By: C.S. Lakin
This month, with the launch of my
highly anticipated online course, I’ve been directing your attention to the
need to understand and target
genre.
Why is this important? Because
all too often writers work hard to pen a novel without any thought to genre.
Sure, they might know they’re writing a mystery or a fantasy novel, but they
haven’t thought of the end goal—which is to get that book in the hands (or onto
the ereader device) of the audience they are writing for.
When asked “Who is your audience?
Who are you writing this book for?” many writers really don’t know. Sure, they
hope those mystery lovers will love their book. But if those writers haven’t
done their homework and studied iconic novels in that genre, their books aren’t
going to quite fit. Kind of like Cinderella’s stepsisters trying to force that
tiny glass slipper onto their big fat feet.
Why is this a problem? Because,
as I mentioned in last
week’s post, you’re creating a product and hoping that product meets reader
expectations. If you target a wide audience by labeling your novel merely as
“mystery,” you’re generalizing, and hence competing with hundreds of thousands
of other books.
For best success, you don’t want
to cast a wide net (and get tangled with all the other thousands of nets out
there). You want to narrow your aim and target a niche readership hungry for a
certain type of story. Sure, you might pull in other readers in the process,
but the more you narrow in on a niche audience, the better chance you have for
bigger sales.
Right, it’s not all about sales.
But, face it—if your books sell well and get rave reviews from your targeted
readership, word will spread. More readers will find and love your books. And
that’s what every writer wants—a happy, satisfied audience.
And the best way to learn to
target a niche genre is to deconstruct
books in that genre.
So, What’s Deconstructing All About?
. . .
To read the rest of
the post, click here:
~*~
If you missed my latest writing
and marketing tweets, here they are again:
- Tips on How Writers Can Deconstruct to Nail Genre | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/4nfG0d
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- Emotional Connections With Readers | Writers In The Storm http://ow.ly/4nfGlK
- How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book: How to Avoid Middle Slumps--Maintaining Tension in Your Story http://ow.ly/4nfGpx
- How To Market Your Book Using Content Marketing in Five Easy Steps - Written Word Media
- Six Ways to Make Your Villain Likable – Mythcreants http://ow.ly/4nfGv0
- Go Teen Writers: Creating Tension: Raise the Stakes http://ow.ly/4nfGxj
- Countdown Deals and KDP Select Free Promos: What’s the Current Status? | chrismcmullen http://ow.ly/4nfGzY
- Writability: Imposter Syndrome and the Writing Community by Julia Ember http://ow.ly/4nfGCC
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