Your book will not appeal to everyone. There will be readers who will search for your kind of novel while browsing the shelves at the book store or searching through the thousands of ebooks online. These people are your audience and they are vital to selling your work.
In my first year of college I had to take a basic English course. The instructor taught the class how to write college level papers. She was an enthusiastic teacher, kind of bubbly, yet serious about what she taught. She made learning how to write papers feel like a drama course. One element she always focused on was audience.
I will admit, at first I didn't get it. My thoughts were, 'Wouldn't anyone who read my paper be it's audience?' Which in a way is true, from my perspective, but so was the idea that why should I make my bed when it's going to get messed up again later? But it's nice to have a made bed, and it's also nice to have an audience for your work. As time went on I began to understand the importance of audience.
Every creative work has a target audience. As a writer you want to write books that will appeal to the readers you are targeting. You want to know your audience, understand them as best you can. If you write young adult fiction you want to know what kind of young people will enjoy your novels. Same goes with romance. There are several degrees of romance. Some are warm and cozy, while others burn to the touch. My novel Beyond Gavia is a science fiction with a sub genre of romance. I've had readers love the way I built my character's romance. Then I had a reader who'd felt my sex scenes weren't explicit enough.
Successful writers usually have a firm grip on what their readers expect of them. This is more difficult for writers who are just beginning. You know you want people to read your book, but you also have to somehow fulfill their wishes as readers. Here are a few tips for getting to know your target audience.
1. Read the kind of books you want to write. Reading your selected genre can help you get an understanding what readers of that particular genre enjoy. Yet don't forget to maintain your own style and voice as you gather inspiration from reading other authors.
2. Read reviews on books in your genre. You can get a good handle on reader expectations for their favorite stories through reading what they have to say about them. You can do this on Amazon and Goodreads, but be careful. There are those out there that many call 'trolls" because they troll through and leave bad reviews for the sake of leaving bad reviews. It's like a hobby for them. Anne Rice was just talking about this a few weeks ago online.
3. If you are already a published writer learn from your own reviews, even the ones that make you want to throw your computer out the window.
4. You can also learn more about potential readers by engaging in online forums for writers and readers. The internet supports hundreds of writing groups and communities. Ask other writer's their opinions on audience.
5. Know the age you are targeting. Make sure your material is age appropriate for your audience.
I'm sure there are several other ways to get to know your audience, but here are a few that have helped me out. I'd love to hear back from other's on audience. Thanks for visiting!
