by Karen Whiting @KarenHWhiting
In Acts 17, as Paul strode around Athens, seeing many idols troubled him. He started preaching as he normally did and that brought a lot of contention and he ended up defending himself to the city council. At that point he changed his preaching. He spoke about the statue to the unknown god and said he came to share about that God, the one who created the world. They listened. Some believed while others did not, but they were no longer opposed to his preaching in Athens. Paul spoke to the market/audience when he connected to what they knew that interested them. He used a preach to the market approach.
Some writers interpret write to market as finding a trend and writing in that genre, essentially copying the style of a successful book. It appears to develop a formula for a book. Chasing trends is not fun since they change, does not stay in the author's voice, and is not guaranteed to make money.
But the idea of writing to market, with the market being readers, beckons writers to understand what their readers like, especially in the genre that like to write in. This connects the reader to the author's words to spread the message of the book and also drives up sales. It may mean tweaking our approach like Paul did, or using language the reader understands. Jesus used imagery that people understood, like a fig tree or a lost lamb. His message did not change, but he used words and stories that listeners liked.
However, an author still needs to have a wide enough readership for good sales. If your book is on grief during a specific disaster it is more narrow then if you expand it to natural disasters in general. Think of how to connect the message to more people, with the core group still being the ones you most want to reach.
Understanding the reader means discovering what they really want. In Harry Potter it's not just about magic and potions but it focuses a wimpy kid who overcomes his past and realizes his potential. It's a basic underdog story with lots of special effects. Check out some ideas to understand your readers.
Ideas to Understand the Reader
Listen
Talk to your readers when you speak, online, and one-on-one. Develop an avitar for the ideal reader. That means creating a complete description of a reader including economics, interests, habits, dress style, and more.
Listen to feedback on Best and Worst Sellers
Search the best sellers and worst sellers in your genre and read the reviews. What do people like and what don't they like. Notice the contents of the best sellers. For tween books, it generally means the contents include weird facts and some humor. For teen books it might connect to anxiety, the need be noticed as more grown up, and interests they like such as fashion or sports with tips. Follow some top sellers to see how they relate to their readers. It will come across in increased followers.
Rankings and Sales Info
In any genre see what it takes in sales to reach the top. Use the free amazon rank calculator https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-kdp-sales-rank-calculator/ to check out number of book sales to make the top. Some best sellers may be in a small category and only need a few books to sell. That shows it's more niche and not a large category. So, there won't be as many readers.
Readers You Most Want to Reach
Think of how you believe needs the book. Do you know someone like that? Write for that person and, if you know someone who reflects that person, stay in touch.
Join Your Readers' Groups
Listen in, chat, and ask questions. They will be authentic.
Examine Your Own Sales
Some books do better than others. Ask yourself what set the better seller apart? Was it the content, the marketing, the timing, the felt need in general? If it was content and felt need then you had a good match to the market. If it was marketing, did that attract readers according to the felt need, or promote the book's benefits, to connect with the ideal readers?
Check the Catalogues
Read publisher's catalogues and see how they promote and describe a book. They know their buyers and market to them. Note the language, selling points, and figure out who they are targeting as readers.
Love Your Readers
Write for people you love as you will more easily use a voice they like. This is very true for writing for children. They know when someone is lecturing them as opposed to enjoying engaging with them.
Start a Focus Group
People pre-reading and reading what's not edited give feedback as you write. That's when they can point out what does and doesn't work for them as readers.
Paul wrote about connecting and relating to his audience:,
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. 1 Corinthians 9:22-23
We know Paul wasn't selling out, but he was passionate about people and loved them enough that he wanted them all to know Christ.
TWEETABLE
Karen has a heart to grow tomorrow’s wholesome families today. She has written more than eight hundred articles for more than sixty publications and loves to let creativity splash over the pages of what she writes. She writes for Crosswalk. Connect with Karen on Twitter @KarenHWhiting Pinterest KarenWhiting FB KarenHWhiting.
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