‘Five-Minute Feedback’ at August 7 Meeting — Any Takers?

In May, we debuted Five-Minute Feedback, which could become a regular part of our meetings, if members choose to take advantage of the opportunity. 

For those of you who weren’t here in May, I was the guinea pig for that first go-around. I shared five different cover redesigns of my first novel, Bones in the Wash: Politics is Tough. Family is Tougher. The feedback and the poll were very useful for me, and I heard from others that the discussion was stimulating.

We had someone lined up for the June meeting, but it fell through. Thanks to Tom Ucko, who was struggling with a title for his book, we came up with one on the fly, and it helped him decide on the title Born While Fleeing: How My Parents’ Escape from the Holocaust Shaped My Life. (You can see the draft cover design on the right. )

We have a slot available at the August 7 meeting as well as future meetings. Contact me at webmaster@baipa.org if you’re interested. 

Maybe you’re trying to decide between three book titles, or you’re struggling with your elevator pitch and need some suggestions. Could be a book blurb you need help with. You can get feedback at the meeting and we can also follow it up with a post here in the blog. 

To get you in the mood, I’m going to insert myself into the process again and share some Amazon ad copy with you.

I recently almost completed the free Bryan Collins Amazon Ad School Five Day Challenge and one of the important elements is coming up with the best 149-character hook for your ad. Here’s one ad I launched. 

Here are five hooks, variations on a theme.

1. When I Killed My Father is a “page-turner with a conscience” about a therapist trapped between what is compassionate and what is legal.
2. What if your ailing father asked you to kill him? Then, from the pulpit of the church at your father’s memorial, your sister accused you of murder? 
3. A family thriller about a therapist squeezed between a compassionate promise to his ailing father and his sister’s public accusation of murder.
4. A “page-turner with a conscience” about a distraught therapist who fulfills his promise to his ailing father, but tears his family apart.
5. When I Killed My Father is an “assisted-suicide family thriller” about a psychologist trapped between what is compassionate and what is murder.

We’re not going to solicit feedback on this at the meeting — I had my turn already — but I’d love to hear which hook you think is strongest in the comments.