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Part of being an author is writing, and although writing comes with its own hurdles and obstacles to navigate, the act of writing is one of the simpler tasks to accomplish. To successfully tell a story, an author needs to know who they’re telling the story to. Conversation is easy when you know who you’re talking to, and writing is just the same. When you know who the audience is that you’re writing for, not only does it make writing much easier, but it helps narrow in on your marketing efforts and improves your writing in a way that appeals to the ideal audience – i.e. your readers.
It’s hard to converse with someone you know nothing about because there is no point of relation, but the instant you find something in common, conversation begins to flow easily. That’s because you’ve managed to successfully bridge the gap between your differences. In terms of writing, it’s the same concept. When writing with your ideal reader in mind, you begin to speak their language. When you know who your ideal reader is, you’ll be able to write naturally and talk directly to their specific interests, demographics, sense of humor, etc., which will make readers love your book even more! Here are three tips for discovering your ideal reader and how to write specially for them.
The Like, Know, and Trust Factor
We as humans crave connection which triggers a chain-reaction of emotional responses when that need is met. The wiring of our most primal brains is designed to recognize an object as being safe based on the similarities shared. This is how we can instinctively decipher who is “unsafe” and who is “safe,” thus building trust in the object or person in question. (Side note: your subconscious instinct picks up on things you may not consciously be aware of. If your gut is telling you something, you should listen.) A few ways to build that trust is through consistency and authenticity.
Let me hit the brakes here for a second. The internet is littered with articles about authenticity and the hashtag has 153.5 million uses on TikTok alone, so it’s easy to ignore this key component simply because of how saturated the online space is with its use. But before you roll your eyes and jump back into binging The Office reruns, hear me out.
Authenticity, and the act of being authentic, is defined as “of undisputed origin; genuine.” Remember what I said about listening to our gut instinct? Our subconscious minds can sniff out when someone is being fake (or “unsafe”), and I don’t know about you, but I’m really tired of living in an over-filtered, aesthetically pleasing, fake society. Record a TikTok that isn’t perfect, tell the Dad jokes you always do, laugh at yourself, be silly, and stop stressing over, “What if they don’t like me?” Listen to me friend: if they don’t like you, they aren’t your people! Moving on.
Consistently show up on the platforms you’re choosing to use. Find a schedule that works for you. Post a TikTok three times a week, send out a newsletter once a week, post daily to your Instagram, pin photos on your Character Inspiration boards daily—IF that works for you. The key here is finding a schedule that works for you, and only you know the answer to what is realistically manageable to your lifestyle.
As you continue to show up consistently and authentically, your audience is going to learn more about you and build connections based on your shared interests of classical literature and Golden Girls memes. Over time, your audience will start to build trust in you because now they view you as safe, similar, and most importantly, reliable. Trust + Relatability = Reader Loyalty.
Discovering Your Ideal Reader
In business, we often used something called an Ideal Client Avatar to help pinpoint who our ideal customers and clientele might be. These Ideal Client Avatars (ICAs) are created using a series of questions which, to an author, would appear similar to character profiles. By asking these questions and making this profile, businesses can learn their ICA’s pain-points, interests, needs, and how their services/products can help alleviate a specific struggle. This information allows companies to market their services/products in a way that will attract the consumers more likely to benefit from their offering.
Need an example? Chances are if you’re reading this article, you fit within Rose Avenue’s ICA. You’re probably an author or aspiring author leaning toward independent publishing, looking for ways for hone your craft and improve your writing while simultaneously learning more about the independent publishing route, and you potentially are seeking an affordable and experienced professional to edit your manuscript before it goes off to print. Am I right?
To find your Ideal Reader Avatar (IRA), you’re going to do the same thing as businesses, but with fewer questions to get you started.
1. What is the theme or plot of your story?
2. Which genre does it fit into?
3. Which demographics are represented in your book?
4. What will the reader gain from reading it?
For the sake of this example, let’s say you’re writing a YA Fantasy novel about young space pirates and an intergalactic heist. You believe this book would be great for middle school boys because the cast of characters are under the age of fifteen and the story carries strong themes of friendship and adventure. Your main character—a double-eye-patch-wearing pirate nicknamed "Mole”—is a huge fan of the Lakers basketball team. By knowing this information, you can start to see who your ideal reader might be.
For this example, the ideal reader would be eleven to fourteen years old interested in Sci-Fi, basketball, and adventure. They can relate to Mole’s unique character demographic because they may have experienced some form of blindness in their life from either knowing someone without the ability to see or their favorite superhero is Daredevil, and they play on their school’s basketball team. Stories centered around friendship and adventure tend to grasp their attention because they love spending time with their friends and discovering new and exciting places and hobbies.
From there, you can begin to imagine a million different ways to market your book to that specific IRA. (Important note: defining your IRA does not mean people outside the niche demographic of your IRA won’t like your book. IRAs and ICAs are simply a starting point to help get the wheels rolling when it comes to determining the best methods for telling your story and marketing that story once it’s published.)
Let Others Do the Work for You
Log into Goodreads and Amazon and search for your favorite author who writes within the same genre as you. Read through the reviews about their latest three books, if possible, and see what readers are saying. Is there a pattern of likes and dislikes amongst the readers? Do a majority of them dislike the use of the enemies to lovers trope? Or are they all raving about the clever, morally gray antagonist that steals the show in the end? Start looking at what the readers are saying about books similar to yours to gain insight into what appeals to them.
You can also do this with your own books. Keep a close eye on your sales, reviews, and the ratings you get to learn more about your readership. Analyzing their demographics, interests, and what they enjoy/dislike about your book can be incredibly helpful in the end. By looking at your reviews, both good and bad, you’ll have a better understanding of what is perfectly right with the stories you’re telling, and what may need a bit more tweaking for the next release. Use the feedback you gain from the reviews of your books and of other authors within your genre to improve your writing and make it appeal more to your IRA. You may also consider hiring an editor or beta readers to help you tailor your manuscript to be the perfect fit for your IRA.
But please understand this: keeping your IRA in mind when writing your book does not mean you’re throwing out the old advice of, “Write for yourself.” The story you tell is still your story being told for you. Understanding your IRA helps you in marketing that story to other people who will enjoy reading it just as much as you did writing it.
Nothing Worth Doing is Ever Easy
When it comes to discovering your ideal reader, take into consideration the research, engagement, and adaptation it will require from you. Being an author can be an incredibly rewarding career choice, but it also requires work. As I always like to say, nothing worth doing is ever easy. By identifying and connecting with your ideal readers and showing up consistently online, you can enhance your writing voice while also improving your marketing efforts and create a more satisfying reading experience for your current and future readers.
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