Do you know who you are writing for?
Back in the day, when an author submitted their manuscript to a publisher, there was a certain expectation, they – the author- would know who their audience was. In some fields of publication this is still a mandatory practice, but in recent years has become less common when it comes to fiction. Publishers really expected authors to know in advance because it reduced the risks and increased the potential profits.
Having the understanding of who is incredibly important to ensure success and to show the publisher you as an author is serious. The publisher’s request for this information was to show them, the author held a basic understanding of their target market. Knowledge is power, and potentially sales, and having a grasp on where a reader base could be found, and who they are is an asset beyond measure.
In my recent experience, within the last five years or so, I've seen a few publishers actively request a marketing plan it as part of the submission package. Before you panic, let me clarify what I’ve seen. In most cases, the publisher wasn’t asking for a novel length plan on how the author was going to promote their work, but rather something to indicate they had put serious thought into three of the biggest questions for an author. Who? Where? How?
The first question is probably the biggest, because if you don't know who you're trying to reach, everything you do will have limited success. Sort of throwing something at the wall in hopes it will stick. So, lets break things down.
"Who am I trying to reach?"
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| Is she one of my potential readers? |
The answer to this question changes is as diverse as we are, and can be answered by how well you understand your genre and who reads it. Every genre has a different reader, yet nothing will help if you don't understand who your reader is. Figuring out your target market is in of itself a complex issue, but do not panic. I know when I first had to think of this question I was freaking out. In the simplest function possible, your target market is the people who read in the genre you write. Bear in mind, if you’re like me, your fan base probably read in more than one genre. This can be a benefit in your favor.
So, we have to ask ourselves, and be brutal in our honestly: Are you trying to reach the middle-aged male reader who lives alone, is slightly anti-social, or shy, and so tries to avoid crowds? Or perhaps you're trying to reach a twenty-something single woman who reads only when she's on public transport? Maybe, the reader you're trying to reach is the stay at home mom with three kids and only a few minutes to read in the evening? Or, are your readers a unique blend of all of the above?
Having the awareness of who your readers are will help you with any promotional and or marketing effort you undertake. Once you understand the who of the equation, you can focus on some of the other aspects of discovering who you are trying to reach. Things like, where to find these wonderful connoisseurs of fine literature. What's the best option for connecting with them?
In my opinion, this trio of questions can either be a help, or a hinderance. Discovering the answers to them is vital to reach the consumer...but making them the focus of everything you say, do, post, write can also be limiting to an author. To be successful, one needs to know who they are as they write, but just as important they need to know who they are writing for while continuing to write.
So, it begs the question – as an author, who are you trying to reach? Do you know who you are writing for?
