The world is a big place. How the hell are you going to keep everyone happy?
You can’t.
You could spend your whole life trying and not even scrape the surface. So what do we do instead? We decide on a target audience.
We write for them.
We sell to them.
Understanding your target audience is a crucial foundation for indie authors looking to succeed in the competitive world of self-publishing.
By identifying and connecting with the right readers, you can tailor your writing, marketing efforts, and overall strategy to maximise your book's impact and sales potential. By choosing a target audience, it’ll still be difficult. But by doing so, you’ll give yourself a fighting chance of becoming an established author.
Here’s how I define my target audience:
To begin, it's essential to recognise that you can't write for everyone. As the saying goes, "A friend to all is a friend to none," and the same principle applies to writing. Instead, focus on identifying the specific group of readers most likely to be interested in your book.
Start by considering the following factors:
Genre preferences
Age range
Gender (if relevant)
Reading habits (e.g., e-books vs. print)
Interests and hobbies
Online behaviour and platforms they frequent
Remember that your target audience should be more than just a list of demographics. Dive deeper into their psychographics – their values, priorities, and motivations.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of your target audience, employ various research methods:
Analyse existing readers: If you already have a following, use social media insights and email list data to gather information about your current audience.
Study competitor audiences: Examine the readers of authors in your genre. Read reviews of similar books to identify what readers enjoy and what they're looking for.
Engage in online communities: Join forums, social media groups, and book clubs where your potential readers gather. Participate in discussions to gain insights into their preferences and behaviours.
Attend events: Once it's safe to do so, consider attending conventions, book fairs, or other genre-specific events to interact with potential readers face-to-face.
With the information you've gathered, create a detailed audience persona. This fictional representation of your ideal reader should include:
Demographics (age, gender, location)
Psychographics (interests, values, motivations)
Reading preferences (favourite authors, genres, formats)
Online behaviour (preferred social media platforms, book discovery methods)
For example, your audience persona might look like this:
"My ideal reader is a woman aged 35-54 who enjoys science fiction and fantasy books, primarily reading on an e-reader. She's active on social media, watches popular sci-fi TV shows, and attends comic conventions. She's drawn to unique content and values interesting storytelling over aesthetics."
Once you have a clear understanding of your target audience, use this information to inform various aspects of your author journey:
Writing: Craft your story with your audience in mind, addressing themes and topics that resonate with them.
Book Design: Choose cover designs and formatting that appeal to your target readers.
Marketing: Focus your efforts on platforms and channels where your audience is most active.
Engagement: Interact with your readers in ways that align with their preferences, such as hosting online Q&A sessions or virtual book readings.
Understanding your target audience is an ongoing process. In many ways, it never ends.
As you publish more books and interact with readers, you'll gain new insights. Regularly review and update your audience persona to ensure it remains accurate and relevant.
By taking the time to truly understand your target audience, you'll be better equipped to create books that connect with readers and develop marketing strategies that effectively reach them.
You don’t have to appeal to everyone – it's about forming meaningful connections with the readers who are most likely to appreciate and support your work. As an indie author, this focused approach will help you build a loyal readership and increase your chances of success in the competitive publishing landscape.