A target audience is the person or group of people a piece of writing is intended to reach. This seems to be one of the most difficult questions to figure out for a writer/author.  I, for one, have struggled with this one.  So I’ve been doing some research and have uncovered some tips from multiple sources that have been helpful to me.  Although we as authors would like to believe that the books we spend hours poring over are going to be loved by everyone, rarely is that the case.  We all have our preferences as to what interests us, which accounts for the racks upon racks of books and genres that are found in bookstores and on the internet everywhere.  In order to maximize the promotion of your books and put them in front of those who would most likely be your audience, you need to know which categories and genres they fall under so that readers can easily find the specific books that interest them.  If you find and narrow your niche it will enable you to appeal to and reach more of the readers that will ultimately buy your book.  What group/groups of readers are you targeting and how do you accomplish that tricky, but very important feat?  Well, here are some tips I found that might be helpful:

• Try to isolate what types or groups of people the content of your book would interest. Is it about something historical? – history buffs, or elements of the future? – sci-fi, does it have elves or fairies? – fantasy, is it technical or educational? – educators and/or   computer buffs, etc. If it has elements of several different topics it could appeal to a number of types of people. The groups of readers may overlap. (You may have multiple target audiences.)

• Pinpoint what is special about your book – what words would you use to describe it specifically to someone if they asked what it was about. (What is the hook?) Is your story scary, comedic, fantastic and/or futuristic, educational, technical, mysterious?

• Determine what age your book would most likely appeal to. (Demographic) Is it something kids, teens, young adults, adults, or a combination of readers would enjoy?

• Look at other books that are comparable to your book and applicable to the topic or subtopic in your book. identify who are their main readers/buyers. (Check at Amazon or Barnes & Noble to see what books are in their categories.)

• You can Google the reader demographics for magazines, publications or newsletters that are applicable to the topic or subtopic in your book.

• Investigate compatible author websites. See who is making comments and check out their profiles. They might be your target audiences.

• Examine the type of vocabulary you have used or are going to use in your book. How would it change depending on whether you were addressing children, teens, or adults? Who would relate to the way your characters are speaking.

Once you have identified your target audience, look at the users of the social media sites, publications, or blogs to see where those readers hang out. Start heading in those directions to find the people that are compatible with your writing, and connect with them to grow a fan base. Be where they are.

I hope this helps you to determine your target audience and better connect with your readers.

Solitaire