Tag: target audience

Categories
Book Proposals

Make Your Proposal Stand Out

Recently I met one of my long-term friends, a publisher of a well-known book company.  Speaking about how I manage author expectations, I said, “I tell every author it is 80% up to them to sell the book.”

“That 80% is the same thing we tell authors, “He affirmed. Are you taking your responsibility for selling your own book? This attitude is critical in any proposal because it will shine through your words.

Editors and literary agents receive hundreds of submissions. You have seconds to catch their attention before they move to the next one. How can you distinguish your book proposal? Consider these seven keys:

stereotype metapher leadership or exclusion

Create an Unforgettable Title

For example, I recently received a proposal from a former nun who wrote a marriage book. The juxtaposition of “nun” with “marriage” caught my attention. While the publisher usually controls the title, I’ve found if you pitch an unforgettable title, it will stay throughout the process. You are the best person to create this title.

Begin With a Great Story

And continue with thoughtful well-organized content. You don’t just throw the words on the page to have this dynamic. Your writing and rewriting will capture attention. Your first sentence and first paragraph must draw the editor to read more. Otherwise, they will go on to the next submission.

Target a Specific Audience

A specific audience that you know and knows you. Books are not written for everybody but to a particular audience. Your proposal identifies this audience.

Write a detailed marketing plan to reach your audience

Practical author plans get attention from literary agents and editors.  The operative word here is practical. Eliminate any exaggerated statements or hype because it is an instant turn off to publishing professionals. For example, I’ve seen proposals saying they will have endorsements from Chuck Swindoll and James Dobson when the author had zero connection to these bestselling authors and it was not going to happen.

Identify Five or Six Competitive Books in Your Proposal.

Every book competes and if you understand your competition, you will stand out.

Carefully Craft the First Few Chapters

Craft the first few chapters of your book and include these chapters with your proposal. The sample chapters showcase your writing to the literary agent or editor.

Use my proposal checklist (http://terrylinks.com/bookcheck) to ensure no critical elements are missing.

A standout proposal takes hard work, but you can do this work. This important tool will snag a top agent or get an editor’s attention.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success

Categories
Book Proposals

Target Readers You Can Reach

Literary agents and publishers are actively looking for authors and books to publish. Yet the reality is thousands of new books are published every day. Millions of pitches and proposals are circulating in publishing offices. With the volume of submissions, some publishers and agents have said if you don’t receive a response in a certain time period, then you should consider it a rejection. Other publishing professionals will take months to respond. As an author (and an editor), I understand waiting is hard yet I understand the submission process is all about searching for the right fit with your content and what you want to publish. How can you distinguish your proposal from others? Here’s five keys for every would-be book author:

1. Have a direct connection to your reader.

Email continues to be one of the most reliable ways for authors to reach their audience. Do you have an email list? If not, start building one right away.

2. Write an excellent book proposal and manuscript.

From reviewing thousands of submissions, I know a well-written manuscript and proposal is foundational. Get outside editing and help before you show it to anyone.

3. Understand the business decisions.

Publishers and literary agents are making business decisions every day which affect you. While their decision about your work may feel personal, these professionals are focused on the business or work and it is not personal. Learn as much about the publishing world as you can through books and blogs and conferences. To learn more about this perspective, get my free ebook, Straight Talk From the Editor, 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission: www.straighttalkeditor.com

4. See other writers as cooperative instead of competitors.

Attitude and perspective will affect your success in the publishing world. Choosing to work with others rather than compete can be a game changer for you.

5. Build relationships at conferences, groups and online.

Who you know is as important as what you know in publishing. Always be working to build relationships with anyone in the business. You never know how a single connection can change your book sales.

Your reach as an author is often called a “platform.” Publishing professionals are looking for authors who can reach their target market. If you don’t have this reach or it is small, begin building it every day. It is critical to remember that small actions taken day after day will have an effect. Your actions as an author will be the difference maker in this process. Keep moving forward and searching for the right opportunity.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.

Categories
The Intentional Writer

Looking at Target Audience from the Standpoint of Ministry

The intentional writer

Writers are frequently encouraged to identify their target audience. However, we don’t always look at a target audience through the lens of ministry. In my last post I talked about defining a succinct writing ministry statement. Target audience is one of the key building blocks of that statement.

If you were starting a ministry like a food bank, you would take into account who you were trying to serve from the start. In fact, thinking about your target customer may be the whole reason you started the ministry. You identified a group with a need— families struggling financially, and a way to help them—providing affordable food.

We often don’t think in those terms when we begin writing. It can be a lot harder to narrow down who God is calling us to serve through our writing. Unfortunately, that may lead to wasting a lot of time writing pieces that few people will see, because we weren’t strategic about focusing our writing to a target audience and a well-defined message.

How do I figure out my target audience?

Let’s define target audience as the group of people who will most benefit from the core message of what you are writing. That means target audience and message are often two sides of the same coin. You may have a better idea of one side or the other.  It doesn’t matter which side you start with.

So, if you are clear on exactly what your message is, your target audience includes the people who will most benefit from that message. Who needs to hear your message? What specific issues, needs, or pain does your message help readers with?  

If you’re not crystal clear on your message, here are some questions you can ask to help you identify your target audience.

  • Who feels a similar trauma to one that I’ve survived?
  • What am I most passionate about?
  • What struggles, issues, or pain do I feel called to address in my writing?
  • Are there themes that keep cropping up in my writing (such as forgiveness, second chances, or overcoming fear)? What groups of people would resonate with those themes?  
  • When people give feedback on my writing, what specific things do they talk about?
  • What message can I not help sending out to the world? Who needs to hear that message?

Who is my no-fit audience?

Sometimes it’s easier to identify who your target audience is not. For example, if I write historical mysteries with a thread of faith, my non-target audience would include the following:

  • Readers who primarily read a particular genre other than mystery or historical, such as sci-fi, action thrillers, or Amish romance.
  • Readers who avoid Christian fiction.
  • Mystery readers who don’t enjoy the subgenre of historical, and primarily read police procedurals, paranormal, or legal thrillers. 
  • Historical fiction readers who prefer a strong romance plot or who only read novels based on real historical events.

At first, identifying your no-fit audience can see obvious and unhelpful, but if you look for more specific segments of your no-fit audience, you may get important insights about your target audience.

The Bottom Line

Just like a ministry or a business, the more specifically you can identify your target audience, the more intentional you can be in writing pieces that will have an impact, and the easier it will be to find the people who need to hear it.  

Lisa E Betz

Lisa E. Betz worked as an engineer, substitute teacher, and play director before becoming an award-winning mystery writer. She brings her analytical mind, quirky humor, and positive outlook to all she writes. She draws inspiration from thirty-five years of leading Bible studies to create entertaining mysteries set in the world of the early church, and then she fills that world with eccentric characters, independent females, and an occasional sausage-snatching cat. Her first novel, Death and a Crocodile, was recently awarded the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year.

In addition to writing novels, Lisa blogs about living with authenticity and purpose. Visit her at lisaebetz.com.  Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz Intentional Living.

Categories
The Intentional Writer

Why Do You Need a Concise Writing Ministry Statement?

The intentional writer

Why do you write? How does what you write benefit others? Have you identified the purpose or ministry of your writing efforts? If so, can you explain your writing ministry in a sentence or two?

Why is this important?

Imagine this scenario:  

An event planner asks the person beside you what they write about, and they reply:

I’m a breast cancer survivor, and I help families impacted by cancer to process their emotions in a healthy way through children’s stories, poems, and informational blog posts.

Next the planner turns to you and asks the same question. Your answer sounds something like this:

I blog about stuff like cancer, and how it affects families, and all the emotional junk that dealing with the disease can cause, and then I’ve also written some manuscripts for children about how it feels when their mommy or daddy has cancer. And I also have a collection of deeply emotional poems that I wrote when my sister was going through treatments for breast cancer.

If the event planner was looking for a speaker for her next event, which one would she choose?

That’s one benefit of crafting a clear and succinct writing ministry statement. Other valuable benefits include improved focus and clearer author branding. The clearer you are on why you write, who you’re writing for, and what you can do for them, the easier it will be to stay “on brand” and do what you do best.

How to craft a writing ministry statement

A ministry statement has several basic building blocks, which you bring together into a single sentence or two. I will cover some of these building blocks in more detail in future posts, but for now, here’s the basic format.

Some of these building blocks will easier for you to identify than others. That’s fine

Maybe you know the target audience you are called to write for, but you haven’t fine-tuned your message. Or maybe you understand your message loud and clear, but you need more clarity on your ideal target audience. Start with whatever part is clearest in your mind and work from there. The goal is to make an attempt at defining them, not to get it perfect.

Your Why, or your area of expertise.

What qualifies you to teach or advise in this area? What is the spark that causes you to care about this subject or the needs of this audience?

Don’t panic if you aren’t an expert! As in the example above, your “expertise” can be a life trauma you’ve gone through. Alternately, your “expertise” might be something you are passionate about, such as Civil War history, caring for infants, or making people laugh.

In my example, the expertise was being a cancer survivor. If you’ve survived cancer, then you know much more about that subject than anyone who hasn’t. That makes you an expert at surviving cancer.

The Who, your target audience

Who is your message for? Who will most benefit from what you write?

Consider your answer in terms of the needs they have that will draws them to your message.

In my example, the target audience is families that have been impacted by cancer. That is a broad audience in terms of things like age, but it is specific regarding the core issue: cancer.

What problems or pain points does your writing solve?

How does what you write help your audience? What does your target audience need that you can provide? Do you help them solve problems? Do you help them overcome pain in some way?

In my example, the families have emotions from the trauma of cancer that need to be processed. Another answer might be: children in the target audience need story books about loved ones facing cancer.

What is your message?

What is the core message that you want the world to know? The message that will come through whether you are writing poetry, children’s books, or how-to articles.

 If you’re not clear on this, I suggest you read this post on identifying your core message.

In my example, the message is providing emotional healing to families impacted by cancer.

What is the desired outcome?

Your target audience has a problem or pain point. Your writing will help them. How?

What solutions does your writing provide? What is the outcome you intend for them if they read and follow your message?

In my example, the outcome is learning how to process their emotions in healthy ways.

Putting it all together

Once you have identified all the pieces, you can combine them to create a succinct writing ministry statement. Here are several variations to work with.

Hi, I’m (name) and I’m a (establish expertise). I help (who) achieve (what) by (how) so they can (desired outcome).

I help (who) solve (problem/pain point) so they get (desired outcome) by providing (your message).

I am (area of expertise). I help (target audience) who experience (problem/pain point) to get (desired outcome).

I hope these tips will help you clarify your purpose and craft a concise writing ministry statement that will help you share your work with those who need to hear it.

Focus Keyphrase: Writing ministry statement

Meta Description

Creating a concise writing ministry statement can help you effectively to impact the audience God wants you to write for.

Lisa E Betz

Lisa E. Betz worked as an engineer, substitute teacher, and play director before becoming an award-winning mystery writer. She brings her analytical mind, quirky humor, and positive outlook to all she writes. She draws inspiration from thirty-five years of leading Bible studies to create entertaining mysteries set in the world of the early church, and then she fills that world with eccentric characters, independent females, and an occasional sausage-snatching cat. Her first novel, Death and a Crocodile, was recently awarded the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year.

In addition to writing novels, Lisa blogs about living with authenticity and purpose. Visit her at lisaebetz.com.  Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz Intentional Living.

Categories
Book Proposals

Every Book Proposal Needs A Target Audience

For decades, I’ve been an editor meeting with authors and reading their book submissions. Many of these submissions are missing a foundational element: a specific target audience. I’ve read numerous book proposals which proclaim, “My book is for everyone.”

While I’ve written and published many books for traditional publishers, I’d love to write a book for “everyone.” Yet that has never happened. If I am honest, no book is for everyone. Yes, some books reach a broad segment of the reading public, yet every successful writer has a specific target audience. There is an old saying,

“If you aim at nothing, you will be sure to hit it.”

Recently I received an excellent, well-crafted proposal from a business writer. She knew her target reader and was reaching this reader through her on-going marketing efforts (online and in print). While her concept and presentation was fresh and interesting, this author also knew how to test her audience and get feedback. From this testing data, she knew the concepts and stories in her book would meet a reader need. A

proposal where the writer has identified a primary, secondary and tertiary audience is including this foundational material that will attract attention from literary agents and publishers.

In contrast, I’ve also read a proposal from a children’s book author who picked a large age group for their target audience (3 to 12). From the target, I knew this writer had no concept of a particular reader and it showed throughout the pitch.

In particular, children’s books are a segmented market with the words and illustrations targeted to a specific audience. Just walk into any brick-and-mortar bookstore and take the time to study the children’s section. The sections and divisions are clearly marked and are segments every bookstore and library use to divide these books.

While your book may eventually reach more than one target, the proposal needs to be aimed and written to one audience. While literary agents and editors are looking for writers with a target, they also are looking for authors with the ability to reach their target audience. You can reach your target through social media but also an email list, magazine articles, regular speaking, and many other methods.

This audience connection is often called a platform and every writer (fiction or nonfiction) needs to be actively building their audience. I have a free ebook, Platform-Building Ideas for Every Author at: http://terrylinks.com/pb The identification of your audience is the foundation of every book proposal.

know your target

Imagine an archery target. You will have a primary audience (the bullseye) but you will have secondary readers as well (the other circles). The aim and focus of your proposal need to be your target reader. Follow this foundational proposal principle to make your submission standout.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. The revised and updated edition will release October 5th. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Categories
Kids Lit

How I Spent the Mesozoic Era

Kids Lit

Does it seem to take FOREVER to get a brilliant (they all are!) book published for kids? Even as a published author and an agent, months and yeas pass between burble of idea and book in hand.

The Idea

Somewhere between the Construction Equipment Phase and the Superhero Phase, the Dinosaurs roam. Kids are fascinated by the huge lumbering beasts. One theory is that small children, feeling powerless, imagine themselves as awe inspiring predators with gigantic teeth! Roar!

Boy and T-rex

The original inspiration for this story was in fall of 2014, when my youngest grandson was 3 years old and had many things on his mind to do with dinosaurs but few with getting dressed. James was in the dinosaur phase where he can’t pronounce “broccoli” but can say “Pachycephalosaurus” and correct my mispronunciation. He also owned dinosaur themed shirts, hats, socks, jackets, and underwear. And hundreds of plastic painful-to-step-on in-the-dark dinosaur figures.

So how about a book that empowers the child to feel the capabilities of the dinosaur channeled toward the mundane task of getting ready for the day?

The Writing/Editing

It was a brain burble that became first a badly rhyming text – what rhymes with Diplodocus? (Hopped aboard a bus? Was oozing green pus? Super-flu-i-us?). By 2016, I shared “Dressing a Dinosaur” 12-page board book with my critique group. They found things to improve in the 199-word manuscript – and that is why I appreciate them!

boy with stuffed dinosaur

A year of tweaking, renaming to How to Dress a Dinosaur and trimming to 181 words. They reviewed it in again in 2017 and thought Dinosaur was ready to roar.

In February 2019 I sent this manuscript to a critique service, and it received a “GO”!

The Publishing

On to my agent, which required a full proposal with marketing ideas, sales of earlier work, and comp titles – far more than 181 words. Luckily in the meantime no one else thought of this and wrote it!

how to dress a dinosaur cover

The Book

By March of 2022 I expect to celebrate 10 chewable pages of How to Dress a Dinosaur! (In a later article I’ll discuss the stages of preparing the world for this jungle shaking this even!)

Soooooo…

If you are counting, that is a total of 8 years for a board book! Take away: know your reader, edit, edit, edit, wait wait wait, but believe that the best ideas out there will find a home! Even if it seems to take longer than the Pleistocene era!

Robin Currie

Award winning author Robin Currie led children’s departments of Midwestern public libraries before being called midlife to ordained ministry. She has a special love for children’s literacy and Bible storytelling. She serves in Chicago area parishes and annually volunteers teaching English in developing countries. She and her husband actively grandparent 5 wonderful kids.

Robin has published seven library resource collections of creative ideas for library story times, and more than 20 Bible story books for children.

Categories
Platform and Branding

Many Interests. One Brand.

Platform and Branding

As you dive further into platform and branding it may be difficult to determine exactly what you want your brand to be. For instance, if you’ve written fiction but now you want to write nonfiction, knowing exactly how to brand yourself can be difficult.

Thankfully, it’s not as hard as you may think. With some careful thought and planning you can be a writer with many interests and one brand. Follow the three steps below to learn how.

Who Is Your Audience?

Your audience is you unique followers: the people who follow you because they love your content and want more of it. If you’ve built an audience around one genre or one target audience, how do you rebrand yourself as your interests grow? This can get tricky when it comes to branding or rebranding, but simply do your research: Know who’s following you.

We are much more adaptable than we realize.

Life is a journey and just as everyone else grows and changes, so do writers. Know your audience enough to know which of your interests they will benefit from and which projects they’ll jump on board with.

How? Research. Or literally ask. Post a question box on Instagram and see what answers you get!

Lead Your Audience

Once you know who your audience is, their likes, dislikes, and why they’re following you, you are better equipped to know how to lead them.

If your audience is made up of a loyal fan base who fell in love with your first middle grade book, its sequel, and the third installment, and suddenly you want to transition to writing cookbooks, they might have a learning curve. Understand this, and move forward accordingly. It may take you a little more time, but move forward with purpose and lead them into your new interests.

Show Your Audience The Full Aspect Of Who You Are

Creatives often have diverse interests. Don’t allow your online presence to hold you back offline. Yes, your online presence is a powerful tool when used rightly, but don’t let a free app on your phone hinder your creative potential.

If you have a large following on your fashion blog and Pinterest but want to try your hand at writing a novel, go for it.

Life is short.

 It’s important to steward the talents we’ve been given and pursue excellence. While you may lose some of your audience, you will likely grow in other capacities (whether that’s your social media numbers, or as an individual).

As you move into the next stage of your personal branding journey, be cautious but be bold. The creative world is constantly evolving. Grow with it. Take your writing interests to the next level. Rebrand. Revamp. Present fresh content in a new way.

And remember, you’re more than a social media following or a singular interest. You are a person who grows and changes.

Enjoy the process!

Sarah Rexford

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.

Instagram: @sarahjrexford
Twitter: @sarahjrexford
Web: itssarahrexford.com

Categories
Marketing Sense

A Vague Marketing Message Stunts Your Growth

Marketing sense

Consider the following answer to “What do you do?“:

“We’re a women empowerment company. We facilitate courses and events to expand entrepreneurs and corporate leaders through education.”

This marketing message is so vague that it’s useless.

Let’s Dissect This Answer Phrase-By-Phrase, Shall We, Not to Ridicule the Writer, But to Learn from Their Example

What is a “women empowerment company”? Could the writer mean, “We empower women?” That’s more direct, it’s result-oriented, and it tells us who they serve without requiring us to stop and decipher the unfamiliar phrase used in the original.

“We facilitate courses and events.” The definition for facilitate is to, “make [something] easier,” or, “to assist the process of (a person).” Making a blind leap from “assisting” to “teaching” here, do they create and present their own courses, invite teachers outside their company to present to their clients, or something else? And do they plan and host events, or present their own?

We don’t know because the mysterious description doesn’t tell us.

“…to expand entrepreneurs and corporate leaders…” Hmmm…most of the professionals I know don’t want to “expand” themselves. Do you?

Entrepreneurs and corporate leaders want to learn how to do XYZ so they can keep more profits, hire better qualified employees, create and grow a YouTube channel, improve their marketing message, or any of a billion possibilities, but they don’t want to expand the way the writer uses the word.

“…through education.” Aha! Now we’re getting somewhere! But we still don’t know what topics they teach (or, as mentioned above, whether they do the teaching, or an outside company does). Sigh.

Let’s Look at the Description Again and Give the Company a Fictitious Name: Women, Inc.

“Women, Inc., is a women empowerment company. We facilitate courses and events to expand entrepreneurs and corporate leaders through education.”

How Can We Untangle This Mess and Turn It into an Effective Marketing Message?

Since we’re not given many concrete concepts, we’ll have to fill in the blanks ourselves, by guessing. The one thing Women, Inc. clearly communicates: they serve female entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. Gotcha.

But wait. That could be misinterpreted. Some might not realize that ALL of Women, Inc.’s clients are female, so let’s change that phrase to, “female business leaders and owners,” since the word, “business” is commonly understood to apply to both “leaders” and “owners.”

What problem(s) does Women, Inc. help their audience solve? Since we’re not given a single hint, we must concoct one: stagnant profits due to a lack of company focus.

What’s their process? Education via courses and events.

What result does Women, Inc. promise? Development of mission, vision, and values statements. Ideally, these will become each company’s blueprint for future growth, investing, hiring, and marketing, all of which result in higher profits.

Turn that around to put the juiciest benefit at the beginning and we get…

Women, Inc. allows female business leaders and owners to enjoy higher profits by developing their company’s three most powerful guiding principles.

Notice that this doesn’t answer every potential question. It’s supposed to attract the audience Women, Inc. was created to serve—to start a two-way conversation—if it does that, it’s done its job.

There’s more than one way to communicate this same concept, and each may be perfect. The fun—and frustration—of marketing is that you get to choose what to say and how to say it.

Though this example focused on a fictional company, the process is the same for every marketer.

Do YOUR Readers Have to Guess How Your Writing or Speaking Will Improve Their Lives?

The burden is on you to succinctly explain what your book or presentation is about, and the practical benefits it offers those who apply it.

I’ve been a marketing coach for over 20 years, and no one, including me, gets it right the first time. Give yourself permission to develop an uber-clear marketing message that includes 1) who you serve (specifically!), 2) their problem (as it relates to your expertise). 3) your process (the method used to solve their problem), and 4) their practical result (if they apply your message).

Tinker with it, set it aside, and come back to it as often as necessary. It takes a bit of persistence and brain power, but it’s oh, so worth it. Ask Christ to help you, for He is the perfect marketer and after all, He knows exactly how He wants you to communicate with your audience.

Your target market will now know—at a glance—that you’re the one who can help them. Adjust anything in your content, on your website, or your social media that needs to match your new, focused marketing message, and your business or ministry will finally begin to grow!

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Categories
Guest Posts

Picking the Best Book Cover for Your Next Hit

Guest posts

Most people judge a book by its cover. You put years of your work into a book. Therefore, it deserves a cover that does justice with the story you put into it. The cover of a book should be designed to pique the reader’s interest in an instant. The blurb on the back should draw the reader into opening the book and reading what’s inside.

This indicates the cover of your book has to be stunning. It should not only intrigue the readers but also complements the content. If you have finished your book, now is the time to choose the right cover for it. If you are worried that you might end up making the wrong decision, this article is for you.

Today we are going to share some tips with you that help you choose a winning cover for your book. So without further ado, let’s get to the details.

Tips for choosing the right cover for your book:

There are various ways to ensure that your book cover not only stands out but also does justice to the story. Some of them include:

1. Get inspired:

Get inspired with what sells. Go to your favorite bookstore and explore shelf after shelf. Take a pen and notebook with you. Flick through covers and note down what attracts you. More importantly, go through the cover of those books that your intended readers love. Choose those elements that make the covers of these books unique.

Look for the design elements that go with your story:

Go to the bookshelf you want your book to be displayed on and use your designer eye candy to look for the elements that make it stand out. Go through the latest releases to learn about the latest trends in designs and technologies. Design a book cover that goes with pop culture.

Bring innovation by comparing your genre with others:

Most of the books that belong to the same genre have similar book covers. Although main features depend upon the story but most of the time similar colors are used. It’s similar to how different brands use color schemes to craft their identity. However, there is no harm in bringing innovation to your book cover. To make that happen, you should compare your genre with others.

Explore other genres as well. For example, the covers of fantasy books are a mixture of photography and illustration. Crimes thriller covers are often only photographic. Moreover, titles of fantasy books are heavily stylized. On the contrary crime book, covers have crisp san serif fonts.

Explore sub-genres:

You can also explore sub-genres to get more creative ideas. Also, keep the latest design trends in mind. For example, the covers of modern, dark fantasy books are composed of highly realistic illustrations of photography, whereas the traditional ones mostly contain paintings. Some crime mystery novels have illustrated covers.

Keep your target readers in mind:

While choosing a cover for your book, you should also keep the age of the target audience in mind. If your target audience is young children painted cover with an illustrated character will do. One of the best examples is the different design covers of Harry Potter books for children and adults.

Don’t forget the competition winners:

The winners of recent cover design competitions also serve as a great source of inspiration for your book’s cover design. You can also look through the personal lists created by professionals or avid readers of your genre.

Keep the best-sellers within and outside your genre in mind:

Don’t forget the best sellers while adapting to the recent design trends. If you have written something similar to an old bestseller choose an older cover style to go with. To conclude, the cover design of your book should represent its heart and soul. It should suit your story and hook your intended segment of readers.

2. Discover the tone of your book:

Digging deep into the genre helps. However, you need to go a step further to create a cover design that conveys the emotion of your story. You need to identify the overarching feel of your story and the sentiment your story is written to put across.

It might be hard to find the tone of the story. However, once you figure it out, it gets easier to communicate what you want through the cover of your book. You can translate this tone into a visual form and design a stunning and meaningful cover for your book.

3. Look for the right designer to create a cover for your book:

Make a list of your favorite book covers. Choose the ones similar to what you want your book cover to look like. Look up the designers of the book covers you like. Find their website and have a look at their portfolio. Check out their previous work and understand how their design process goes. If you have a publishing house contract, it is part of the publisher’s job to find you a designer. However, to make it a success, you need to actively involve in the process.

4. Keep it simple:

Minimalism is all the rage when it comes to design trends. If you look at some of the best book cover designs, you will find them minimal. However, going for a minimal book design doesn’t mean you have to be boring.

You need to work towards achieving a simple design that is unique in every aspect and effectively conveys the emotion of the story.

5. Your book cover should be thumbnail friendly:

With the advent of technology, reading habits have changed. People interact with book covers differently than they used to. People read e-book more than hardcover. They also shop for books online. Therefore, it is important to create book covers that turn out to be good thumbnail images.

Creating a thumbnail cover requires a minimal design with contrasting colors and fairly large text. The image file should also be of the right size and resolution. It shouldn’t stretch and display correctly on the screen.

6. Go with a step by step approach:

Your story goes through multiple drafts before it takes its final form. The same goes for a book cover. Once you have figured out the basic features of your book cover design, you should consider various design options. Select the option that closely meets how you want your book cover to look and keep tweaking the design until you get what you need.

Emphasize important design elements. Experiment with abstract or realistic design options to make your book cover stand out.

7. It’s time to test your design:

Once you have the final cover design options ready, you need to share them with the world. Get opinions from everyone you know, specifically your intended segment of readers. Request them to choose their favorite out of the final design options. Also, take the design critique seriously. Keep track of the features they like and dislike about your cover design.

Wrapping up!

It takes years to write a book. You put your heart and soul into it and do your best to make sure it makes it to the list of best sellers. However, what most writers don’t realize is it takes much more than a compelling story to captivate your intended audience.

The cover of a book is the first thing that compels readers to pick up a book and start reading it. Therefore, it has to be a classic one. There are various things you can do that ensure that the cover of the book effectively conveys its emotions, personality, and tone. By following the above-mentioned tips you can ensure that your book stands out from the rest.

Elice Max is a A marketing professional with seven years in the industry. Mostly interested in personal branding and emerging trends. Mom to two humans and one Persian cat.

Categories
Guest Posts

How Authors Can Market a Book with No Budget

The biggest misconception that most authors have is that they need to have hundreds or thousands of dollars to market their work. This is not true. Spending a lot of money on marketing is not a guarantee that people will buy your book. In our world today, there are lots of opportunities for authors to connect with their readers and make more sales.

You need not be a marketing expert to connect with your audience. Marketing is all about connecting with people who share similar interests with you. With this fact in mind, marketing becomes a simple puzzle. The best thing about marketing is you can connect with anyone in the world. If you don’t have enough money to market your book, here are a few tips that will help you make rapid progress.

1. Start immediately

Don’t wait to complete your book to start marketing it. If you do, it might be too late. When you start marketing the book while writing it, you’ll have enough time to build relationships and bond with your readers. According to best custom essay, connecting with your readers will help you know their needs and expectations. You can also put yourself in their shoes while writing the book. Knowing your target market and their interests in advance will make it easier for you to market the book.

2. Focus on a few promotions

To market your book effectively, you need to pick a few promotions and focus on them. When you spread yourself too thin, you’ll have a hard time marketing your book effectively. Focus is a key ingredient of success. Picking lots of promotions will not only affect your performance but also lead to stress and anxiety.

3. Small audiences are great

When you compare yourself to famous writers, you might think that you have a small audience. However, a small audience is good. Remember, we all start with nothing. According to essay writing service, every person who signs up or buys a book plays an important role in your success. You should treat them like royalty. Find out where they buy their books, how they find new books, and which blogs they visit frequently to name a few. A small audience will help you discover more details and insights that will help you reach other people.

4. Make plans

Don’t just throw everything together and expect great results. You need to think things through before acting. Think about your goals and how your book can help you accomplish them. Create a clear strategy that will help you reach your destination. People who write down their plans and goals are 42 percent more likely to realize them.

No matter how small your budget is, the one thing you should do to make your book a success is to invest in time. Set aside at least two to three hours every week to focus on your book and marketing.

5. Know your reader

I cannot emphasize enough on the importance of knowing your ideal reader. When you write your book with your ideal reader in mind, marketing will be a simple puzzle to solve. Remember, you are not writing for yourself but for your readers. As assignment writing service reports, failing to know your ideal reader will make marketing extremely difficult. No reader wants to invest in a book that he or she will never read.

6. Focus on opportunities in your area

In most cases, writers tend to focus on the big opportunities that they’ll find in cities and international libraries whilst ignoring their own backyard. There are lots of opportunities around you that will help you generate money without having to spend a fortune. Think of the local bookstores, libraries, schools, festivals, breakfast, and literary organizations around you. These institutions will not only provide local support but also help you connect with other bigger merchants.

7. Contact publications and local news outlets

Writers often overlook local news when it comes to attracting the attention of the public. This is the best place for writers to start if they want their efforts to pay off in the long run. A Google search will help you get contact info for the local newspapers, talk shows, websites, and blogs to name a few. Remember to look at their requirements before making your submission.

8. Use your hobbies

How do you spend your free time? Do you draw, knit, garden or paint? You can use your hobbies to connect with other people. According to the essay writers, the more people you connect with; the more people will be aware of your work.

9. Create amazing visuals

Human beings are visual creatures. We all love looking at beautiful pictures. The first thing people look at before buying a book is the cover. A great book with poorly designed visuals will not sell. You need to take your time to design a book cover and your posters to market your book easily. Apps such as Adobe Spark will make your work easy. And the best part is, most of these great apps are free!

10. Don’t forget family and friends

One of the biggest challenges most writers encounter is getting book reviews, particularly on Amazon. Your family and friends can help you with this. Most of the time, our loved ones are ready and willing to help. However, they have no idea what they should do. Give them a copy of your book and ask them to review it.

11. Connect with other authors

According to custom essay help, you shouldn’t see other authors as the competition but allies. Connecting with other authors will allow you to get mentored and also promote your work. You can help each other progress and grow your audience.

Conclusion

Effective marketing is all about creativity. You need to know the strategies that other successful authors are using and adapt them to get similar results. Always start simple. Start by knowing your ideal reader and using the opportunities in your own backyard. In the end, your book will sell without having to spend a fortune.

“Kurt Walker is a skilled freelancer and editor at a professional writer service and resume writer review service in London. He is one of the many UK essay writers specialized in essay writing and assignment help. In his spare time, Kurt plays the guitar and takes his dog Shay for a walk.”

Categories
Book Proposals

Why Every Author Needs A Proposal—Even If You Self-publish

A New Year always brings a chance to start over and begin in a new direction. This year (2020) is especially different because everyone begins a new decade. Self-publishing is growing in leaps and bounds with 1.6 million self-published books last year. What is often NOT said about these books is that on average they sell 100-200 copies during the lifetime of the book.         

            Many people wrongly assume book proposals are only written to find a literary agent and go the traditional publishing route. From my experience after years in publishing, every author needs to create a book proposal—whether they are writing fiction or nonfiction—whether they are going to a traditional publisher or going to self-publish.

            I understand self-publishing is throughout the publishing community. Authors can take action with no screening or review process. Nor do you have to create a book proposal or find a literary agent. Yet the average self-published book is competing for attention with thousands of other authors. Penny Sansevieri, CEO and Founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. in San Diego, said, “Remember there are over 4,500 new books published every day.” She got this number from several sources including R.R. Bowker (that issue ISBNs for books).

            Even if you self-publish, you need a book proposal to create the business plan for your book. As you write the various proposal elements, you will pinpoint the audience for your book, your marketing strategy how you will reach them, and why you are the best to write such a book. There are more details to a proposal included in my free Book Proposal Checklist. I write about this aspect in much more detail in my new book, 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed. In fact, self-publishing is one of my chapters in the book: Myth: Self Publishing Is the Best Way to Get My Book Out into the Market. You can get a taste of the book and the 11th Publishing Myth (not in the book) at this link.   

Many writers resist the hard work to craft an excellent proposal. I’ve written many proposals and understand the hard work that goes into creating each one. When completed, you will have a solid plan for your book and a path to success. If you do the work, you will be equipped with your plan to write and sell your book to a specific hungry audience.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. He answers to your proposal questions at: www.AskAboutProposals.com.

Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Categories
Embrace the Wait

Survival Tips for the Waiting part of Writing Tip 3—Villages and Tribes

Some movie scenes brand your brain with a message that never fades. One such scene, from The End of the Spear, is locked away in my mind forever. If you haven’t seen this film, I highly recommend it. It’s the true story about a group of missionaries in Ecuador who set out to reach the violent Auca Indian tribe with the message of the Gospel. Shockingly, when all the men in the missionary group are killed, their grieving wives and children boldly decide to move into the Auca camp to continue God’s work.

I can’t imagine taking such a risk alone, much less towing my young children with me into the ultimate danger zone. But God worked through these ladies’ stubborn faith to reach a lost group of people with His saving grace. Although faith was the door by which they entered into God’s plan, once in, these brave women had to learn the Auca language, adapt to their way of life, navigate the dos and don’ts of the culture, and most of all they had to prove their sincerity to win the Auca’s trust.

Our God given calling to write is a missionary field of its own. We enter by faith, but then are required to do the hard work needed to see it through. We must learn the cryptic language of the industry, adapt to a writer’s way of life, navigate the ever changing culture of publishing, and win the trust of agents and editors to gain a hearing for our message. As we do this we become part of the village that makes up our writing community. And it truly takes a village to raise our book-babies to maturity.

Trust me—I’m an introvert. If becoming a published author could be done lone ranger style I would gladly do it from the comfort of my writing desk while sipping a caramel latte and wearing my fuzzy slippers. But I’m learning that without the help of this village of mentors, teachers, supporters, prayer warriors, and encouragers the writing life can become an endless stream of untried thoughts and unrealized potential. How sad is that!

Writing conferences, critique groups, online writing courses, and social media groups are perfect opportunities to become one with fellow villagers. Yes—these things take time, effort, risk, and investment. And at times the process of becoming an integral part of the writing community seems overwhelming. But no obstacle is too difficult for God, who has called us to this shared journey. As we step out in faith He will build our village around us and use it to refine both writer and writing.

While our village is forming, we also need to cultivate our tribe. Our tribe are those for whom we write—our target audience. When all is said and done, our message will need an outlet. No matter how profound the thought or how perfect the style, our words will accomplish nothing if only crickets hear them. The good news is that God already had our tribe in mind when he gave us the words to write. His gifts are never bestowed so that we can squander them for our own pleasure. They are always given so that He can use the gifts to glorify Himself.  

Our job is to recognize our tribe and develop meaningful and sincere relationships with them through every possible means. This can be tricky because it’s not formulaic. Sure, we should learn how to market ourselves and take advantage of the tried-and-true techniques to increase our platform numbers. But people are smart. Most can see right through an author who only wants to gain their trust to sell their latest book. People long for connections with others who care about them. And if anyone should care about our readers, we should. This gets straight to the heart of the matter, doesn’t it? I’ve had to do some serious self-examination on this one. What’s my motive? Do I care about those who will be reading my writing, or do I simply want their help to succeed as an author? There is a difference. And that difference won’t only determine the longevity and loyalty of our readers but also the effectiveness of our ministry.

Books will come and go and our mission may change from season to season, but if we do the foundational work required to grow our villages and tribes our impact will be far reaching.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Proverbs 27:17, Romans 11:29, 1 Peter 4:10

Fun Fact: Dr. Seuss’s first book, “And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” was rejected so many times by publishers that he had decided to give up on writing and burn the manuscript. That same day he bumped into a friend from college, who had just taken a job at Vanguard Press as children’s editor. A few hours later the book was signed, and the rest is history.

Annette Marie Griffin is a award-winning writer who speaks at local women’s group meetings and women’s retreats on the topic of biblical womanhood and finding our identity in Christ. She is the Operations and Events Coordinator at a private school for special needs students and is the editor of their quarterly newsletter. She has written custom curriculum for women’s retreats and children’s church curriculum for Gateway Church in San Antonio, Texas where she served as Children’s Ministry Director and Family Program Director for over twenty years. She and her husband John have five amazing children and two adorable grands. She’s a member of Word Weavers International, ACFW, SCBWI, and serves on the Board of Directors for The Creative Writing Institute.

Categories
Screenwriting

Genre

When I first started pursuing a career as a writer of the screenplays and began learning the craft, I learned that the first rule is to know your audience. And this isn’t just for screenwriting; it’s across the board for all writers, because, ultimately that is who we are writing for.

Knowing our audience helps us determine what we want to say and how we’re going to say it. We may not know the details of the narrative or how it will play out, but we can determine what we want to say.

Your theme or takeaway will be your message to your target audience. To help decide who you want to write to, look around at the world and pay attention to what is going on. There are so many possibilities with the new year; people are looking for fresh starts and new adventures.

People are looking for different things; our job as writers is to provide new adventures and new messages. In film different messages and narratives are divided into many genres. For the sake of this post, I will briefly discuss the top seven of 2018.

  • Action- $3,936,789,020 via 55 movies
  • Adventure- $2,776,858,544 via 38 movies
  • Drama- $1,571,656,896 via 261 movies
  • Horror- $875,245,579 via 33 movies
  • Comedy- $771,190,520 via 71 movies
  • Thriller/Suspense- $617,768,392 via 55 movies
  • Musical- $309,165,560 via 8 movies
  • Romantic Comedy- $240,993,609 via 15 movies[i]

The general rule in screenwriting is for the writer to establish the genre of the film of the screenplay in the first 10 pages. That way the reader, studio, execs or whoever the first audience is will understand the kind of film or genre it is.

GENRES?

The word genre comes from a 19th-century French word that means, “a kind.” It’s also where we get our word gender from. The idea here is rather simple. Genres are different kinds of films that contain similar structures, themes, and characteristics.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to genres, subgenres, and hybrid genres. Robert McKee wisely notes, “You must not only respect but master your genre and its conventions. Never assume that because you’ve seen the films in your genre you know it. “[ii]

McKee notes six primary genres not necessarily in this order. [iii]

  1. Maturation Plot Big
  2. Westerns Butch Cassidy
  3. Modern Epic Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
  4. Horror Nightmare On Elm Street
  5. War Story Saving Private Ryan
  6. Love Story A Very Long Engagement 

There are always multiple combinations or subgenres of each of these and it’s common for them to overlap. For instance, the last movie listed above is a romantic story set in war times. But the romantic theme of love never gives up is the ultimate theme of the film.

By the end of the film, it is clear that undying love is the heart of director and screenwriter Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s message. It is a love story from the first scene until the end.

The Heart of it All!

Throughout this year we’ll explore a few of these different genres from time to time. But we must never forget that regardless of the genre, what we want to say to our audience through the basics I discussed last year:

  • Action
  • Character
  • Setting
  • Plot

That is the heart of our narrative and will determine our genre.

[i] https://www.the-numbers.com/market/2018/genres

[ii] McKee R. (1997).  Story: Substance, Structure, Style, And The Principle of Screenwriting (Kindle edition) pg 89.

[iii] McKee R. (1997).  Story: Substance, Structure, Style, And The Principle of Screenwriting (Kindle edition) pg 80-81.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Truamatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Child's Craft

Is the Story Middle Grade or YA?

A Quick Look at the Two

Middle Grade:

Age of readers: 8 to 12 or 13

Length of books: 30,000 to 50,000 words

Content restrictions: No profanity, graphic violence or sex

Age of the Main Character: usually 12 or 13

Focus of the Main Character: friends, family, school, the immediate world and relationships.

Voice: usually third person

Young Adult:

Age of readers: usually 14 to 18

Length of books: 50,000 to 75,000 words

Content restrictions: Profanity, graphic violence, romance and sexuality are allowed if pertinent to the story.

Age of the Main Character: usually 14 or 15 for younger YA books, 17 or 18 (but still in High School) for older YA books.

Focus of the themes: YA MCs discover how they fit into the big world outside their family, friends and school.

Voice: usually first person

Ask Yourself The following Questions:

(Do this BEFORE you get into writing the manuscript.)

How old is the Main Character of the story?

9 to 12 years old means the story is for Middle Grade students. 14 to 18 means the story is for a YA audience. Avoid a 13 year-old Main Character.

What kind of strong language does the book contain?

Middle Grade books stay away from cursing. Some publishers allow peripheral characters like parents or coaches to do mild cursing a little. Words like “darn” are permitted.

If the Main Character and or their friends use profanity or sexually explicit words the book is for Young Adults. But publishers insist that the profanity serves a purpose, that it is critical to the character or to the voice. They don’t want profanity just for the sake of making a book edgy.

How graphic and how frequent is violence in the  book?

Often General Market publishers follow the same guidelines for violence as the ratings for movies and TV programming. Some Christian Market publishers allow more violence than others.

CHECK AND FOLLOW THE PUBLISHER’S GUIDELINES EXACTLY.

If you choose to add profanity or violence to the story remember that much less is allowed in Middle Grade books than in Young Adult books. That means much less violent, much less gory, much less frequently. Often the violence is reserved for the end, the last battle or the darkest moment in a Middle Grade book.

How much, and what kind of romance is in the story?

A crush, some hand-holding, a lot of blushing and embarrassment and maybe a peck on the cheek means the book is for Middle Grade.

If the Main Character (and others) are “in love,” have sexual contact or talk about sex, experience making out, real kissing or more, the book is for Young Adults. Even if these topics are not committed but are strongly hinted at, discussed or imagined, the book is for Young Adults.

How does the main character experience and interpret life and the world?

If the story centers around home, family, school, friends the Main Character probably experiences the story and their personal changes internally. That is typical of a Middle Grade book. The characters change but stay within the confines of their smaller world. They are just beginning a journey into seeing life a different way. They experience the events of the story, but aren’t especially aware of what they are feeling and why. They are not really analyzing life.

If the Main Character’s world expands during the story so that they start questioning and thinking about their place in the bigger world beyond home, family, school and friends the story is for Young Adults. The Main Character is experiencing the world externally and beginning a journey to find their place in the bigger world and see life differently. They tend to be introspective and analytical about their experience and how it affects their life.

Jean Hall lives in Louisville, Kentucky. She is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary. Her premier picture book series Four Seasons was recently signed by Little Lamb Books. Jean is a member of the SCBWI, Word Weavers International, and the Kentucky Christian Writers. Visit Jean at www.jeanmatthewhall.com, on Facebook at Jean Matthew Hall, and on Twitter as @Jean_Hall.

Categories
Specs: Speculative Fiction

3-Step Plan for A SPEC-tacular Audience

3-Step Plan for A SPEC-tacular Audience

By now you have already noticed the play on words, and I’ll admit…It is certainly dreadful. But perhaps you’ve seen past it and have realized: this post holds the secrets to gaining an audience and achieving your wildest dreams!

Well…sort of. I mean, I’m not an expert on the subject, but this is what I’ve been learning, and I think it’ll make sense to you like it did me. Sure, it’s a little difficult, but I’ve discovered the three “secret” steps to successfully gaining an audience.

Oh...the humble beginning.
Oh…the humble beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 1 Aim for the Tribe
Identify your audience. Ask yourself:

“What kind of content do you make? And who would be interested in it?”

“Well I’m glad you asked, Kaz! On my YouTube channel, humor and a slice of life—especially for those who enjoy clever banter and proper etiquette. I write speculative fiction—both cyberpunk and industrial fantasy. I’ve found that people who enjoy reading it are, in fact, also fans of witty conversation and the high moral ground.”

monocle-155626_960_720

Step 2 Enter the Village
The Audience is an incredible group of people, and these smart individuals hold a lot of power. However…there are some things we cannot expect them to do. Find us, for example. The interwebs are sprawling. How can you get your target audience to notice you hiding in the bushes? Of a very dense jungle? With a pilot who is even now betraying you? (Maybe that’s just me.)

[bctt tweet=”How to build an audience: Be where your audience is, Be heard, Be prepared for their appearance. ” username=””]

  • Be where your audience is. You may have thought the jungle was a one-time metaphor, but Oh no! Here it is again. If you have something that you think a certain tribe needs, you will go to them, to their…jungle gym, if you will, and spend time with them. You certainly wouldn’t want to be viewed as a traveling salesmen, but if you cultivate relationships, become a useful part of the community, your ideal audience will eventually know you.

 

  • Be heard. In the real world, (because jungles don’t exist in the real world) you should frequent blogs they like. Comment regularly. Ask questions. Perhaps, once you are at least an acquaintance, ask the blogger to do a guest post for you. Their followers, then, may visit your virtual establishment. Build a great body of content first, and have enough of it ready to go that you can impress anyone you approach and pitch.

 

  • Be prepared for their appearance. When they visit you, that is your primary opportunity to offer them something they’ll enjoy. If, in this jungle, someone stopped by my dugout, I would welcome them with a tray of hors d’oeuvres and a spot of tea. How daft would it be to say, “Come in and sit down, but I’ve got nothing, man. Nothing. Can I interest you in…a spoonful of peanut butter?” (I jest. Peanut butter would be delicacy in the jungle.) My point here is, have something to offer. Content, people. Content them with your content.

rustic-334080_960_720

Invest in your real estate.

I mentioned my dugout before. But know this. I intend to have a nice place in the jungle. There shall be landscaping. There shall be real chairs. To accomplish this, I need to spend jungle currency. (Earning and saving it is another matter entirely.) The point is, I have to spend money. Investing in your virtual presence will work. Pay for your domain name. Dress it up. Place an ad, boost a post on social media. Have snazzy business cards. You don’t need to lay out a fortune to accomplish this. Setting aside $50 here and there at key moments will do the trick.

Request an audience with the village leaders.

There are some people who have pull in this grand village. Your target audience knows them, loves them, and follows their lead. Learn the village hierarchy, and spend time being a learner. You’re not there to push your agenda. You’re there to learn from the masters. They have achieved what you have not. I have found that it is best to approach them humbly, as pupils. (Not the eye kind.) In time, the relationship may evolve from master/pupil to wise colleague/well-respected amateur. One can go places from there. At that point, you can ask whether they might be willing to mention you, share your posts, use their influence on your behalf. You will not have simply used them; you will have built a relationship with them.

And that is something that can last whether your career is ultimately successful or not.

A Gent who's been at this a long time.
A Gent who’s been at this a long time.

“Has anyone given these a shot? If so how’d it go? Add your experience to the comments below.”

      (I found this rhyme carved into a rock wall in the village’s “Magic cave.” Is it a prophecy? Will folks actually comment on my post!)

Thanks to: ClkerFreeVectorImages, for the edited photo of Specs. And thanks to: Wikipedia , Graham Campbell, OpenClipartVectors, and rebel68, for the unedited images.

Categories
Publishing Perspectives

Describing the Ideal Reader

Publishing Perspectives column

In last month’s column, I mentioned that an item of an Author’s Questionnaire from a publisher is the request to describe the ideal reader or target audience for your book. And no, your book is not targeted to “everyone.” And no, don’t assume your reader is just like you and describe yourself.

The publisher will use this description to market the book more efficiently. For example, the details will help them create an ad set on social media, or generate keywords for search engines.

Reader ProfileSo what kind of information is the publisher looking for? It’s a bit like a profile you would see on a crime TV show. Especially if you’ve ever watched “Criminal Minds” because they talk more about habits and behavior than just the physical traits of the unsub (unknown subject, the bad guy). To make it less creepy, let’s instead consider a social media profile. I’m looking at my Facebook profile as I write this. Facebook has your profile divided into sections: Overview, Work and Education, Places You’ve lived, Contact and Basic Info, Family and Relationships, Details About You, and Life Events. Those sound like pretty good categories, so write those down on a piece of paper.

For each of these categories, think in the abstract. Think of the perfect reader. If you could only sell this book to exactly one person, what kind of person would that be so that they would give it the most outstanding review? What kind of person is the best possible match to be a fan of this book?

Many readers want to identify with, or connect with, the main character(s). So think of your hero and heroine. What kind of person would be their BFF? Remember, a BFF isn’t necessarily a clone. Your ideal reader will match this profile in every aspect, but real readers will only partially match. But it gives the publisher an idea of how to find communities of people that are more likely to have that partial match. For example, ideal readers of Amish fiction are probably people who love the idea of a less technological life.

Work and Education:

We don’t need a list of actual schools. Are your main characters in high school? College? Never went to school? An ideal reader doesn’t have to match the education level of the main character; they just have to enjoy the idea of being in high school or college, etc. Someone who hated high school is less likely to be an ideal reader of books with high-school-aged characters.

We don’t need a resume for the work experience aspect. Is the main character working their first summer job in high school? First job after college? Established career? Retired? What kind of career: science? Technology? Arts? Homemaker? Your ideal reader will have a similar background or think positively of that background so that they more easily identify with the character. Main characters who spout technical jargon constantly may be of less interest to the reader who holds a Fine Arts degree. Farmer characters may be of less interest to those who have a PhD in Computer Science. But again, perhaps that PhD person has a vegetable garden and dreams of getting away to a dude ranch for vacation. So, the way you’ll phrase this characteristic is “those who work in or have an interest in blah-blah.”

Places the Ideal Reader has Lived:

No, we don’t really need a list of actual cities, unless those cities are featured in the story. But think about it in general. Is your story set in a rural area? A small town? A large city? What country is the story set in? Is the story setting a specific locale/county/state/province? The ideal reader will live in a similar place, wishes they lived in a similar place, or wants to vacation in a similar place. Make note of any real locations used in the book; the publisher may want to market the book to stores and tourist attractions in that area.

Contact and Basic Info:

If you happen to have a mailing list of specific people who will enjoy receiving an advertisement about your book, your publisher would probably like to know about it. Failing that detailed contact information, let’s talk basic demographics. Is the ideal reader male or female? In general, romances are aimed at female audiences, and thrillers are aimed more at men. I do know a highly-educated man in his 70s who only reads Regency Romance, but that can’t be a common thing. So unless you can present a strong argument why your book would attract a non-traditional audience yet still belong in a particular genre, go with the stereotype.

The age of the ideal reader may have a connection to the age of the main characters. Until recently, Young Adult titles were only read by teenagers. But they are currently attractive to readers in their 20s, 30s, and even 40s. Hollywood adaptations of books has a lot to do with this. Women’s Fiction is typically aimed at the 30+ crowd, etc. Think about your main character. Would their BFF be a teenager? A 20-something? 30-something? 40-something? Etc. So while readers in other age groups may be fans of the book, write down the decade of the reader who would be the BFF. If you really, really can’t narrow it down to one decade, then at least select the generation (Baby boomer, Generation X, Millennials, etc) that is the closest match.

Language is another basic data point, especially if you have a character who routinely injects words from a different language than the rest of the text. For example, if you have a main character who grew up speaking Spanish and uses Spanish frequently in dialog along with English, then the publisher would like to know that bilingual readers could be a special area of marketing.

Ethnic affinity or nationality of the main characters (and thus the ideal reader) may be important to the publisher who targets a minority population.

Family and Relationships:

Your readers want to identify with the main characters, so are we looking for only-children? The oldest of 11 kids? Those who grew up in a single-parent family? Those who are estranged from whatever family they have?

What is the relationship of the main characters in the story? If the main characters are married at the start of the story, then the book can’t be marketed as Romance but has to be Women’s Fiction instead. If they are friends or co-workers but falling in love is not the point of the story, then the plot better have enough action to class the novel as a thriller or suspense or mystery.

Details About the Ideal Reader:

If the above categories seemed difficult, hang on to your hat because this one is harder.

Given the story line, is your ideal reader more likely to be politically or culturally conservative, moderate, or liberal? Are they active in any particular causes (that are important to the book)? Does the ideal reader attend a specific denomination of church?

What interests, hobbies, sports, and activities are important to your main characters (especially if they are in the book)?

Life Events:

Are there any specific life events that your ideal reader should identify with? For example, is it important to the story that your reader got engaged in the last 12 months? If so, your publisher can rent a mailing list of people newly engaged and send them an advertisement… yeah… the list development people know a bunch of scary details about you.

Overview:

Let’s sum up. This is where a cop would say “We’re looking for a married female in her 30s, with more than one child, who is socially and politically conservative, enjoys living near or frequently visiting a large city, and is interested in urban gardening.”

Come back next month to learn more about keywords and BISAC categories!

Let’s practice… leave a comment with your suggestion for an ideal reader for a book you read recently, and tell us what book it is!