How to know who your readers will be?

I think people are talking about guesswork, and logic.

A book about different types of fish = anglers, biologists, chefs, that kind of thing!

Hi Heidi,
What you are describing is finding your target audience, and it is important no matter if you're selling books or bangles. Publicists and others in sales do this on a daily basis. If this step is not done, your marketing efforts are completely aimed at random with the hope of hitting something/anything that counts, and that takes way too much energy.

In general it's much easier to do this for a non-fiction topic because there's basically a built in idea as to who needs to learn what you're trying to teach to at least kick things off. For fiction, it's a little tougher but not impossible.

Either way, start with men/women/kids, who like reading/learning about x and try to continue to dig deeper.

If you'd like to post a little more about your topic, we can probably help you get some ideas going.

During and/or immediately after you conceptualize the idea for a book you have to decide who you are going to write it for -- your audience -- the ones who need your book -- the ones who will read your book -- the ones for whom you are writing. Your readers (your target audience) is not something you decide after writing a book.

Your Avid Readers!

Hey Heidi,

It's called market research!

There are forums just like this one filled
with avid readers pertaining to your genre.
You have to join them and learn what
they are saying about your competition
and your genre.

Like the others have said, uncover who
they are. Speaking with them and learning
how they were drawn into buying this or
that author's book.

Best place?..... Oprah.com - Join her book
club forum.

I hope you've found value in what I've shared
and wish you much success.

Continute to make it happen!

Won't Be Denied,
C.F. Jackson

Another thing to keep in mind, at least with online promotion is that although you can target your promotion efforts to some extent, the web does not work the same as traditional media. People interact with the web differently then they do with other forms of media. So although you can target your marketing to specific forums, user groups, social networks that may pertain to your book, you also need to think of the wider picture that the web is. I would argue for both a targeted campaign and a broader one when looking for potential readers on the web.

What is your book on? That might help us as marketing fiction is very different then marketing nonfiction.