Your book readers are critical to your success as an author. So you better know them inside out or you are not going to be successful. I know this is a bold statement but it’s true!
As a publisher I always ask my potential authors if they know who will buy and read their book. Almost all of them say “I believe that everyone could enjoy reading my book.” Wrong! It would be lovely if everyone would buy and love your book but that doesn’t happen even for a bestselling author. People have very definitive tastes in book topics and writing styles. You can’t possibly appeal to all of them and it would be a waste of your time to try target the entire world.
Defining your target reader is the most important thing you can do before creating your marketing plan. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about social media , PR or advertising – if you don’t know who your target reader is none of this stuff will be effective.
Do some research by looking at books similar to your own and check out the reviews. Start by identifying who your readers are by using standard demographics like:
- Gender
- Age
- Marital Status
- Family Size
- Location
- Language Spoken
Once you come up with a profile of a target reader you will be able to use that information to find out where these people hang out and then take the steps to communicate with them. Without this information you’re really shooting in the dark!
Google Hangouts are a feature of Google+ and they allow you to hold a webinar with nine people or less. You can use Google Hangouts as a reward system for super fans who introduce your book to new readers. You may already know who these people are but if you don’t you’ll need to find out. Hold a contest with specific goals for fans to promote your book(s) and use the hangout as the reward. You’ll need to have written rules that enforce a “no spamming” rule to protect your reputation but if done carefully this could be a great incentive for fans to bring you new readers. You can learn more about Google Hangouts here.