Writing is like telling secrets, in a very slow, sort of manipulative way. As writers we should treat our readers like friends we wish to gossip with. We know something, details, a juicy spill we let our friends know in spicy chunks. At work the other night, and usually I'm not the type to gossip (I swear!), a coworker of mine had a story to tell me. Every time she began to talk we would get interrupted. I'd return to her and before she could get knee deep, another interruption! But, I kept returning because her tale had sparked my interest. The more she tried to tell me her story, the more it made me think about writing.
As her audience I kept coming back, even though job duties kept calling. I knew she had something good to tell. As writers we want our readers to feel this way. We want them to keep coming back to our pages, edgy for our secrets. If we spill everything right up front, our readers might get full on our words and no longer be hungry for more. We have to play hard to get, remain mysterious, and tell our secrets like teasing kisses.
Showing posts with label audience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audience. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Audience: How to Get to Know Yours
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!
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!
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