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Why Target An Audience?

September 18, 2013

Sell to the Right Buyers
If I’ve mentioned this before, forgive me … I’m going to mention it again because it’s important enough to repeat.

One of the biggest mistakes new indie writers make is trying to make their book appeal to everyone. New to the idea of marketing their work, many believe the larger the potential market, the greater the chances the book will get noticed.

Sadly, this is generally not true.

The larger the market, the more competition your work is likely to face. Trying to appeal to the masses, instead of understanding the needs, wants and desires of the right few is a recipe for a book flop.

It’s finding and narrowing your niche that will help you to reach more of the people that will ultimately buy your book.

Don’t assume you already know your audience, or that they’re just like you. Do the work to confirm what your readers actually want; not what you think they need.

What’s Your Appeal?
It’s difficult to tempt people with what you have to offer unless you yourself know exactly what it is, and why they should care.

I know I’ve said this before … take the time to discover your author brand. What does your writing have to offer, who would be most interested in it and why?

Face it. Your book is not a ‘must read’ for every literate person on earth, so you need a way to narrow your focus.

Where Do You Find Answers?
The answer shouldn’t be just a guess. If you currently have a fan base, consider polling your readers or asking them to complete a survey to better understand how best to serve them.

Ask questions in your comments (on your own blog and others), and join forums and clubs that discuss your topic or genre to find out more about your audience.

Find comparable books and investigate the websites and blogs for the book and its author. Who is commenting? What types of content are they sharing and what platforms are they using to share it?

Next, check out the various social platforms the author is active on. Look at the profiles of their followers … many are very likely your target audience as well.

Reader Profile
Once you know exactly who your target audience is and have streamlined your brand to be ‘in tune’ with their interests and desires, the final step is to be where they are.

A technique I’ve used to make finding and engaging with my target audience easier, is to create a highly detailed and accurate reader profile that represents my target audience.

My target audience is young adult (male and female, 16 and older), so I pitch my books accordingly. I like to think it’s working.

My novel REICHOLD STREET was a 2012 Readers Favorite Young Adult Gold Medal Winner and my short-story collection ZEBULON was a 2013 Silver Medal Winner … in the Young Adult Fantasy genre.

You can do the same thing.

Create a character sketch of your ideal reader (like you might for a character in your novel). Give this individual a name. Connect with them, understand them. Once created, this profile is who you think of, speak to and write for when creating any marketing message.

Every email, social media post, design tweak, book trailer, book cover, blog entry, excerpt and comment must be crafted with your reader profile in mind.

Monitor mentions of your book/brand online (set up Google Alerts). Stay up-to-date on news and trends regarding your genre. What are other authors, bloggers and industry influencers talking about? (Some resources: Feedly, AllTop, Google Trends and NewsMap).

Your audience is out there.

What are you waiting for?

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New York Review of Books – A Reminder
Look for the mention of my novel Reichold Street in the September 26, 2013 Fall Books issue of The New York Review.

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Creating Believable Characters
Don’t forget to click on the link in the right-hand column to get your copy of “Creating Believable Characters.” It was written specifically to aid writers with their character development and the price shouldn’t be a deterrent … it’s FREE.

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Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tags:award-winning writing, book marketing, indie writers, self-publishing, using social media
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Book Promotion, Branding, Free Stuff, Market Your Book, Storytelling | 1 Comment »

Build Your Author Brand

August 8, 2013

It Takes Effort to Build an Author Brand

Many authors mistakenly assume building a personal brand either comes naturally (of course my fans will know me through my work), or that it’s simply unnecessary.

I have to admit those thoughts went through my own mind when I started this journey. It was very much like believing “Build it and they will come.” Which, as we all know, only happens in movies.

Sadly, I should’ve known better that both of those assumptions were false. For people to follow you and your work, they need to know who you are, what you write and what you stand for.

Branding certainly accomplishes this, but branding requires a good deal of effort and attention.

I can almost hear you say “But I’m an author, not a commodity. Why should I have to do it?”

Many years working in public relations and marketing taught me an important truth: an effective brand image gives you an edge in successfully selling your product … and as a writer you and your books are both a commodity.

As an indie author I can also tell you, building your brand is entirely on your own shoulders, ’cause ain’t nobody gonna do it but you.

Your Brand is Your Promise to Your Audience
What exactly does “branding” mean? We all have a personal brand, whether we know it or not. In one way or another an author is always being judged and evaluated. Particularly an indie.

To be effective, you need to control the face you show the world.

It’s your brand that tells people what they can expect from your work. But your brand stems not only from who you are and what you write, but how you’re perceived, and it should also be how you want to be known. In a marketing sense, branding is actually the process of selling yourself.

Your writing will ultimately stand on its own.

However, it’s by the conscientious building of your brand that you make it easier for your book to attract a “tribe” of readers that identify with it. And that’s the important thing: building that loyal tribe of followers.

How do you do it? Marketing guru Seth Godin describes how the landscape has changed from the old ‘mass marketing’ model many of us grew up with (me included).

Discover Your Brand Personality
The first step in building your brand is taking the time to define and articulate (at least to yourself) both how you’re alike and why you’re different from other authors. Believe me, it’s damned hard to do. It requires self-analysis and introspection.

You start by doing some research. Check out the sites of authors, bloggers, designers and other creative types. What attracts you? What turns you off? Then start brainstorming, focusing on your strengths, passions and goals.

What do you like to write? What ideas and feelings do you want people to associate with you? What mood or immediate impression do you want to evoke? Stephen King is known primarily for one genre of writing, as are J.K. Rowling and John Grisham.

You can probably articulate in very few words how all these (and other) successful authors are identified.

That’s a brand.

Wait, there’s more!

Tags:award-winning writing, book marketing, indie writers, self-publishing, using social media
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Book Promotion, Free Stuff, Market Your Book, Storytelling | Leave a Comment »

A Way to Get Word-of-Mouth Publicity?

July 30, 2013

Word-of-Mouth Publicity: The Best Kind

Libraries Are Excellent Publicity Resources
I don’t imagine I’m much different from other indie authors … always on the lookout for publicity opportunities. If we hope to sell our books, we have to be.

There’s so much media competition out there for a readers time these days an independent author really needs to be vigilant in the search for ideas that will generate a lot of good word-of-mouth comments.

We do it constantly. At least I do. Just ask my long-suffering bride.

That’s why indie authors shouldn’t overlook that book-publicity heaven in their own neighborhood: the local library.

It may seem counter-intuitive to think about lending your book when what you’re really trying to do is sell it, but in the beginning it’s the publicity you’re after. Your book needs to be noticed and talked about before people will want to buy it.

Unless, of course, you’re Stephen King, who could probably sell his grocery list to tens of thousands just by putting his name on it.

How To Get Your Story Into That Book Nirvana
If you’re not Mr. King and you’ve finally published your work, call or email your library to let them know you’re a local independent author and want to donate your book to their lending library (offer at least two copies).

They might not salivate at the offer as if you were Stephen, which could be a blow to fragile egos, but I guarantee they’ll listen.

Better yet … show up in person. You can’t say too much about the power of personal contact. Be sure to ask for the person in charge of acquisitions or circulation (the contact person’s title may vary from one library to another).

Any book they accept will typically remain on a shelf as long as they have available space and the book remains in good condition.

Offer your library contact a signed copy with a request for them to review it, either on one of the local online book retailers where it’s sold (don’t be afraid to ask them to), or on the library’s own web page.

Some libraries actually post a list of what the librarians themselves are reading, which is often a key resource for patrons looking for new book recommendations.

Wait, there’s more!