Stop Guessing: Why You Need to Know Your Audience

by Rochelle Melander

In the past ten years, I have consulted with many authors on their book proposals and book ideas. I have also written and successfully sold several book proposals of my own. In every single case—mine included—the writers needed to improve their marketing section—the one about their audience—before they could sell their book. Here are three of the most common mistakes I see writers make as they present their book’s audience.

1. Their audience is too big or too general.

This is the biggest mistake I see first time authors make. They think that having a bigger, more general market will make their book proposal more sellable. So they say that their book is for “everyone” or “women” or “people of all ages.” Think about your book in terms of women’s clothing stores. The ones that have succeeded have a clearly defined market inside the general market of women’s clothes:

*Lane Bryant. Fashionable plus size clothes size 14-32.

*Chicos: Clothier for the sophisticated woman with a focus on comfort.

*Toad&Co: Sustainable clothing for eco-conscious travelers and outdoor enthusiasts

Action step: Define your market in one sentence.

2. Their audience is too narrow.

Most of us believe that our book will revolutionize the world. That might be true—or it might be stretching things a bit. Not all ideas have a universal appeal. Maybe you did your graduate work on the eating habits of tree squirrels in North America. While the topic might make a good article for a scientific journal, I doubt that many people would buy a book about it. As a writer, you will need to evaluate your idea for its universal appeal. In addition, you will need to know who in the universe will be interested in your book topic!

Action step: What is the universal appeal of your book idea? How can you quantify your market? For example, if you are proposing a book on ADHD for adults, you might cite this statistic from the Attention Deficit Disorder Association: 5 percent of adults have ADHD.

3. The writer does not know and understand the book’s audience.

Some writers have no idea who will buy their book. They do not know where the people in their market shop, what kinds of resources they are looking for or how to get their book into the hands of those who need it. I’ve heard some writers say that they don’t need to know the market because that’s the job of the publisher’s marketing department. Not any more. Today, agents and editors need writers to research their market and present a good case for the publication of their book.

Action Step: Define your market in detail. Join groups of people in your ideal market (either in person or online) to listen and learn about your market. Connect with colleagues in your market. Then note:

*Who wants your book?

*What do these people do, where do they do it, and how will they find your book in these places?

*How many of these people are out there? Are there statistics that define the size of this market?

*Why do they need this book?

*Write a profile of your ideal reader including age, gender, occupation, income, hobbies, and so forth.

You might be saying, “But I’m self-publishing! This doesn’t matter for me.”

Not true.

It matters for you more than anyone. You won’t have a traditional publisher and their editorial, publicity, and marketing team to support you as you create your book. You’ll need this information to create a book that your ideal audience yearns for. And then, you need to get it into their hands.

If you want to learn more about the whole process, come to next Tuesday’s Ask Me Anything session. You can sign up here: WORKSHOPS