Today for Throwback Thursday we are reposting a post from Rose Dee first published several years ago.
I had no specific plan in place when I sat down to write my first novel. I didn’t seriously consider that I would become an author, nor did I have great ambitions for publication. I had decided to ‘give writing a go’ with a lot of hope, but no thought as to what would come next.
Who is my target audience?
So when I was asked who my target audience was, I had to pause and think. I understand now that most professional authors have this mapped out. Like a business, they have a target demographic and when they are writing they consider this demographic, adapting writing style and storyline to suit. I can honestly say that, in my experience, my personal taste and faith vision influenced my writing.
This is a wonderfully romantic and freeing strategy, but I have discovered that it also comes with some serious pitfalls. One is inadvertently introducing my work to the wrong readers. If you know who you are writing for, you can submit your work to the people most likely to enjoy it. The book becomes a viable commercial option when the marketing is targeted and specific. I have found that knowing the readers who will enjoy my books is very important in determining how I ‘work’ the work.
Unfortunately, pursuing your target audience does not necessarily ensure you financial success or perfect reviews. There is a myriad of factors influencing the commercial success of a novel, many of which are out of the control of the author.
The other problem I have faced is that being commercially driven is as dangerous as being commercially clueless. If a Christian author has a calling from the heart to write on a certain topic, it is the Lord who determines the audience for that work, not the world’s marketing machine. Being in His plan is for more satisfying than have it all planned.
I have come to the conclusion that while I write stories as a ministry (as well as for my own enjoyment!), having some knowledge of who else in the world will enjoy my books makes moving forward, in both writing and marketing, a lot easier. Outside of this broad plan, it’s all down to prayer—which ultimately is right where it should be.
Great post, Dee. My books certainly don’t fit the norm. They are designed for very specific audiences—which actually makes the ‘identify your target audience’ process very simple! I write niche topics for niche people, and that sits fine with me!
I found target audiences so hard! However, rewriting my book after working out my target audience made it so much better. It wasn’t just a story anymore. There was a driving purpose behind everything. But while I think it’s certainly worthwhile, I still find it hard to define a target audience.