Who Will Read Your Book?

Filed under Improve your book.

Book Genre at BubbleCowI recently had a conversation with a non-writing friend regarding my own writing. As the conversation progressed I explained that I wrote children’s history books, aimed mainly at boys, aged 9-12, who were reluctant readers, but could hopefully be inspired to read more.

This got me thinking… Just how many writers know their audience this well?

I am not talking about a general understanding, but a real in-depth, get into their heads, kind of knowledge.

There are three key reasons why an understanding of your readership is essential.

Writing

I would be the last person to suggest the marketplace should fundamentally influence the content and topic of a book. However, I do feel that an acute awareness of the readership, a knowledge of the current market and a feel for the ‘type’ of books your reader is already reading can only be an advantage.

Pitching

When submitting your book to a potential agent or publisher, pin pointing the correct agent/publisher is part of the battle. Correctly placing the book in a genre and matching this genre with an agent/publisher is just the start. As a writer, who has an in-depth knowledge of their reader, you will be able to go beyond this, picking out the perfect agent/publisher and presenting a focussed and tailored pitch.

Marketing

Creating buzz about your book is often achieved by targeting a small market niche and dominating until it spills out into the wider market. For example, children’s books are mostly sold, in the first instance, with writers visiting schools and talking directly to the children. The problem is that until you know your reader, where to find them and how to access them you have no market plan.

The aim of this post was to just get you, as a writer, thinking. A secure and in-depth knowledge of your reader will make you a better writer, a better prospect for an agent/publisher and a better marketer.

What tips do you have to identifying your reader?

Do you think readership is really as important as I suggest?

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  • http://www.mysecretaffairwithchocolatecake.com Sunita

    Yep, definately! I think having knowledge about your readership is vital because to a certain extent it will shape your work specific to who you think may be reading it….I guess it would also make it easier for the marketing as you’ll have a good idea where to go to capture your audience1

    • garysmailes

      Do you write with the reader in mind? Do you think we should alter the way we write, perhaps simplifying the message, to ensure the book is a more commercial prospect?

      • Sloanwriter

        Whilst writing my first ebook, I am writing with the reader in mind and how my book will benefit them, I ask myself why would anyone buy this book and who would buy it. Although writing for fun or just because we have words dying to get on on paper is great, it does not always pay the bills or am i being too pragmatic??

  • Madison Woods

    It’s a fine line to walk. On one hand, I want to write without regard to whether the material is being ‘received’ or not. That’s probably a good approach for the first draft. But on the other hand, what I write could easily be pegged as a book mainly women will want to read, and my goal is to produce something with a balance of both fantasy and sci-fi that men will not be ashamed to admit having read. Even better would be for my male audience to promote the book to their friends, too! So I want my female AND male MC to be someone both men and women consider ‘worthy’ companions.

    As for specific audience target, I don’t know that. I do know I’ve been reading the sort of thing I like to write since fairly young (mid-twenties?) and still enjoy it today. I want my target audience to span the rift between young and old adults. Whether I achieve that goal or not remains to be seen :)

    • garysmailes

      I think that the industry pushes writers into genres and a targeted audience. Many publishers work so hard at defining their niche that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Publishers define an audience and produce books for that audience. This attracts a certain type of reader and then makes it very difficult for the publisher to produce anything other than that genre. This leaves the writer with little choice but to fit into the pre-defined picture.

      • Madison Woods

        That whole notion rankles me and presents an almost irresistable challenge, lol. But when push comes to shove, in the end, I’ll have to decide what to do about that mold. I expect to begin wrangling that beast early next year.

  • http://www.mysecretaffairwithchocolatecake.com Sunita

    Yep, definately! I think having knowledge about your readership is vital because to a certain extent it will shape your work specific to who you think may be reading it….I guess it would also make it easier for the marketing as you'll have a good idea where to go to capture your audience1

  • garysmailes

    Do you write with the reader in mind? Do you think we should alter the way we write, perhaps simplifying the message, to ensure the book is a more commercial prospect?

  • Madison Woods

    It's a fine line to walk. On one hand, I want to write without regard to whether the material is being 'received' or not. That's probably a good approach for the first draft. But on the other hand, what I write could easily be pegged as a book mainly women will want to read, and my goal is to produce something with a balance of both fantasy and sci-fi that men will not be ashamed to admit having read. Even better would be for my male audience to promote the book to their friends, too! So I want my female AND male MC to be someone both men and women consider 'worthy' companions.

    As for specific audience target, I don't know that. I do know I've been reading the sort of thing I like to write since fairly young (mid-twenties?) and still enjoy it today. I want my target audience to span the rift between young and old adults. Whether I achieve that goal or not remains to be seen :)

  • garysmailes

    I think that the industry pushes writers into genres and a targeted audience. Many publishers work so hard at defining their niche that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Publishers define an audience and produce books for that audience. This attracts a certain type of reader and then makes it very difficult for the publisher to produce anything other than that genre. This leaves the writer with little choice but to fit into the pre-defined picture.

  • Madison Woods

    That whole notion rankles me and presents an almost irresistable challenge, lol. But when push comes to shove, in the end, I'll have to decide what to do about that mold. I expect to begin wrangling that beast early next year.

  • Sloanwriter

    Whilst writing my first ebook, I am writing with the reader in mind and how my book will benefit them, I ask myself why would anyone buy this book and who would buy it. Although writing for fun or just because we have words dying to get on on paper is great, it does not always pay the bills or am i being too pragmatic??