Chapter 3

Know Thy Reader

The future of publishing is about having connections to readers and the knowledge of what those readers want.
Seth Godin

You now understand the value of building a brand and you’ve captured your dreams for your book. The next step is to figure out your audience, because you need to know how to find them and reach them. You need to know where your readers spend their time and what social media sites they visit. There’s no point in learning to be the next Twitter expert if your audience is not even on Twitter.

Do you know where to find your readers based on what you know about them? Your answer is probably, “Kinda.” Even if you think you know your readers, your ideas are probably way too broad. Over the years, authors have told me interesting things when it comes to their audience. Most of the time it’s half the planet. “My audience is women,” they tell me, or “it’s people who have a job,” or “people who have families.” Being broad and general is not helpful when you are planning online marketing.

Understanding your readers is crucial because it will help you devise the best online strategy for you and your book. Online marketing is customized and personalized. It is essential for you to know your audience so you can serve them best. You should know their age group, gender, interests, and which social media outlets they use and where they hang out online. The more you know about them, the better your marketing will be.

Once I was working with a client who hired us to help brand her before her book came out. She is a nutritionist and works with children and their eating habits. You may think that is a narrow audience, but as we did the work we realized we needed to narrow the focus even more. Once we realized her message was resonating most with parents of toddlers, her campaign and messaging became much more focused and successful.

Remember, not all marketing ideas are good. An author once told me that he wanted to tell people about his book from the rooftop of the Apple Store in Manhattan using a megaphone. That might be a creative approach, but it probably would not have sold many books. Another author wanted to hire “hot girls” to hand out flyers on New York’s Park Avenue. Again, the chances that a passerby will be a potential reader are low. If he wrote a graphic novel and wanted to pass out flyers at Comic-Con, that would be a different story. Always keep in mind your readers and where you can find them.

Questionnaire: Identifying your audience

Think about your readers. Who are they? Your inclination may be to answer, “Everyone”—but remember, there is no everyone.com. Just think about yourself as an audience for a minute. Do you read every type of book? Do all the magazine categories on newsstands appeal to you? Probably not.

We can all be identified (at least somewhat) by our interests. The more specific you can be in answering the reader profile questions below, the more successful your digital plan will be because it will be tailored to the needs of your specific audience. Take some time to consider your answers.

Base your answers on the majority of your readers. Of course, there will always be exceptions, but keep in mind that we are trying to build a plan for the majority. It is important to ask yourself the right questions and create a mental picture.

What about your readers? Let’s try to figure them out

My Reader Profile

My reader is: Male or female or both____________________.

Is ________________ years old. (Estimate a range. Just make a guess if you need to.)

Lives in _____________________ (setting or state or region, if relevant)

Other books/authors/magazines/blogs he/she reads, and TV shows they watch:

What are some of the common values or traits of your ideal reader?

Does your audience have a problem, concern, or frustration that your book seeks to solve?

What does your audience want?

What are the top three communities (health, business, fiction, romance …) for the book?

What do you consider the top competitive titles for your book?

Education level of your readers:

Do they need/want your book for pleasure or business?

Is your reader on social networks? Yes No Which ones?

Notes: (What else might you know about your reader? Go with your gut!)

Here’s what my reader profile looked like after I did this work:

My readers are authors or aspiring authors who are proactive about promoting their books. They are curious about online possibilities. My reader demographic is most likely an equal number of men and women, and in the age range of 35 and older and probably college educated. My readers have dabbled in social media like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. They are fulfilling a lifelong dream to tell their stories or to help others by sharing their knowledge. They are awesome—and they are very busy!

Your Reader Profile Statement (compile all you have learned about your audience here):

The value of knowing your readers

The identification of your ideal readers will play a major role in the quality of your online marketing plan. When I compare my reader profile against the demographics of different social networks, I can see clearly which networks will be helpful in my marketing. For example, my audience is going to be older than eighteen to twenty-nine, which accounts for the majority of the people on Instagram. So I can certainly join and have fun on Instagram, but it won’t lead me to my readers. Since we are all busy, we have to make choices about how best to use our time, and knowing our audience will help us make better decisions.

Listing the demographics of all the social networks will get dated quickly, so if you are curious do a search for the information. I use Pew Research to get reliable data.

Before you move on to the next chapter, make sure you have a solid profile of your ideal reader. Identifying the community you want to create may take more time and energy up front, but it will save you time down the road.

Tip for #BusyAuthors

Another benefit of filling out your reader profile: Once you have identified your readership base, you will know how to appeal to them and how to serve their needs. Your ideal community is more likely to provide you with reviews and become loyal to your brand.