Sometimes, when I ask a client who their book is aimed at, they say “It’s for everybody” or cite several groups of people. Now whilst this can sometimes be due to altruism, you do need to be crystal clear about who your book is for, otherwise it will appeal to no-one in particular and more importantly will alienate your target reader.
Non-fiction is one of the genres where it is easier to map your readership and here are some ways to do it.
First of all think about why you want to write the book. It is likely that you are a providing a solution to a particular problem or want to raise awareness of an issue about which you feel passionate. Perhaps your clients have even been urging you to write a book.
You then need to describe your target reader in as much detail as you can (mind mapping is one way to do this). Here are just some of the questions you should ask yourself:
Are they male or female?
How old are they?
What is their nationality?
What do they look like?
Where do they live?
What is their background?
What is their profession?
What do they do in their free time?
What are they struggling with?
What are their desires?
What are their values?
Building up a clear picture of your reader in your head will help you to stay focused and relevant in terms of style and subject matter.
Writing is a partnership between you and your reader. It is about maintaining your integrity as an author and what you have to say, whilst acknowledging and respecting your reader and what they are looking for.
If you are guiding your reader through a process that you have experienced, such as learning to meditate, remind yourself that you were a beginner once. This will help to ensure that you don’t take things for granted and include all necessary information however trivial it may seem. Adopting an understanding tone will also help to keep the reader engaged. They need to feel as though you are addressing them personally and that they are not alone.
Tis the good reader who makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Non-fiction is one of the genres where it is easier to map your readership and here are some ways to do it.
First of all think about why you want to write the book. It is likely that you are a providing a solution to a particular problem or want to raise awareness of an issue about which you feel passionate. Perhaps your clients have even been urging you to write a book.
You then need to describe your target reader in as much detail as you can (mind mapping is one way to do this). Here are just some of the questions you should ask yourself:
Are they male or female?
How old are they?
What is their nationality?
What do they look like?
Where do they live?
What is their background?
What is their profession?
What do they do in their free time?
What are they struggling with?
What are their desires?
What are their values?
Building up a clear picture of your reader in your head will help you to stay focused and relevant in terms of style and subject matter.
Writing is a partnership between you and your reader. It is about maintaining your integrity as an author and what you have to say, whilst acknowledging and respecting your reader and what they are looking for.
If you are guiding your reader through a process that you have experienced, such as learning to meditate, remind yourself that you were a beginner once. This will help to ensure that you don’t take things for granted and include all necessary information however trivial it may seem. Adopting an understanding tone will also help to keep the reader engaged. They need to feel as though you are addressing them personally and that they are not alone.
Tis the good reader who makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
