Bullet Hole's Fabulous Focus Group: Tell Her What You Really Think!

Another election cycle is upon us and we’re hearing a lot about focus groups again. A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their attitude towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Today you all will comprise Bullet Hole’s very own focus group and I will be seeking your input relating to, er... packaging. Let me explain.

I’ve blogged before about my Calamity Jayne covers--how much I adore them and how I think the branding is pure genius. I’m spoiled. I admit it. You walk into a bookstore, spot one of these covers, and you know it’s a Calamity Jayne book. How totally cool is that?

My May, 2008, release is not a Tressa Jayne Turner mystery. Entitled FIANCÉ AT HER FINGERTIPS, it is a romantic comedy. Sort of. It’s one of those books you hear authors refer to as the ‘book of my heart.’ Often these books never sell. I lucked out. Mine did. It’s special to me. Writing this book convinced me that I should be writing comedy.

So, I plan to unveil the cover for this book here at Killer Fiction for the first time. And that’s where you come in, focus group of mine. I haven’t decided yet exactly how I feel about the cover and I need your input. Here’s the set up. I want you to imagine you’re walking into a bookstore, Wal-mart, grocery store or drug store and you are searching the shelves for a fun read. And you see this:

SCROLL DOWN NOW!!!!

Okay, focus group. Focus. Would you pick this book up? Pass it by? Barely even notice it? Snatch it up right away? Blink in rapid succession several times only to discover it’s still there? What? Quickly jot down those key first impressions--both positive and negative. Done? Good.

Now let’s pretend you’ve picked the book up and turned it over to read the back cover copy. It reads:

FIANCÉ AT HER FINGERTIPS
THE SINGLE GIRL’S ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION TO MATERNAL MEDDLING, FAMILIAL FIDDLING AND FRIENDS’ FIX-ME-UPSA romance novel that’s out of the box.

“Who are you seeing?”

Debra Daniels thinks she’s found the answer to the age-old question women have been plagued with ever since Eve first said “Why not?” when Adam asked her on a stroll through the Garden. In need of a break from her matchmaking mother and a score of hellish blind dates, to Debra the do-it-yourself boyfriend-in-a-box kit is a gift from Above. Fiancé at Your Fingertips: Touted as the single woman’s best defense against pitying looks and speculative stares, it comes with everything the single-and-slightly-desperate woman needs to convince friends, family and coworkers that she has indeed found Mr. Right. And “Lawyer Logan” is definitely that. Tall, handsome…and fictitious. Debra is going to have an absolute blast with her faux beau—until he shows up on her doorstep acting as if he has every right to be there, and in her arms. That’ll be the start of a romance truly outside of the box, and where the real fun begins.
All right, group, you’ve read the back blurb, so what do you think now? Does the cover convey the tone of the book? Is it consistent with the summary? Take a few minutes to record your opinion.

Still with me? Okey dokey.

Next, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the comment link and post your cover analysis comments: good, bad, or indifferent.

And that’s it. Thank you for participating in Bullet Hole’s inaugural Focus Group on cover art. I’m really anxious to know what you think of the cover. What? Me? What do I think? Well, naturally I’ll wait to decide where I stand until after I’ve heard what my fabulous focus group has to say...

Just like a real politician!

Hehe!

~Bullet Hole~