How Do You Find Your Targeted Reader, Dear Author?

 

Authors want more readers and lots of book sales. Do they even know who their targeted readers are — or where to find them? 

“My book is for everyone,” says many authors.  

Wrong answer. 

Most run-away bestsellers this year won’t crack a million copies sold. Folks, there are 337 million people in our nation. If even three million read the same book, 334 million — or 99 percent of our country — did not read it.  

Books have targeted readers. Know to whom your book can appeal to and seek them out.

Why Most People Will Not Buy Your Book

Every book has its readership. However, understand that most people, for any number of reasons, will never read your book. Why? 

About 25 percent of Americans didn’t even read one book last year, so they are not reading your book — or any book! 

They don’t know your book even exists.  

They aren’t interested in your genre. 

They only read classics, bestsellers or award-winning books. 

They only read books if they saw a movie based on it. 

They only read books based on book reviews or personal recommendations. 

They don’t think you are interesting, skilled, experienced, or qualified enough to write the book — or they instead find similar books by their favorite writers to read. 

Dumb title.  

Ugly cover.  

Lack of strong testimonials.  

Bad font/layout.  

Poor paper quality or lack of ideal format availability. 

Price. 

Not much free time. 

… and the list goes on. 

But people don’t read you book because it simply doesn’t seem like it is for them. A six-year-old lacks the ability to read an adult book; a senior may not believe YA speaks to them; people who don’t understand poetry or care about politics won’t buy such books; and one who despises fiction will only read non-fiction… you get the point.  

Who Is Your Reader?

What does this person look like? These factors may or not be relevant: 

* Age

* Race

* Size

* Gender

* Faith

* Political leanings

* Family size/friend pool

* Where they have lived or presently live

* Level of education

* Hobbies

* Line of work

* Life-defining moments experienced 

It may come down to a singular event that a reader had that invites them to be your reader. For instance, if you suffered a certain type of loss or suffer from a specific disease or condition, you may be drawn to or repelled by certain books. 

Some readers purposely desire a locally or domestically-set book; others want to have their book set in another country, to be off this planet, or even in another world. 

Where Do You Find Your Reader? 

Your reader can be found: 

* In a bookstore or library

* By mail

* Through email

* On social media

* From advertising

* In a membership group

* At a school

* In a house of worship

* At a book fair or convention

* At a hotel while on vacation 

What groups are they in? Find them and reach out. Where do they congregate? What other content do they consume and what other authors /books do they read? 

Authors must know who their readers are, research where they are, and take action steps to reach them.

 

Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

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Sorry, Your Book May Not End Up On Netflix

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What’s The Psychology of Being an Author?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-psychology-of-being-author.html

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on LinkedIn. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.4 million pageviews. With 4,600+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.