Are you still confused about who comprises your target audience?
If you have tackled your book proposal or if you have attempted to write an over-the-top effective query letter, you’ve had to address the question—who is the audience for your book?
Most first-time authors want to say, “Everyone!” They can reason that everyone is a potential reader for their book. There are:
• Those who are interested in the genre/topic.
• Your friends, family, colleagues, coworkers, neighbors, fellow worshipers, grocer, hairdresser and so forth.
• Curiosity seekers.
• Students assigned to read something on this topic.
• People who might find the book on a seat in an airport and read it because they have nothing else to do.
• Researchers.
• Those who received it in a gift basket they bought at a silent auction.
• Patients in waiting rooms.
Okay, if your book is in print long enough and if you continue to promote it wide enough, someone from each of these categories may, indeed, read (or purchase) this book. But this is not your target audience.
Let’s examine the word “target.” It indicates something you aim for, direct toward, pursue. When you refer to your target audience, this is the most reasonable group of readers for your book—those who would most likely want to read your particular book. And this is the audience you should be thinking about while you write the book, it is the audience you will market the book to and it is the audience your potential publisher wants to hear about.
Who is most likely to read your fantasy romance novel, your horror novel or your young adult adventure novel? The answer is obvious—those who typically read books in these genres. Your job, when determining your target audience for the publisher, for your own information and/or while devising your marketing plan, is to find out how many readers this group comprises and how to locate and approach them.
For your book on photographing pets, your primary audience is made up of adoring pet owners who enjoy photography.
Sure, most books have target audiences and fringe audiences. Your fringe audience for the pet photography book might be people purchasing the book as a gift, animal activists who want to improve the quality of their pet adoption photos, a journalist who writes about animals and wants to include photos in their story packages, and so forth.
Now maybe you can finally see the value in knowing your true target audience. The thing is, you have to promote this book. You’re not going to spend your time marketing it to journalists—that group is not large enough. You won’t promote it to people as a gift item—that means doing random marketing to everyone in hopes of locating a potential customer or two. NO! You are going to be promoting to your most logical audience—those who need/want your book.
Think about this: If you go with the premise that your book is for everyone and begin a wide sweep of marketing, you’re actually going to miss your best opportunities for sales. While you’re out there trying to capture the attention of everyone, your true readers may never find out about your book.
Are you writing a book? Have you determined your target audience? Have you ever targeted the wrong audience and had to change your total marketing strategies and direction? I’d like to hear your story.