Do you have a favourite section in a bookshop or library? Maybe you head straight for the new-release novels or memoirs. Perhaps cooking, crafts, or art are more your style. You might be surprised to learn that I make a beeline to the graphic novels section to see if they have any retro collections, like Superman comics from the 1940s. (I have three of those!) Or maybe you like to browse and see what tickles your fancy.
As readers, we have an idea of what we want to read and we seek out those books. As writers, we are told that we have to be clear about our audience so we can market our books appropriately. However, it’s not always that easy in practice.
In my other role as an editor, I often ask clients who they see as their audience. Sometimes it’s obvious (e.g., a devotional aimed at Christian mothers), but not always. Some writers will say that their book is for anyone, yet there’s so much Christian jargon on the first page, it’s unlikely a non-Christian would want to read it.
Even if it’s targeted at a Christian audience, ‘Christians’ are not an homogenous group. Some come from church backgrounds and others don’t. Those who have church backgrounds may have different denominational perspectives (e.g., Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Pentecostal), and there can also be differences within the same denominations regarding certain issues, such as gay marriage. Regardless of denominational emphases, the people sitting in the pews also vary in terms of Bible knowledge, spiritual giftings, likes and dislikes, prayer life, worldviews and so on.
So does this mean that defining your audience is in the too-hard basket? No, but we do need to give some thought to the type of person who might read our books. Here are a few things to consider:
This Ephemeral Thing Called ‘Genre’
According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘genre’ is ‘a style or category of art, music or literature’. Readers look for books in their favourite genres. Booksellers also need to know how to categorise books for sale (e.g., Where will it sit in the bookshop? What tags will it have on Amazon?).
Does it fit a category, like crime, romance, suspense, sci-fi, fantasy, historical, devotional, memoir, how-to?
Is it aimed at a particular age range (e.g., children, young adult, adult)?
Is it a hybrid that crosses over different categories (e.g., Biblical fiction, romantic suspense)?
Is your book fiction or nonfiction? You’d think that would be easy to determine, but there can be some grey areas (e.g., Is it a fictionalised account of an actual historical event, or is it a nonfiction account of that event told in a creative way?). I once had a client who asked me to assess some short stories he’d written. I assumed they were fiction, but after I’d read the first few, they sounded a bit like memoir. So I asked him whether they were fiction or true stories. ‘Mmm,’ he said. ‘That’s an interesting question. I’m not sure.’
Genre Expectations
If you’re writing in a particular genre, readers will have certain expectations. For example, romance readers typically expect a happy ending or at least a hopeful ending in which we can imagine a future for the hero and heroine.
Readers of crime and mystery novels expect that the killer will be brought to justice and the mystery will be solved.
Readers of Christian novels have expectations about what Christian characters will or won’t do. However, as we saw earlier, Christians are not an homogenous group. Some won’t mind if the characters have a glass of wine, use mild swearing, or kiss passionately accompanied by the whole tingly-spine thing. Others will expect a ‘clean’ read in which everyone drinks unbranded Cola, no-one swears, and there is one foot on the floor at all times (and probably hands in pockets as well).
Our Own Assumptions and Worldviews
Religious or Non-Religious Views
As well as reader and genre expectations, our own assumptions and worldviews will also drive what we write. This doesn’t mean that we should forget about the audience and just write what we want, but it may affect how we say it. For example, if you’re writing a devotional aimed at a Christian audience, are you writing for new believers who may not have come from a church background or are you writing for mature Christians who are well-grounded in the Bible? The answer to that question will determine whether you use Christian jargon or lay terms, how much background you give to Biblical examples and so on. In general, it’s probably better to err on the side of explanation and context. Not everyone has the same Biblical knowledge as you or comes from the same church or doctrinal background.
This can be even more tricky when writing fiction. If you hope that non-Christians will also read your book, you can’t assume that they will be familiar with things that you take for granted (e.g., what happens in a church service or youth group). You may also need to be more subtle in putting forward Christian content. This doesn’t mean that you water down what you say, but that you think more about how you say it. If the reader is only on page two and they’re already getting a sermon on how God views sin, they might not be inclined to keep reading. Some Christian publishers may also have guidelines on what you can and can’t write. For a broader discussion on acceptable content in Christian fiction, see Narelle Atkins’ interesting article in a previous ACW blog post.
Cultural Differences
There are of course other cultural issues to consider. While there might be some minor bones of contention among different versions of the Bible, the essence of the Biblical account transcends minor differences in translation. If we’re writing a book that we hope will be read by people across the world, however, we need to be aware of cultural and ethnic differences. Sometimes words won’t translate in quite the same way. The local examples we give may not always be well understood in other cultures and vice versa.
Many years ago, one of my Christian missionary friends was excited because the exact same training materials used in her country were going to be used in every other country in which her missionary organisation had a presence. ‘No matter where they are in the world,’ she enthused, ‘we’ll know they’re doing the same training.’ I didn’t say anything to burst her bubble, but I couldn’t help thinking that the examples used in her western country might not go down so well in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and so on. The gospel remains the same, but different examples may have more relevance or be more easily understood in certain cultures. We all have cultural blinkers to some extent, so it’s something to be aware of if you hope your book will have wider appeal.
The idea of adapting our writing for different audiences is nothing new. The Gospel of Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish audience to show that Christ was the promised Messiah, whereas the Gospel of Luke was largely written to a Gentile audience who weren’t as familiar with Jewish traditions. The Apostle Paul became ‘all things to all people so that by all possible means [he] might save some’ (1 Corin. 9:22b, NIV; see verses 19-23 for context). Likewise, we need to adapt our words depending on our audience.
Thinking Outside Genre
For all its benefits, labelling a book with a particular genre tag does have its drawbacks. If you describe your book as Christian fiction, will that signal to non-Christians that it’s not for them? On the other hand, if your book does have a lot of Christian content and that’s not mentioned in keywords or the blurb, non-believers may feel tricked when they come across your full-on conversion scene on p. 85. If you describe your book as young-adult (YA), does that mean adults wouldn’t enjoy it? Not necessarily. Indeed, some research shows that about 55% of YA readers are adults. (See Caroline Kitchener’s article). Besides, YA designates an approximate age range, especially the age of the main protagonist, and says nothing about what kind of YA book it is. It could be fantasy, sci-fi, romance, mystery, issues-driven, drama, comedy, and so on. The same could be said for other catch-all categories like ‘historical’.
There are also books that defy genre (see Sarah S. Davis’s article). For example, the bestselling Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon includes a mix of historical, romance, time travel, fantasy, political intrigue, adventure, and suspense. The millions of people who’ve read her books and watched the TV series don’t seem to mind.
If your book doesn’t fit neatly into a genre box, it might initially be harder to pitch or market, but that just means you have to think outside the marketing box too. An original story with compelling characters and dazzling prose will (almost) always trump genre.
So Who Are We Writing For?
By now, you’ve probably realised that this blog doesn’t have ‘the answer’. We should consider our audience, but what does that look like when we have our own assumptions, readers have their own expectations, and our characters won’t jolly-well stay in their neat genre boxes?
It would be easy to say that we should write the books God has placed on our hearts. I believe that statement is true and that prayer is critical in that endeavour, but we also need to do our homework and sharpen our focus. Instead of writing for ‘Christians who like fantasy novels’, we might find ourselves writing for ‘people who have been through a difficult time and need to know that there is hope for the future’. Such a story could be told in a fantasy novel, historical adventure, contemporary romance, memoir or devotional, among others.
There are always exceptions and we can’t please everyone. However, we can seek to share our message in a way that will resonate will our intended audience. If readers from our ‘unintended audience’ also pop in for the ride, even better!
Takeaways
I hope I haven’t made it all sound too hard. I just wanted to raise some issues all of us can think about when writing. So here are some takeaways.
- Pray about the type of book God wants you to write.
- Give some thought and prayer to the particular audience of your book.
- Think about how you might need to adapt your writing to reach that audience.
How about you? If you’re a reader, do you select books based on genre? How do you feel if a book deviates from your expectations?
If you’re a writer, do you try to write to genre or audience expectations? What tensions or successes have you had in doing this?
I’d love to hear your examples.
[Image source – Featured photo by Anja (Cocoparisienne) on Pixabay.]
As a reader I like to know the genre. Also for Christian Fiction I can handle a wine if its if its not in a bar setting or if its what the family are use to. I know many European countries grow up with a wine for dinner without getting drunk. I prefer it not to be in my face the whole book. I do however dislike a book that starts with a non christian in the bar getting smashed and all that goes with it even if they are changed later on. I had to read a book for review in a boxset with this situation and if not for having to review it I would have DNF it even though the rest of the book was better. I also don’t like swearing and especially the use of God’s name in vain (even if the author justifies it as needed) I don’t like it and I will DNF even if its a good book. But thats my person convictions.
When it comes to genre I like to know what the genre is. If its marketed at Romance I expect the hero and heroine to be introduced in the first 2 chapters but when there is no interaction for over half the book or little to none I feel duped. Womens Fiction I know may have no romance or its minor and then I don’t feel duped. The same with labeling a suspense as Christian Romance when its heavy on suspense prepare for bad reviews. I don’t mind mystery or a little suspense but I need to know it will have suspense.
Also the worst thing an author can do is tell the reader they are wrong, or they don’t understand the book. I have been told on public forums or reviews I was wrong due to thinking a WF was CCR, Was I wrong not if I went by how it was marketed. It clearly stated it was CCR but there was no romance at all and it was WF. I have been told its readers fault for not ignorant about a particular authors book which was a mismatch of genres and had gotten bad reviews. I have also been told that an author understood my convictions on a subject but then preceded to give reasons and bible verses as to why I was wrong. Ironically all the verses also back up what I had said.
PS I am talking about books marketed to the Christian market (not Christian Worldview). I even had a author said swearing is ok if the character isn’t a Christian (only to find the Christian character was the one doing the swearing) I didn’t continue as if reading Christian fiction I don’t expect swearing or even the initials like in a text for it. (I choose not to read general market so don’t comment on that)
Thanks Jenny. I read both Christian and general market fiction, and I’m not crazy about swearing either. I don’t mind some milder words, if it context, but I don’t like coarse language in any form of fiction. In one general market book I read, the hero told the heroine to wait at a particular location so she would be safe while he went off to fight the bad guys. Of course she didn’t listen and ended up putting herself in danger. But when he was with her again, he swore profusely at her for putting herself in that situation, and we were supposed to believe it was only because he loved her so much and was worried about her. Nah! Don’t talk to her like that regardless. That completely turned me off that character and I haven’t read any more books from that author, even though other aspects were good. Thanks for the clarification.
Hi Jenny – Thanks for that. I’m really sorry to hear you’ve been criticised for expressing your opinion. It’s very bad form for an author to criticise a reviewer or try to talk them out of their opinion. As an author, I know there are occasionally times when a reader does misunderstand something or has missed something in the book, and I’ve done that myself as a reader, but it’s still the reviewer’s opinion. Perhaps the author should have explained that part better. Good on you for reviewing books. I know you’re a big supporter of Christian authors, and you shouldn’t have to put up with such flak.
I too have had times when I disagreed with the way a book was marketed. I remember one book I got from NetGalley that had been marketed as a rom-com, but it was much more of a family drama with some serious issues and only the occasional light bit. I didn’t mind the book, but it didn’t fit the marketing. I noticed that a couple of people had given it a really bad review because they didn’t think it was a rom-com either, so it is important to get that right.
It’s good that we all have such different tastes. You’re not as keen on romance that’s too heavy on the suspense, and romantic-suspense is probably my favourite fiction genre. Nothing builds the romantic tension better than having the couple run from a crazed killer – LOL Lucky there are plenty of authors out there to cater to our different preferences.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I like romantic suspense if its not too heavy. I enjoy the Love Inspired Suspense. But the ones that border on horror and are overly violent no thinks (think Texas Chainsaw Massacre). I enjoy cozy mystery. Its when the book is marketed as CCR and is infact suspense with a romantic sub plot that it annoys me. I need to be in the mood for suspense. Its like watching prime tv sometimes I want Hallmark movies other times I want Adventure and other times I want something like NCIS. and other times I want kids. I am that way with reading.
I don’t mind an author reaching out if I misunderstood the book privately its on the public forum that its not ok. (I have a friend who was thinking about writing a book she was entering a romance contest for a novella. asked me to read the first few chapters around 5, by the end of chapter 5 she still hadn’t introduced the hero. She said she needed to set up the scene and information on the area first. Lets just say she didn’t get far in the contest)
Hi Jenny – I agree with you about horror. It scares me senseless so I don’t read those kinds of books or watch those kinds of movies or TV shows. I know it will affect me afterwards. Most Christian suspense authors I’ve read have been okay, but there have been a couple that pushed the edge too much towards horror and I didn’t like it. I’ve also read some thrillers in the General Market, and have stopped reading the ones that started to verge on horror or creepy themes, especially creepy paranormal or occult phenomena. I usually don’t pick those books up at the start if it’s clear from the blurb that it’s going to be that sort of book, but sometimes you don’t know until you start reading.
And like you, I have to be in the mood for certain kinds of books and TV shows. Lucky there’s so much variety to choose from. We also subscribe to Prime, and I’ve enjoyed some of the Hallmark mysteries, especially the Aurora Teagarden mysteries and the Garage Sale mysteries.
A quandary, a minefield, an opportunity (or a missed one) … all aspects of defining genre and audience which you’ve identified. As I read this, Nola, I felt like you must have been hearing my ongoing inner debate on the topic over the last few years.
I like that you’ve raised questions which show there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach or option. But, as you imply, it’s a subject writers cannot afford to ignore, any more than clothing designers and manufactures can ignore matters like style and fit.
Hi Mazzy – I had to laugh when you said I must have been hearing your ongoing inner debate over the last few years. I think I actually heard it coming straight from your mouth – LOL – I very much had you in mind when I wrote this post. Good on you for sticking with the story God laid on your heart with ‘Licence to Die’. It is a tricky mix. My book ‘Scattered’ crossed a few genre lines too. I was lucky it more or less fit both within ‘Inspirational Historical Fiction’ and ‘Women’s Fiction’, but it also had some romance, suspense and mystery threads; without being a romance novel, a suspense novel, or a mystery novel. It’s a tricky balance. Thanks for taking the time to comment, and I’ll look forward to seeing your genre-bending novel scale the heights.
Thanks very much. I applied some of your points to my WIP and realised some glaring gaps! Phew. I have a single reader type in mind. Maybe I also need to ask one of them where their line is re viscerally authentic description.
Thanks for that, Tamara. I’m glad it was helpful. It’s always a great idea to get some beta readers from your target audience if possible, as they can add insights you may not have thought of. Though also keep in mind that one person does not represent their entire group either, so you still have to weigh up what to do with the feedback. All the best for your WIP, and thanks for commenting.
Thanks Nola, I think the questions you have posed will help us reflect on what we’re writing and for whom. I like your point about writing hybrids as well; we can break the rules and cross borders if we want to, as long as we do it well!
Thanks Steph. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. If we understand genre and the audience, we can break the rules because we (hopefully) know what we’re doing or at least understand some of the issues. I’ve gone to a few art workshops in my time, and I was surprised to discover that a couple of the artists who were excellent at abstract art were actually very good at drawing. They understood form, colour, tone etc and that helped them to abstract it. It’s probably similar with writers. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
My writing improved greatly when I started to consider my audience. Even to the point, my mum pointed out, “Would you want x to read this?” I didn’t, so I changed the book. I further realized, I wouldn’t even want to read that topic in a fiction novel, so why was I writing it? So thankful for someone who could challenge me to write better not just write something good. Just because I could didn’t mean I should!
Thanks for sharing your personal experience, Dienece. There are so many things to consider when writing, and sometimes leaving something out or saying it in a different way for that particular book and audience is the best thing to do. Good on you for weighing up that feedback. It’s a lesson all of us have to learn. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Hi Nola, Thanks for sharing your excellent and comprehensive post. There is room in the market for a wide range of books targeting different audiences. In regards to fiction, genre is the way authors can identify their book content and market their book to readers who like similar books in that specific genre. That said, there’s nothing wrong with writing and publishing a book that fits within a broader category eg. contemporary fiction, historical fiction.
Interestingly, the historical fiction book I’m recommending on our blog tomorrow doesn’t neatly fit into a fiction genre niche. The book is a clean read, but the main characters do things in the story, off-stage, that many Christian readers would consider inappropriate for a book labeled as Christian fiction. Those Christian readers are not the audience for this book, and that is okay. I’ll be recommending the book to historical fiction readers who like gritty novels set in 1930’s Hollywood with a murder mystery, romantic elements, and a prodigal faith journey with forgiveness themes.
At the end of the day we can benefit, as a writing and reading community, from respecting the choices made by others, even if it’s not a choice we’d personally make. We can respect authors who include different levels of Christian content without calling them out and claiming to have theological superiority. We can respect readers who have reading preferences that are different to our own.
If a book is not what we like to read, we can move on and find the books that we do like. If we review books, we can kindly note that we think the content is inappropriate and not what we like to read without being mean spirited. The book content we dislike may be a selling point for another reader, and inspire a new reader to read the book. Let’s extend grace and embrace our differences, rather than being divisive and judgmental.
Hi Narelle – Thanks for that. You’ve made an excellent point about extending grace to those authors who write for different readers and respecting the choices they have made. It’s just not possible to please everyone, and probably not even a good idea to try. But we can certainly extend grace to each other and not be mean-spirited. If I read a book that’s not particularly to my liking, but I can see it’s well-written and would appeal to others, I try to say that in my review.
I’ve been reading some Susan May Warren novels lately that I’ve really enjoyed, especially some of the more suspenseful ones, though some Christians would find her a bit edgy. The romance scenes are clean, but certainly get the heart racing; and I’ve read a few where the characters hang out in bars or taverns (e.g., the Montana Rescue series). Though those ones are usually in small towns or remote places, so tend to be the main place to get a meal or socialise. Just as well God created us all with our own unique likes and dislikes, talents, personality etc. There is definitely no one-size-fits-all.
I’ve had a look at your review for ‘In a Far-Off Land’ and it sounds like the sort of book I would like. Thanks for the recommendation and for commenting.