When it comes to writing,
anything goes. Until you want to publish. Then authors find themselves faced
with the mandate to write for a specific audience while remaining true to
themselves. It is not an easy juggling act.
Some people choose self-publishing
as a way out of writing for an audience. This will work, but be cautioned not
to expect profits. A similar reason people self-publish is to write for an audience undervalued or
unrecognized by larger publishing houses. I launched my publishing house in
direct response to the consumer cry for Christian, teen fantasy and the slow
reaction by the existing publishers. Yes, I enjoyed the autonomy
self-publishing initially provided, but my decision was made in reaction to the market, not in
ignorance of it. In traditional publishing, writing for a specific audience is
just about mandatory.
It is more than vocabulary and
theme that determine the audience. It is more than a mere wish by an author. So
what exactly goes into deciding on a book’s target market? And how can you
better write for the market you want to reach?
Step 1: If you are not in the
age range or target population you are hoping to write for, the very first
thing you need to do is immerse yourself in your readers. A female French
novelist could not write a book for male American weight lifters without a good
deal of research into their culture. If you are working with a juvenile fiction
book even just hanging out with teenagers can be
really good for your writing. It will teach you about your readers’ vocabulary,
lifestyle, fears, and blinders.
Step 2: Read what other authors
are writing for your target market. When a book has wild success in my genre I try
to buy it. This has been a good teacher for pacing especially, showing me how
to break up adventure with mystery with romance with sorrow with hope, etc.
Step 3: Participate in the
activities of your target market. If you are writing a cookbook for people with
small kitchens, find a small kitchen to test your product in. If you are writing
fiction for toddlers, get down on their level, play their imaginary games, and
learn about them.
Step 4: Have various people in
your target market read your book prior to publication. For example, if your
market is pre-teen fiction, have a ten-year-old girl, a twelve-year-old girl, a
fifteen-year-old girl, a ten-year-old boy, a twelve-year-old boy, and a
fifteen-year-old boy all test-read your book and give you feedback. If the
ten-year-olds cannot understand it and the fifteen-year-olds love it, you may
actually be writing for an older audience. Perhaps you should embrace it!
Everything you learn about your
target market should be carried into the following list (note: this is a good
deal shorter than it should be, for we have nearly run out of room): moral
lesson, character development, character age/ethnicity/belief system, content,
length, vocabulary, and pacing.
If your moral lesson is on the value of friendship you are probably writing
for a target market under the age of thirteen. For an older market, you will
have to beef up that lesson with a focus on betrayal or integrity or sacrifice.
Usually, in books for younger
audiences, the only change seen in characters will be those relating to the
moral lesson. In books for older audiences, characters are much more free to
grow. Older readers will be better able to follow the carefully laid out character development.
The age of your main characters also defines the age group you are
writing for. Similarly, a book targeting a certain ethnic group should have
characters of that ethnicity and a
book targeting an audience with Christian beliefs
will need Christian characters.
Taming content is absolutely necessary for certain groups—like for
Christian readers and young readers. Profanity, innuendo, gore, relationships,
and death scenes will all be affected by the age and lifestyle choices of the
people you are writing for.
In certain points in my books,
I strive to challenge readers with vocabulary.
While some of the words I use may be a stretch for readers, the sentence
structure is clear to follow. Some authors write in the most complicated and
long-winded way they can. Be careful not to write like a science textbook
unless you are writing a science textbook.
Typically, the older the age
market, the longer the book. Yet, for some genres, this rule of length does not hold true. On average,
adult mysteries seem to be shorter than adult fantasy. Pacing will also vary. Books for younger audiences will revolve
around a good deal of action, while books for older audiences can incorporate
more mystery and dialogue.
You will notice that much of
the practical application of writing for an audience has to do with age. This
is because age is, perhaps, the most defining and most unifying characteristic
of readers. Take note of age, but do not forget to consider the other
attributes of your target readership. Remember, just because you target fantasy
readers does not mean you cannot lure in mystery lovers. Just because you write
for pre-teens does not mean teens will avoid your book. Writing for a target
audience is an art form, not a science. Results may vary.
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