Are You Building An Audience Of Writers, Not Readers?
By Dan Blank | June 28, 2013 |
photo by adactio
So I am going to ask Kathleen and Therese to bear with me here for a moment, I need to ask this great community to do something:
Go away.
That’s right, click away from this blog post right now, leave this wonderful website behind. Goodbye.
(Are you still there? You are such a stubborn writer! Which is why I love you. Okay, let me explain…)
Far too many writers build an audience of the WRONG people. As a writer, you craft a work that is meaningful to you, and you wonder how you will connect it to the world. So you begin engaging with people online and off, telling them about your writing.
And guess what? Guess who is MOST interested in this journey you are on? Readers? Nope. Oftentimes, it is other writers.
So we do what feels validating and welcoming: we join amazing communities such as staging-writerunboxed.kinsta.cloud. We forge relationships, we grow our platforms with people who want you to succeed as a writer.
But therein lies the problem.
These good people – these other writers, yes they may buy your book. They may read it too. They MIGHT even review it on Amazon & Goodreads. And this is good.
But what I worry about is that when you focus only on engaging other writers, you are not learning how to engage readers. Without the shared interest in becoming a writer, without tapping into that sense of identity and goals, you are not developing that keen instinct of who would love your book and how to get them interested.
Now, obviously, there is ENORMOUS value in engaging with other writers, and especially to do so on staging-writerunboxed.kinsta.cloud. (Can you tell I am trying to get back into the good graces of Kathleen & Therese?)
Just this week, a writer I am working with heard from two other successful authors who shared wonderful insight into what has worked for them in engaging with readers – what online platforms have worked for them, and the value of certain types of in-person events.
Let’s explore why it is super helpful to engage with other writers:
- Writers are the best kind of people. (okay, that one was easy)
- Help you improve the craft of writing.
- Glean wisdom from their experiences.
- Build a network of colleagues.
- Validate your own identity as a writer.
- Open doors to agents, publishers, media, and other good folks that can help you get published and in front of readers.
- Motivation & inspiration.
- Understand how the world of publishing is changing, and give you a roadmap to navigate it.
- Set proper expectations.
- Vent. (then vent some more)
The list goes on. I will leave “fashion tips” and “recipes” off of the list for the sake of space.
So what is bad about any of this? Nothing. The issue I see is that sometimes writers stop here. They feel a sense of community with writers, they experience all the benefits listed above, so they go no further.
They never develop the capability of understanding who their ideal readers are, how to engage them, or the habits to do so both online and off.
As you develop your platform as a writer, I see an extraordinary amount of value in working through the more difficult task of engaging your readers and those who have access to them, such as librarians, parents, teachers, booksellers, etc.
In other words: YES, engage with other writers. But don’t stop there.
Every single week, learn more about who your readers may be. Engage with them in tiny ways online. And off. Learn what it is about your writing that cuts to the heart of why your ideal audience readers. Discover what it is about one of your stories or books that jumped out at people.
How do you begin engaging with readers? Just a few ideas:
- Read. Read books similar to yours, if possible. Engage as a fan would. Leave reviews online, recommend books, consider who else is doing the same.
- Understand what other books are like yours, especially those published in the past 5 years. Where are they shelved in bookstores, how are they displayed, what comes up in “People who who bought this also bought…” in Amazon?
- What is the language that other readers used again and again in reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and other sites?
- Who are these readers – specifically? See their Goodreads profiles, understand what else they read.
- Talk to readers. On social channels, follow them, comment on their updates, and learn about them. Engage as a fan of similar work, not an author trying to promote your own books.
- Develop a group of beta readers.
- Everywhere you go, ask the person standing next to you: “what do you like to read?” Then ask why.
- Join book clubs, attend events at bookstores and libraries – do anything possible to chat with other readers about why they read. Study the expressions on their face, the cadence of their voice as they talk about reading.
- Talk more about other people’s books than your own.
- Create profiles of your ideal readers. Create lists of where you can find them online and off. Go there. Often.
- Craft messaging that gets readers interested in your writing. Test this again and again, both in person, and in digital channels. Revise constantly.
When I work with writers, the big questions they are often looking to answer are: who is my readership, where can I find them, and how can I engage with them in a meaningful way? Of course, the outcome they hope for is a larger audience for their work, and greater book sales.
Critical to this is beginning to understand your readers as early as you can in this process and developing habits of doing so.
I hope, dear writer, I have not offended in this post. I strongly believe in the purpose of this site, and completely understand that writers are readers too. But there is a distinction between those who obsess about writing & publishing, and those who “merely” read, read, read, and ideally, will one day read YOUR book.
Thanks!
-Dan
Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers share their stories and connect with readers. He has helped hundreds of authors via online courses, events, consulting, and workshops, and worked with amazing publishing houses and organizations who support writers such as Random House, Workman Publishing, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, Library Journal, and many others.
This is a great post, Dan, and timely for me. I’ve been giving this issue a lot of thought lately as I gear up for my first book launch in January. I have a wonderful network of author friends, but I’m looking at reaching out to readers and it doesn’t seem as easy somehow. It’s certainly a shift in thinking. Thank you for the tips!
Heather,
Thanks so much! I often see writers put off the task of understanding who their readers are, and put it off, and put it off, and hope that an agent, editor, publicist, bookseller, SOMEONE will just magically tell them one day.
It’s not easy, but it IS rewarding. And of course, it’s a journey and a habit.
Thanks!
-Dan
This is an excellent post. I agree that writers often spend too much time engaging with other writers as a way to sell books. In my experience, networking with writers has helped me to WRITE my book (awesome!) and to LEARN WAYS to sell my book (equally awesome!). But frankly what has really made BABY GRAND successful, what has actually sold books, has been word of mouth — getting it in front of readers, not writers. So it’s so important for a writer to strike a balance and know where she needs to be and when.
Dina,
Thanks for sharing your experience! I agree that there is so much value in engaging with writers – but it can’t become a crutch by which to avoid engaging with readers. :)
Much appreciated.
-Dan
Thank you, Dan. The caution you provide is a good one, and your advice to remedy it quite helpful I noticed other excellent topics in your list of recent posts, and will check them out.
Just recently I’ve been engaging readers more directly, even in public on occasion if a natural opportunity arises to do so. Readers enjoy talking about their favorite books. Yet I’ve not asked about reading itself, why they read. That’s an excellent suggestion.
Thanks so much John! What you point out is so critical, talking to readers as an exploration of their interests, not just a way to sell a product you created.
-Dan
This is an excellent point, Dan. I’ve thought about this often through the years I’ve been writing. Authors tend to do as the rest of the world does — hang out with those who walk similar paths. But, as you point out, it’s so important to remember readers and connect with them as well.
Last summer, when I talked with a close writer friend with a book about to come out, I began to see what a huge gap there is in connecting with readers. Where do readers hang out online and how can authors connect with them? That was when a handful of reading / blogging / writing friends and I formed GreatNewBooks.org, a book recommendation site, a step toward bridging that gap between writers and readers. It’s been a success. Therese and Kathleen and WriterUnboxed have been an inspiration. Thanks, Ladies!
Thanks for the great tips and food for thought, Dan!
Thanks Jennifer! This makes me think of an article I read yesterday and have become COMPLETELY obsessed with about music producer Rick Rubin. He talked about being the only punk in his school, so he ended up hanging out with the other kids who were into rap, because they were the closest thing to the mentality of the music he liked. It broadened his experience and pushed him outside his comfort zone. If he had gone to a school with a thriving punk community, he NEVER would have cared about rap, and thus, he never would have helped launch the careers of the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool J and so many others. In other words: there is a danger is feeling comfy cozy in world we completely understand.
:)
I think this relates to what we are saying about the challenging task of seeking out readers, not just other writers. Anyhow, here is the article:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/06/26/rick-rubin-on-crashing-kanye-s-album-in-15-days.html
Thanks!
-Dan
What an incredible interview in Newsweek with Rubin, with so many parallels with writing, creativity, and the publishing industry–thanks for linking to it, Dan!
I love Rubin’s thoughts on instinct, on lack of timeframe to focus on creating something great, and crossing genres for inspiration. Brilliant. Thanks!
(And, btw, I LOVE their site function and simplicity, photos, etc.)
Yes! totally agree on all points.
Thanks.
-Dan
Dan, this is a subject I’ve had on my mind for over 6 months since my novel launched. You make excellent points. Connecting to fiction readers is quite a challenge from my experiences. Your “talk to readers … on social channels” has been a goal of mine for a while, but I have to say, it’s difficult connecting to fiction readers on these venues.
If there are fiction readers on Twitter, I’ve yet to find them. Facebook has lots of “reader groups” (I’m just beginning to test this out with posts). I’ve made more reader friends on Goodreads from my blog than anything else I do there, but this has not sparked any significant book sales (maybe one or two).
I’ve gotten no where on Library Thing and Shelfari (mostly other authors respond). Google + circles has me confused in their weird circles and it’s a slow grind to connect to anybody (I’m still learning). That leaves my weekly blog, which is about reading fiction and directed at readers in my genre; it has produced some loyal readers but as you probably know, building a blog audience takes a long time.
Developing a group of beta readers is something I’ve not tried yet. How does that stimulate readers/book sales? Could you elaborate?
Thanks!
Paula,
Thanks for sharing this. So the first goal here is actually not stimulating book sales, it is understanding who readers are, what they care about, how to effectively communicate with them (this is HUGE!), where they are online, where they are offline, etc.
Few people put a firm badge on their chest that says “I am a fiction reader, specifically of spy thrillers.” Readers are everywhere. I’m at Starbucks right now, and there are readers to my left and to my right. They aren’t reading RIGHT NOW, but they do read. Something!
I’m a reader too.
So part of this is that if we wait to find a self-selecting group of people who segment themselves from the world and wear a badge, well, that’s a tall order.
So the very idea of beta readers is that you are getting feedback loops from readers. You are challenged to realize how they DO and DON’T identify themselves. Heck, we are even challenged to realize that the commitment to a book is not based on price (we can all afford $1 or $10 if we need to), but time and energy. Do you have a spare 7 – 15 hours to read a book?
I also think that focusing ONLY online is a big mistake.
Obviously, it’s a big issue!
Thanks.
-Dan
I agree with your observation about goodreads, Paula, though I’ve found engagement even without blogging there (if I understood you correctly). Goodreads has simply been the best venue I’ve found for connecting with readers in an ongoing conversational way, not simply as fans (though we met through my book) but as a community of folks who love reading and love talking about reading. I’ve made friends there who are quite self-aware (one explaining to me early on that they can only offer opinions as a reader, not as a writer, which made me smile . . . exactly what I’d want to find as a newer writer).
My book also came out six months ago so I imagine we’re experiencing many of the same things these days (highs and lows). I’m just now actively seeking more public engagements – readings in small bookstores, libraries, etc. I know that’s somewhat backwards but I felt I needed to work up to that rather than just stepping up to a mic, so to speak. But as much as they scare me a bit, I’m finding I those engagements, with people asking questions and just chatting, a bit about the book but other things as well. Since my book is partly historical fiction, I’ve found I enjoy hearing their stories – memories of family members, how their ideas about them changed as they grew to understand their circumstances better. That taps into the curiosity I needed when writing the book.
I don’t know exactly how it will all synthesize for the next book, but it feels right so I’m seeking out more interactions – which is why this is post is so timely for me.
So you’re right, of course. So writers are the easiest readers to reach, because most have blogs. So writers, many of them, are writers in aspiration only, which makes them even eagerer readers.
Matt,
Good point about motivation – that in supporting another writer, someone is helping to forge their own identity. Readers don’t have that same motivation.
Thanks.
-Dan
Always smart to avoid preaching to the choir and reach out to new parishioners, good counsel. It’s harder of course, because readers don’t always have common interests like writers that cause them to group so an author has to find ways to reach out to them. Word of mouth is the best place to start, cultivating book clubs, finding speaking engagements–anything to get the word of mouth process going. Once you hit it, it’s like wildfire, as you’ve seen with so many hits. So lets go start fires out there!
Thanks Tony!
Dan, I believe you’re spot on. Most of my visitors are writers, as well as most of the people I interact with on social media. Any advice on helping us determine our ideal reader and creating profiles for them?
A great question to ask and great tips to save. Thanks so much!
Thanks!
Dan, I LOVE this post. I’m working on the first draft of my first novel, a YA dystopian story, and I have yet to read The Hunger Games. I’ve been so caught up in wringing my hands about “marketing” that I did not realize I’ve been neglecting my favorite pastime: reading. Whenever I read, I get inspired. This applies to reading this blog, as well, but I need to read my genre. I need to read high and I need to read low.
I have a stack of books I borrowed from my friend’s teenager and a list from the local library, all middle grade and young adult. My summer reading program rocks, and the advice to do reviews on Amazon (and Goodreads) and connect in teeny ways with other fans is the kind of stuff I like to do anyways.
AND … in the middle of all this delightful “research,” my hard goal is to get the first draft finished by September 20.
Once again, great post!
Yes! The basics matter: write. read. connect w/ like-minds.
Thanks!
-Dan
[…] Writer Unboxed talks about the importance of building an audience of readers (and not just writers) […]
Far from offending, you’ve given voice to something we all know on some level. Personally, I have found some community libraries that have excellent programs for my readers, older adults. It’s just one of a number of great ways to connect.
Thank you Jane!
Great tips, Dan, thanks.
Thanks!
Dan, this is actually very good. I’ve been working to branch out and develop dialogues with readers and those who might buy my books.
Also, I shared the link with a writer’s group I’m in.
Thank you Barbara – very much appreciated!
-Dan
Thanks. Great post and I enjoyed the amusing asides. I would add that the best way to attract readers is to get the second and third book out. That means balancing time between promotion and writing. I read Writer Unboxed with my first cup of coffee, then I spend a limited time with online promotion. My goal is to get back to writing. Multiple books builds loyal fans and word-of-mouth. So … don’t forget to keep writing.
Yes! Write write write!
-Dan
Great post.
I’m still trying to figure out how to connect with readers.
I’ve searched for specific hashtags on Twitter to engage in conversations but haven’t had much luck yet.
I have had some success connecting with readers on Goodreads.
Heidi,
It takes time, and readers don’t always self-filter and self-select. EG: the person next to you on line at the food store may just be a reader!
:)
-Dan
Hi Dan,
Could you elaborate a little more on what exactly “beta readers” means? I have never encountered this term before and have no real clue what it refers to.
Thanks,
M.
Beta readers are readers who agree to read early versions of your work in order to provide feedback. So sometimes this is a very early draft, other times it is much later in the process.
You are getting feedback while you can still make changes!
Thanks.
-Dan
Very useful information from the post and all of you writers. There are so many good ideas here, ie Goodreads, book clubs etc. One of my fav suggestions is to talk to readers about OTHER books. Right here & right now I’m going to admit I’m not a fan of Fifty Shades–I don’t find the topic original or believable, I abhor the writing & I am jealous the author is making a killing on hack work when ‘poor me’ is forced to study the craft. BUT, as I learned the hard way long ago, don’t make the other person wrong! Those 65 million purchasers can’t all be wrong, can they? So I don’t say “I wouldn’t be caught dead with that stupid book.” Instead, the conversation goes like this: Reader (breathless): “OMG Have you read OMG Fifty Shades OMG (sigh)?” Diana: “Did you read it? Do you like it?” Reader (twitching)–“Oh OMG loved it, my hands were burning on the pages cuz I couldn’t turn them fast enough.” Diana (thinking ‘that doesn’t sound too hard when its fourth grade writing, cliches & repetition’):”What did you like about it?” INFORMATION GLUT follows from reader. Then Diana says “I am writing a novel that is about (insert one sentence intriguing blurb that inludes the phrase “its steamy too”), would you like to learn more about my book?” I haven’t had one “NO” answer from reader to that question, usually its “OMG yes.”. I promptly give them my card & get theirs too. Then we both walk away praising the power of the massive Fifty Shades herd.
Diana – love the example – thank you!
-Dan
Very thought provoking, Dan! You cut right to the chase on why a writer builds a network–to reach readers. I haven’t published fiction yet. But you address what has been niggling in the back of my mind. That feeling that I’m missing something obvious.
I’ve watched several authors connect with their readers. It is a sharing of tidbits of themselves and showing interest in readers responses. If you look on Facebook, for example, you see some of those threads and comments section is long. Good interchange. And yes, some of those commentors are fellow writers who also read, lol! But the important thing is, the readers have been identified by these authors and they pay attention to them. In the process they attract new readers who like that personal attention.
You’ve given me a lot to think about.
Sia McKye OVER COFFEE
Thanks! Yes, personal attention is so key.
-Dan
Good stuff Dan! Thanks for the advice, and information. Finding my ideal reader is the whole reason I started my blog (just two months ago). It seems easier to find writers than it is to find readers. Not sure if I’m going about it the right way but I’m having fun with it.
Great advice and again, thanks for sharing.
Fun! That’s awesome.
Thanks.
-Dan
Your post has helped me make a decision, Dan. Thanks!
:)
thanks Mary!
-Dan
As I was writing my first book (set in Paris in 1948 and about a portrait painter and a woman he meets, who had been in Auschwitz), I thought I had a good idea who some of my readers would be–Jews who had some connection to the Holocaust. Then I was reading part of the story at a writers club meeting. “I can’t stand listening to this,” said one member. “I’ve heard it all before from my relatives. If you continue to read this at the meetings, I’m not coming.” To me, at least, that attitude was a real surprise. I’m not convinced that all Jews feel this way, but it caused me to re-think who my readers might be. In some cases, identifying readers can be tricky. I’ve started to make friends with every librarian I meet because they seem to have a good handle on who reads what.
Ronda, I’m wondering if your audience would be the younger generation who don’t really know much about the time in which you write. Also, people in their 70s who lived through those times, but as children, are often curious about that time. My mother-in-law is; she was a small child in Amsterdam during the war.
Librarians are a great idea, BTW! Good luck!
Ronda,
Love this story, it illustrates the need to have assumptions, test them, adjust, and start over. Sometimes the most obvious audiences are NOT correct. EG: “the book is set in Boston, so the audience is Bostonians.” Often, an incorrect assumption.
Thanks.
-Dan
Dan, I love your insight and advice, and also advise my clients the same. Thanks for laying it out so clearly. I’m sharing your post far and wide, and especially to my current clients!
Thanks Beth!
[…] *Writer Unboxed- Are You Building an Audience of Writers, Not Readers- https://staging-writerunboxed.kinsta.cloud/2013/06/28/are-you-building-an-audience-of-writers-not-readers/ […]
Excellent tips, Dan!
Thanks Stacey!
I avoided writer’s blogs for the first year I blogged for this exact reason. I finally gave in, but often question my own sanity. I should be spending my time writing and building my audience.
If you didn’t question your own sanity on a daily basis, then you wouldn’t be a writer!
:)
Thanks.
-Dan
Wow, I’ve had an insight bubbling just below the surface for some time now and you brought it up for air. Thank you. Connecting with readers is far more difficult. I’ve noted recently that there’s a huge difference between writers who read and readers who write. Readers are more focused on the experience, whereas writers are also looking at the craft. Too, because they’re writers they’re far more likely to feel comfortable with providing feedback. To understand how many readers feel we should think about public speaking. Other public speakers are more likely to stand up and provide feedback AND feel comfortable doing it. How many writers are dying to jump up in front of hundreds of people and talk?
Great points – thanks Christina!
I’m starting by appealing to fellow new writers. I figure most of us got into it because we love to read. With luck, I can work the transition between the two.
Great post!
Thanks so much!
-Dan
Dan, this is very timely, as I am in the process of planning how to reach my audience. You see, I write for children, and reaching that audience is a trickier prospect than reaching an adult audience. Also, my audience is not (in most cases) the buyer of my book. So reaching my audience can be a real challenge, so I’m always on the lookout for hints and tips from other children’s writer. Thanks Dan for the great blog.
Christine,
I work with SO MANY writers who face this very issue. It is a bit of a twist, indeed, on traditional marketing or platform building. But there is so much one can do. It’s a really cool challenge!
-Dan
We had thunderstorms roll through yesterday, so I’m just getting online here.
I think this is the most frustrating thing about social media. I put that I’m working on a novel in my profile, and suddenly every writer gravitates straight to me. Then all I get are links advertising five star reviews and links for the book. Just because I am a writer does not mean I am your audience!
But marketing is also not easy for a fiction writer. The non-fiction writers and marketing people make it out to be easy, but it’s not the same thing is as selling a book on time management or a business technique. I used to cowriter with a marketer. Our book was a thriller set during the Civil War, so he thought it would be a great idea to market it at reenactments and wanted me to dress up in period pieces. What was completely missing was marketing US to readers who would buy more books, NOT Civil War enthusiasts who would not be interested in the next book if it wasn’t Civil War. He got focused on the detail or product (the individual book), and not the writer and what the writer will produce in the future.
I think that’s where marketing may go really wrong for writers. In other industries, it makes perfect sense to focus on a product, but it turns into a huge problem for a writer because it’s about the big picture, not the product.
Linda,
GREAT points! Whenever I work with a writer, I begin with goals (short, mid, long term) and always ask, tell me about the NEXT book, and the one after that. You need to craft a platform based on the writer, and the writer you will become.
Much appreciated.
-Dan
Thanks for this insight, Dan! It is a tricking thing, because we’re building a career, not just selling 1 product/book.
If someone have a trilogy, do you recommend releasing them close together, even if the books aren’t yet all done? That is, is it better to write and polish them all before publishing them? (I’m asking from the self-publishing author perspective.)
Beth,
The art comes first. One must craft work they are proud of, work that builds a solid foundation for their creative and/or professional life.
EG: the music world… Some people (Jack White) will record an album in a day and release it, others will spend years crafting an album. I can’t say which is BETTER from an artistic perspective, but I will say that I would HATE to see an author diminish their own creative work because they are in a rush for some kind of marketing trickery.
I have read lots on the idea of “having more product in the marketplace,” the idea that the more books you have, the more cross-sales you may receive. I totally get it, and am glad that some writers find fulfillment (artistically and professionally) with this method.
But its a personal decision for each writer. One doesn’t want to look back at three failed books and say to themselves “I’m not even proud of them, I rushed them out to try to take advantage of some algorithm trick on Amazon…”
-Dan
Thanks, Dan! I agree with you, but sometimes feel torn… :-)
Dan, spot on. We live in our writerly interior worlds because it’s such a challenge to leave our comfort zone, the communal watering holes we writers share among ourselves online and off.
Each time I work with you and many amazing others here online and off, I learn who I am–and who I’m not–as author. But most of all, I come one step closer to the inescapable truth: I’m less than a blip in the ether without readers. I want to know them and look forward to your Advanced Master’s class.
Thanks so much Mary!
-Dan
[…] via Writer Unboxed » Are You Building An Audience Of Writers, Not Readers?. […]
I’m not offended in the least, Dan, and I think you’re right: Writers need to learn how to connect with readers, and blogging that targets other writers isn’t the best way to do that. This is something I’ve thought a lot about, naturally, as the original goal of creating WU (to draw readers for our future books) was not in line with what WU had become. But since I know a wee bit now about the benefits to having a site that attracts writers, let me say this to beef up your list of benefits: Writers who love a book will talk about that book. On their own blogs. Via Facebook and Twitter. They’ll hand-sell your book for you, or rearrange it so that it’s face-out in a bookstore (even if they’re not really supposed to do that), because they understand what a tough industry this is and they want to help out.
But learning how to truly connect with readers? That’s a valuable key, and one we should think more about.
Thanks for a great post.
Oooh – good points! Thanks so much Therese!
-Dan
I use twitter and am an avid reader but not a writer. I never purchase books that are advertised on twitter, even though I follow some authors. Instead, I read the reviews at Galley Cat and in the N. Y. Times. I also peruse the library and look at the books recently purchased shelves. If every person in the U. S. that is currently writing a book would buy one book tomorrow, the publishing industry would be in good shape and more author’s would be published.
Leslie,
More books were published last year than ever before, something like 1.5 million new books. That figure is estimated to be more than 2mm new books published this year. I don’t see a struggling industry, I simply see an industry that has more opportunity.
Thanks.
-Dan
I am a bit late in reading this, but love this post. I think it raises a really valid point, and one that often goes overlooked. I am finding a lot with my Twitter feed that I am followed more often by others who are reading my writings and sharing more so to get the return favor instead of really always being generally interested.
Thanks for the great tips.
Thanks Kathleen!
[…] I started a new Bank of stories. My motivation was a post on Writer Unboxed about marketing: Are You Building an Audience of Writers, Not Readers? by Dan Blank. He made some very valid points and got me […]
Thank you for your excellent post. Building a network of readers is certainly harder than one of writers.
Thanks Connie!
Great piece Dan, especially your point about doing whatever it takes to understand your readers. In case anyone still has any doubts, I just read this about Twitter founder Jack Dorsey:
“He commutes to work by public bus, for professional reasons as much as ecological ones—so he can peer over his fellow passengers’ shoulders to observe which smartphone apps they are using, and how.”
There you have it!
(full article here: https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/07/jack-dorsey-diet-purple-foods )
Thanks Anne!
Excellent points, Dan. New authors, or soon to be, naturally gravitate to folks who read their posts, beta read a chapter, provide understanding of how the industry works. It’s a long journey for most, and those “writer” connections become important. When that first story is published, I have to believe the urge to “keep the writer-friend light on at night” is strong. Readers are still strangers to us. Your suggestions are spot on, ones this newbie will file in the important reference drawer. Thanks.
Thanks DT!
Hi Dan, Thanks for all the great ideas. Personally, I think the author must go through a metamorphosis of sorts. You connect with like-minded buds, you study the craft, you write, and then when you’ve fleshed all of that out, and feel like you’ve really come into your own as a writer, then it’s time to find the readers.
Or–maybe I’m doing that backwards. I started out writing non-fiction to learn the process of self-publishing, but now as I am working on several fiction pieces, I am going to be more mindful of working to find those precious little readers!
Enjoy the weekend!
Penelope,
Interesting perspective! There are clearly many ways to work this. Personally, I prefer connecting with the readers as early as possible, much as a busker does with their music. Perhaps this is why Glen Hansard is one of my favorite singers.
Thanks.
-Dan
Yes, I do a lot of things differently than most–I’m told.
Now I’ll have to go and search out Glen Hansard! Thanks for the tip. Have a great week, and keep writing and reaching out to your readers! ;)