Rosie Amber’s Friday Five Challenge, involves taking only five minutes to choose a book cover which appeals instantly. So take a few minutes, pour yourself a coffee…..and have a browse.
In today’s online shopping age, readers often base their buying decisions from small postage stamp size book covers (Thumb-nails), a quick glance at the book description and the review. How much time do they really spend making that buying decision?
AUTHORS – You often only have seconds to get a reader to buy your book, is your book cover and book bio up to it?
My Friday Five Challenge is this….. IN ONLY FIVE MINUTES….
1) Go to any online book supplier,
2) Randomly choose a category,
3) Speed through the book covers, choose one which has instantly appealed to your eye,
4) Read the book Bio/ Description for this book, and any other details.
5) If there are reviews, check out a couple,
6) Make an instant decision, would you BUY or PASS?
It was the Travel and Holiday section for this week’s challenge. Not something I would generally go for but on the second page I spotted this cover….
The book description reads…
Comedian, mod and professional grump Ian Moore has had enough.
Tired of being unable to park anywhere near his cramped house in a noisy town he doesn’t like, he hatches a plan to move his wife and young son to a remote corner of the Loire Valley in search of serenity and space.
Several years later, Ian finds himself up to his neck in bilingual offspring, feral cats, promiscuous horses, dysfunctional spaniels and needy hens; he’s wrestling with electric fences, a foreign language, a mountain of animal waste and a wife who collects livestock like there’s a biblical flood on the horizon, all while trying not to dirty his loafers.
But despite the ups, downs and increasing demands of Ian’s showbiz career, the Moore family persevere in true Brit style to create a unique, colourful and ultimately rewarding life in their new home – à la campagne and à la mod!
Kindle price ~ £0.99/$1.54
Pages ~ 353
À la Mod sounds a really fun read and, for me, the cover art supports that image. Out of 110 reviews 87 are 5*, the rest are distributed fairly evenly through the other ratings, giving it an overall rating of 4.5* The reviews I glanced through seemed genuine, from people who had reviewed other books. Just five reviews on Amazon.com, three of which are 5*.
I imagine there are quite a few books on the experiences of expats now living in France, and indeed various other countries. And looking at the section underneath ‘Customers who bought this item also bought….’ I see there are! This one appealed to me because of the comedic aspect, which most of the reviewers commented on in a positive way. A few found it less than funny but then, I suppose it all depends on an individual’s sense of humour.
Would I BUY or PASS ~ I’d BUY.
For £0.99 it would be worth taking a chance. Here are the book links ~ Amazon UK Amazon US
Check out other Friday Five Challengers’ choices..
Rosie went for the biography section and chose Zelda Fitzgerald.
Steampunk for Shelley
Terry chose an Enchanted August
Liz goes to Cornwall for a murder mystery
Barb is having ‘weefee’ trouble in the Spanish wilderness. You have to read this!!
If you’d like to enter next week’s challenge, and the more the merrier, check out Rosie’s blog to read about the Friday Five Challenge.
Love It! We all need a bit of fun in our lives. My first thoughts about the cover were “The Adams Family”! Sorry Ian, it just looked a bit “cooky” is that even a word? I think I would enjoy reading this, the price is excellent and the description does appeal.
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Should that be “Kooky”?
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LOL I think so
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Reblogged this on Barrow Blogs: .
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I am so over these ‘my wacky domestic life with all the crazy things that happen to us’ books and blog posts! If this is actually informative about how the move went, then it might be worth looking at, yes, but it seems that so many people who do the ‘Escape to France’ type things like you see on those telly programmes (I love watching them!) think they will recover the unforeseen expenses by writing a bestseller about it!!!!
Yeah, I’d give it a go for 99p. No more, though!!
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I haven’t reached saturation point just yet, but I can’t honestly say I’ve read that much about the subject.
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Terry, you might want to skip my next um… lots… blog posts. Chock full of my wacky holiday life and all the crazy things that happen to us. Just sayin’…
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I, for one, can’t wait 😀
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It looks fun and for the price it would be worth giving it a go, although Terry is right. It seems to be a very popular topic.
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I haven’t read this sort of thing before but really like the blurb and the price! A definite BUY from me 🙂
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I think the blurb sounds great. (Do you think they have wifi in the Loire Valley?) If so, I’m in. Or at least a BUY for me.
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Am definitely buying this – we’re planning a move to France in the future so this is right up my street! (promise not to write a book about it though :))
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😀 Hope you enjoy, and thanks so much for the reblog.
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Reblogged this on Alison Williams Writing and commented:
Cathy’s choice for the Friday Five Challenge – a look at an ex-pat’s life in France
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I would probably buy it. It sounds like something to read after reading something heavier.
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