn’t have read it. I'm not a reader of self-help, and though discussing interesting topics, I wouldn't have read this one. After reading the first ten pages I didn’t change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I liked and appreciated the "RESPONSIBLE" mnemonic that was introduced early on in the book. It was both interesting and telling of what was to come with this one. That being said, I'm just not interested enough in this book to buy and read it. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read, but it did seem well written and edited. The official review did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on July 17, 2020, at 12:12 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 7%
Wisdom earned a score of 7%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 7% 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 Wisdom
