Ready, Aim…Bull’s-Eye! Targeting in Audience Development

Please welcome Sharon Bially to Writer Unboxed. Sharon was one of our FINALISTS during our search for an unpublished contributor for the blog, which means you’ll see here her a few times annually from now on. After she announced her love of dark chocolate on her application (which earned her bonus points with us), she wrote:

I became serious about writing fiction in 1997, when I left a career in international economics to draft an early first novel. I’ve since completed a chapter book series for children and my latest novel, Veronica’s Nap…I write women’s fiction, and my stories portray a strong link between identity, autonomy and creativity.

Sharon has recently established a website to support her story, Veronica’s Nap, which she plans to self-publish through through iUniverse. Check out Sharon’s site HERE.

But Sharon has more than writing and self-publishing to tamp into here at WU. She’s also a publicist.

As a publicist, I’ve handled PR for many non-fiction books and have held dozens’ of authors’ hands through the publishing process, from manuscript-drafting and querying to agency and publisher relations, marketing and beyond. I have much to say about what I’ve witnessed as well as about book publicity and publishing industry trends.

We know you’ll enjoy her smart advice in her first post with us.

Ready, Aim…Bull’s-Eye!  Targeting in Audience Development

A few months ago, Jane blogged about audience development.  Her message: Writers must cultivate and grow their audiences every day of their lives.

As a publicist, I couldn’t agree more.

But I’d add that first, writers must ask: WHO is MY book’s audience?  In PR lingo, this is called the “target.”  Without it, audience-building has little chance of equating to readership.  But to hit it, you have to define it.

Businesses spend significant chunks of their budgets defining targets by analyzing who will buy what products.  Only after this groundwork has been laid does production begin.

Books are products, like it or not.  So the implication for writers is that the first step in audience development – targeting – should take place before drafting.  That it should be woven into our stories’ conception.

Now – before you boo me off the screen.  For the moment, I’m wearing my publicist’s hat.  I’ll slap my writer’s hat on shortly.   But when authors approach me as a publicist for advice about when to begin marketing plans, I invariably answer: “Before you start writing.”

Think about it.  Each of the dozens of genres and sub-genres in the fiction universe has its own following.  Say you write historical romance.  You know before putting a single word on the page that your target audience is historical romance fans. And you know precisely which hashtags to follow on Twitter, which blogs to comment on and which communities to join.  Bull’s-eye.

For “general” or “literary” fiction, the target is harder to define.  If you’re writing about twins separated at birth, you can aim for groups of twins or adoption forums.  Beyond that, your best bet is to reach out to the public at large.  From a targeting perspective, this is tantamount to shooting an arrow into thin air.   It’s why so many agents “develop” story ideas with their clients and why “general fiction” is so hard to sell.

With my writer’s hat on, I cringe when I hear this.  Shouldn’t we draw from our passions and write from the heart?  I plead.  Isn’t that what literature – what art – is all about?

In some rare instances, it is.  Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy has infamously said:  “I don’t believe anyone should write unless they have a book to write!”  And celebs or others with pre-existing audiences enjoy more leeway.  Yet for most of us, writing for the fiction market means striking a balance between passion and PR.

How can we accomplish this without compromising our integrity or our craft?  There’s no easy answer. But I can offer these guidelines:

First, mine your experience and imagination for the ideas that inspire you most.

Next, drill into idea No. 1 and ask:

• WHO, specifically, do its conflicts and characters appeal to?
• WHY?
• WHERE can I find them?

If you can’t answer ALL of these questions, put the idea aside and start again.  Or tweak it until you can.

Finally, beware of two common misconceptions:

One: that family, friends and other writers lie within your target.

Few generous souls necessarily choose books by authors they know.  While I was writing my first novel, my own mother told me: “That doesn’t sound like something I’d read!”

Two: that because an agent or editor is interested in your story, it has a target audience.

Agents’ and editors’ choices are shaped by established, not future, trends.  Many of these have already peaked or become saturated.  Which helps explain why so many good books don’t sell.

This brings us back to writing from the heart.  Luckily – and wondrously – some stories do draw an audience for no clear reason, having an impact and setting new trends.  And even meticulous audience development is no guarantee.  So a big part of our job as writers, I believe, is to aim for our target while remaining faithful to our imaginations: where progress begins.

How do you balance readership imperatives with inspiration?  Do they go hand in hand, or does one come first?  Have you thought about who the stories you write will appeal to, and why?

Photo courtesy Flickr’s leeroy09481