You Need to Write to Your Target Audience (Even if You Think Your Book is For Everyone)
Who is your target audience? That’s a question that writers get asked a lot, and many are tempted to say that their book is for everyone. Maybe you’ve even thought that about your own book.
“My book is about finding love and peace! That’s a message everyone can resonate with.”
“My book is for anyone who has ever felt stressed, which is everyone!”
“The circumstances I discuss in the book are unusual, but ultimately the underlying message in my book is one I think everyone can learn from and relate to!”
It makes sense, right? You don’t want people to think your book isn’t for them, and you hope to increase sales if your book is for everyone, right? The thing is, writing a book “for everyone” isn’t something an author can do well.
Sure, you can base your book on “universal messages” like love, peace, hope, and ambition. But, it’s important to identify and write to your target audience. The reality is that when you take your message and try to make it applicable to everyone, you water it down so much that you end up not reaching any readers effectively.
So it’s important to know who your core audience is as soon as possible and to get as specific as you can. What age group are your readers? What nationality? What religion? What is their employment status? Do they have families? Questions like that can help you crystalize your vision of the people to whom you are writing, so, as you move through the publishing process, you can ensure you’re reaching those individuals effectively.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you begin to identify your target audience:
Remember Your Target Reader Isn’t Your Only Reader
One of the big reasons authors often push back against identifying and writing toward a target readership is because they feel like they’re limiting the number of people who will pick up their book. That’s simply not true! Think about your own reading habits. Have you ever found yourself reading a book that is outside of the type of books you usually read? It happens all the time! So as you write, remember that writing to your target audience isn’t about overcoming barriers.
Instead, think of it more like a game of darts. If you try to get your dart to hit every single one of the concentric circles on the target at once, you’re not going to effectively hit the target at all. You want to aim for that bullseye every time. Sure, your dart might find its way to one of the other circles, but focusing your energy on hitting dead center every time will keep your darts flying in a more effective way. It’s the same with your writing. When you write to your core readership, you’re not keeping other readers out. You’re simply making sure your words and your book enter the marketplace confidently and effectively.
When readers understand whom an author is speaking to, it makes it easier for them to trust the author, immerse themselves in the text, and allow themselves to listen, learn, and enjoy the literary ride. Even if a reader comes to your book who is outside of your target audience, they can appreciate the parts of your book that speak to them, and come away with something—even if the book wasn’t wholly for them. There is nothing cooler than the bridges that can be built between communities when they can share common ground on a book they both read that spoke to them in very unusual ways.
Knowing Who You're Writing To Helps You Know How to Write
When you’re writing a book, knowing who your core readership is also helps you tailor the prose to better meet the needs of your audience. A real struggle authors find themselves working through is using words, phrases, idioms, or examples that may alienate their core readership. They want to include something in the book that resonates with them as the author, but for someone in their core readership, it could feel confusing, the cultural reference might be missed entirely, or it might be offensive to that reader. Although it is sometimes effective or a good idea to try to push the limits of your core audience a bit, understanding what things might be deal-breakers for them can make sure that you’re not only reaching them in an effective way, but when you push the limits a bit, you’re challenging them and pushing them towards growth, not alienating them.
Don’t Try to Trick Someone Into Your Core Audience
This is something that happens often with authors who are a part of and writing to a core readership who have strict cultural rules, but the author wants to also find readers outside of that strict group (like a very conservative, strict religious group) while staying in the proverbial fold. This is important for all writers to remember, even if they aren’t part of a rigid cultural structure. Tricking readers to be a part of your target audience never works.
If you’re writing a book that is religious, don’t try to trick readers or publishers into thinking your book isn’t religious. If you’re trying to write a book about a certain ideology or political stance, don’t try to trick readers into thinking they’re reading a different type of book to lure them in. Because while you may be thinking you’re simply getting the reader to let down their guard, so they’ll listen to what you have to say, more often than not, a reader feels duped once they understand your true message.
Focus on writing to your core readership using words, examples, and idioms, and marketing in places that resonate with those readers, and know that readers from secondary groups will find their way to your book authentically. And because they’ll go into the read with their eyes open, if they do experience a perspective shift in your book, their growth will be welcome rather than as a result of feeling tricked or betrayed. A reader’s trust is an important thing to have, so treat it with care!
Of course, if you want help finding your core readership or building your author platform, we’re always here to help! Reach out to us with your questions, and we’ll happily pair you with an industry expert who can set you up to reach your target readers as successfully as possible!