BUY or PASS? Campervan of Doom #FridayFiveChallenge

Welcome to the ‘Friday Five Challenge.’

Would you BUY or PASS if you had only a thumbnail image and five minutes to decide?

Welcome to the #FridayFiveChallenge. The original idea comes from Rosie Amber, and you can join up at https://rosieamber.wordpress.com

The rules are laid out at the end of this post if you fancy having a go.

Here is my contribution for this week:

I have a talented friend, Jane, who recently held a Facebook competition to win one of her handmade, shabby-chic campervan plaques, so I thought I would use her as my inspiration. I set my timer and entered ‘campervan’ into the Amazon search bar.

I discovered page upon page of ‘out on the open road’ books, all of them with a variation of campervans on the front cover. Some looked quite serene, others used a cartoonish picture, but as I scrolled down I found this:

Marie Potter and The Campervan of Doom by Brian Burke

BLURB:

This magnum opus is an account of a two year trip around Europe in a campervan; we explored from the top of Norway up inside the Arctic Circle to Gibraltar; from Portugal in the west to Ukraine in the east.

My wife Marie (pronounced Marry) and I thought that as we hadn’t set foot in a van before it would be a great idea to head off into the sunset in a cloud of diesel smoke; our trusty steed Gemima (the Hymer) wanted to stay at home and Marie seemed determined to maim me.

The following is a tale of mechanical mischief, foolishness and an exploration of the human psyche. We visited some amazing places; met some fantastic people and in between the endless problems had a fabulous time. Hope you enjoy it! 

My Analysis:

The cover is a classic DIY job by a new writer, but I think it’s hilarious, even down to the 666 on the number plate. Straight away I’m shown that this trip wasn’t a smooth ride! As a die-hard Harry Potter and Indiana Jones fan, the title of this book also made me giggle.

The Stats:

The book has 307 pages, and the Kindle price is £1.21. There are 237 reviews, the majority of these are four and five stars (157 at five stars).

The reviews are great, and it appears to be a laugh out loud kind of book. Here is one example of the kind of review this book is receiving:

4* A great read and loads of real life experiences that all campers will see in themselves. Some great laugh out loud bits and a fantastic example of living a dream, this won’t put people off, it should encourage them as the friendships and experiences are real and genuinely warm. The only reason I can’t give five stars is the lack of proofreading, bit disappointing, but overall an excellent read…

I was a bit worried about the lack of proofreading comment, as this appeared on some reviews. However, as I clicked through to the review comments I was encouraged to see some messages from the author; I’ve taken this on board and had the book checked and corrected. Thanks for the feedback, Regards Bri

Good for you, Bri! The author clearly enjoyed writing this book and sharing it with the world, and has happily taken on board the comments his readers have made and made the necessary changes.

The cover is fun, and the blurb gives me a ‘Carry on Camping’ vibe. As I once hired a 1969 VW camper and toured the Isle of Wight, I think this would bring back fond memories, so it’s a BUY. 

Marie Potter and the Campervan of Doom – buy your copy from Amazon.co.uk:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00A7DS69W

Take a look at who else has taken part in the Friday Five Challenge: 

Rosie is busy with her Romancing September Series so no Friday Five from her today – if you want to check out her Romancing September Posts then follow the link for Day 4 – https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/romancingseptember-day-4-shirley-valentine-goes-to-vegas-by-michellebetham/

Cathy is having a de-clutter – https://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/friday-five-challenge-9/comment-page-1/#comment-2543

Liz looks at biographies – https://lizannelloyd.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/429/

 

What is the Friday Five Challenge?

In today’s online shopping age, readers often base their buying decisions on small postage stamp size book covers (thumb-nails), a quick glance at the book description and the review. How much time do they 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?

The 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 of this book,

5) If there are reviews, check out a couple,

6) Make an instant decision, would you BUY or PASS?

(then write a little analysis about your decision)