By Jean Burgess
I recently presented a conference workshop entitled “Creative Approaches to Direct Marketing Events.” The workshop’s first step asked participants to think about themes from their book that would appeal to their target audiences. Once the foundation was in place, the plan was to brainstorm ideas for events, organizations, interest groups, venues, etc. to expand their marketing opportunities beyond “an author talk at the local library.”
But here’s the rub: My audience floundered on identifying “target audiences” for their book, the bedrock to any marketing plan. I was a bit shocked. Everything I’d learned about writing a query letter, preparing my media kit, and self-marketing my books emphasized the need to understanding and concisely defining my book’s target audiences. As a presenter, perhaps I assumed too much. (I have since revised my presentation!)
In this article, I present common fallacies about target audiences, explore why authors need to understand their target audiences, and provide tools to help identify specific target audiences.
Common Fallacies about Target Audiences
This first common fallacy I hear over and over: “My book is for everyone!” While that thought may make you feel warm and fuzzy, it’s not going to help you, and may even give you a false sense of marketing security.
Next common fallacy often heard is: “My book is for everyone who likes (inset genre here). While this is better, it’s not specific enough. It often stems from querying authors who need to add comp titles. But for marketing purposes, you’ll need to go further.
Before we work on how to create concise definitions of who that target reader is, what they look like, and what they enjoy doing, let’s dive into why understanding your target audiences is essential to your book marketing plan.
Why Authors Need to Understand Target Audiences
It cannot be stressed enough that understanding your book’s unique target audiences will inform all your marketing decisions. These decisions include: How you position your website; What you post on your social media; How to prep your media kit; What articles you write in your newsletters/blogs; Who you invite to your events; How you write your press release; How you position any paid advertisements; How you prep for a publicist, should you choose to hire one; How you pitch to podcasters and/or bloggers; and How you pitch to organizations, groups, or venues with creative ideas for book events.
And note: Even if you write a series, each book may have a slightly different list of target audiences, which in turn may alter your marketing efforts. The idea, of course, is that you want to build and expand your readership with each subsequent book you publish.
Tools to Identify Target Audiences
There are several considerations to help you define your specific target audience list, which I outline below:
- Genre can help immediately (Historical Fiction or Memoir) but, as I mentioned earlier, while a good starting point, it’s still too broad. Sometimes using comps to help narrow can be helpful here: Readers of (Name the comp title). But note, unless the comp is well known, you might miss the mark.
- For Non-fiction you might appeal to a specific problem. For example, widows helping new widows or, in a memoir, focusing on a particular angle that will help others.
So, by using genre you now have one or two on your target audiences list. How else can you define your readers?
- Using specific demographics, you can focus even further on your readers’ profiles. For example, what is the typical age and gender of your book’s readers. Also, would your book’s geographical location(s) attract readers of the same locales? For example, my debut Retro fiction is set in 1970s with an important locale in Baltimore’s Little Italy. Female and male seniors (age 55-75) with ties to Baltimore are one target audience for me.
Using demographics, you may have added one or two more to your target audiences list. Let’s keeping going.
- Finally, by parsing out your book’s themes, you can connect with readers who have interests in those specific areas. For example, your book about the Civil War may attract lovers of the Civil War, broadly. But you’ll have a lot of market competition. You’ll reach a more specific target audience with Lovers of Civil War Medicine (with that is one of the themes of your book.)
Conclusion
Of course, as an author you need a platform including a website, social media outreach, a newsletter or blog. And you’ll probably need to consider creative direct marketing opportunities like author talks, vendor events, readings, and showcases. But if you haven’t identified WHO your target audiences are, you could just be spinning your wheels. Understanding that your target audiences are the foundation of your marketing plan will go a long way in building your future readership.
Bio: Jean Burgess is an author and editor. Her debut fiction, That Summer She Found Her Voice: A Retro Novel, was published by Apprentice House in 2024. Navigating Her Next Chapter will be published in 2026. Jean holds an MA in Theatre from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from New York University.
