Using the many free services won’t hurt, but, as you might imagine, you get what you pay for. With most of them, your press release just sits on the site, waiting to be discovered. (Get a list of free services and a performance review at this link.)

This is why I prefer to work with a reputable service that charges a fee. I’ve researched many of them, but keep coming back to PRWeb because I get good results from it – and so do others I’ve spoken to. Because I recommend the service so often, I became a PRWeb affiliate. That means that if you explore the site using my affiliate link and end up using the company’s services, I’ll get a commission on your order. It doesn’t cost you more to use the service through my affiliate connection, so there’s no disadvantage to you. In fact . . .

Get a 10% discount until February 29, 2012

. . . if you use my affiliate link before the end of the month (February 29, 2012), you can get a 10% discount on your first order. You won’t get that without clicking on my link, so take advantage of the opportunity to save a little money.

Here’s some essential information that I think will help you understand what you’re buying with each of the four packages the company offers. The site can be a little overwhelming, so I called the company to get clarification on certain details related to what you get with each option. I was familiar with the service but I still had a lot of questions, so I think this will help.

Basic package

To get started, register for an account on the home page (there’s no charge until you purchase a package.) After you register, go to “pricing” from the top toolbar and select “compare packages” from the left toolbar.

With the least expensive “Basic” package at $89, your release goes out to the news arms of Google, Yahoo, and Bing, as well as a long list of general interest and specialized websites. (To see the list, from the home page select “how it works” then “our distribution network” on the left toolbar. Select “web distribution.”) This list is included in all four packages.

It also goes to journalists and bloggers who have opted in to receive press releases via RSS feed in specific industry categories. As noted in the chart, you can select five industry and two regional feeds. (“Opted in” means they’ve signed up with the service to receive these feeds.)

But it doesn’t let you send to daily newspapers and specific media lists by category. To see those lists and categories:

• From the home page select “how it works”
• Then “our distribution network” on the left toolbar
• The “media digests” on that page are the same thing as “media list” on the comparison chart
• Click on each digest title to get a complete list of outlets for that digest/list.

Without this “media list” option, you are only sending to journalists who opt in. Believe me, there are many, many more out there who will be interested in your news. To reach them, you have to select a more expensive package. Keep reading.

Standard package

The next category, Standard, allows you to send to “media subscribers,” but again, these are only media people who have opted in to receive news releases. Understand that there are many, many journalists who don’t opt in to these services because it generates too much e-mail. Standard, at $159, does let you select one media list, which means your release will be sent to journalists who have not opted in. One media list – category of contacts – might be enough for many of you.

This package also offers better exposure to bloggers than the Basic package.

Advanced package

Advanced, the most popular option, gives you more industry and news feed subscribers while adding distribution to “premium web sites.” (These include Scottrade.com, StreetInsider, International Business Times, and others; I’m trying to get a complete list from the company. When I do, I’ll share more information here.)

This $199 package also lets you embed images that have been coded for search engine optimization and include links to other content on your website or elsewhere.

If you want to send to daily newspapers, you can use the Advanced package and buy extra media lists – meaning, the regional media lists – for $50 each. So that’s $199 for one region plus $150 for the three extra regional lists you’d purchase for a total of $349. That’s just $20 below the Premium package, so instead of doing that, to get all of the daily newspapers, buy the Premium package. That will get you more local media outlets, too.

Premium package

Not surprisingly, the $369 Premium package is the most comprehensive. It’s your best choice if you’re sending press releases to a wide, general interest media list that includes daily newspapers. It’s not the best choice if you only want to send to automotive trade journals, but it is the best fit when you want to reach, for example, the business pages of daily newspapers and local business journals. (If all you’re interested in is city business journals and magazines, see my comprehensive list and detailed instructions for pitching these outlets at this link.)

A few random points:

• All of the packages offer a Google Adwords credit of $50 or $75 to first-time Adwords customers.
• You can add any extra media list to any package for $50.
• Get a volume discount if you commit to sending at least two press releases a month. (See “additional services” at the bottom of each detailed package description.)
• Find daily newspapers by region in the regional “media digests” or in the Associated Press Distribution option. Each region counts as one media list in a package.

It’s a little complicated – I hope this clarifies things for you and helps you figure out which package is the best fit for your target audience and your goals. Take the time to compare PRWeb with other services – Cision, for example, is similar to PRWeb and could be a good fit for you. Some other services, though, have limited distribution lists so make sure the service you select will get your information to the right media outlets.

Please use my affiliate link to get started – and remember, to get a 10% discount, purchase a distribution package by the end of February 2012.

What’s your favorite press release distribution service, and why?

Today’s guest blogger is  Matthew Ashdown, book promotion specialist at FriesenPress in Victoria, BC. Get more great information at the company’s blog, http://blog.friesenpress.com.

How to turn around a sales slump by asking the right questions

By Matthew Ashdown

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” -  Albert Einstein

When it comes to marketing your book, the questions you ask yourself daily will either bring you what you want, or lead you further from it. Learning to ask good questions is an art that, when practised, makes all the difference in the results you achieve.

Your mind is a very valuable tool when applied in a useful way, whatever stage you are at in book publishing. But it can also be a very toxic enemy to success when old beliefs are allowed to run the show. As someone who has experienced wonderful successes and valuable failures, I will attest to the power of investing time into changing your mind and your thoughts.

We may not be aware, but we are asking questions all the times. Those questions can either empower us on our journey or send us spinning in a spiral of self-destruction.

“What am I doing wrong?”

When book sales are not going well, many people will turn around and say something like, “What am I doing wrong?” Well, your co-operative brain will help you with that judgement and, as you go about your day, will be tuning into all those things that could be conceived as something you have done wrong and label them as such.

A much better question to ask would be, “What can I do differently next time?” There is recognition that something needs to change, but there isn’t the judgement that can lead to deflation of self-worth. Additionally, it will lead to a change in direction as you move forward. Asking what you have done wrong will only keep you looking over your mistakes; there is no solution being sought out.

Another disempowering question that all too many people ask is, “What is wrong with me?” Again, your brain will be on the lookout for the answer to this question as you go through your day, and you will not like the answer — it will result in a deflated sense of self-worth. Ask a question like, “What qualities do I need to embody or become to bring about book sales?”  Then, be prepared for the answers that people offer you. I can promise you that you will rarely have to ask the question directly of people, you need only ask yourself throughout your day.

Ask yourself better questions

So, what are questions that you can ask yourself daily as you go through your book marketing adventure? Below are a few of my favourites. Remember the answers are open, and there is not a specific one that works for everyone. But you will be surprised where you find those answers coming from.

Whenever you feel worry or fear setting in, you are either focusing on what you don’t want, or you are asking yourself questions that will only lead to answers you don’t want (and do not help you in any way). Instead of getting bound up in that fear, ask yourself the following questions 40 times over if you have to. It is a small investment in time for the long term benefits they bring.

• When you notice that you are not making as many sales as you like: What can I do differently to have more sales? What can I do to make my marketing message more powerful?
• When faced with a disappointment or failure: What is the gift in this situation? What knowledge about marketing would I benefit from knowing at this time?
• When feeling like nobody is interested in your book: Who are the people that would absolutely be interested in reading my book? Who wants what I have to offer?
• When feeling like there is something wrong with you: What gifts and talents do I possess? What are my strengths? What am I good at?

Try them out. See how much more empowered you feel when asking questions like that. What questions can you create for the particular challenge you find yourself in that would bring you toward a beneficial solution?

There are no lessons for the rest of us here — only celebrities have these opportunities — so all we can do is envy O’Reilly as his book is showcased on the funky “What Up with That?” talk show President’s Day episode.

Enjoy.

I hope you find some of the tidbits offered here useful. I’ve listed the name of the session (in case you want to order the recording) and under that, some of the gems I pulled from the session. Here are the summaries:

Be More Than a Blog: New Media Integration

• Use http://paper.li to turn Twitter and Facebook updates into an instant daily newsletter on your book’s topic.
• Get free blog, book, or newsletter photos at morguefile.com, flickr.com, Wikimedia.org, sxc.hu, freestockphotos.com, freepixels.com, digitalgallery.nypl.org.
• Adding “just published” or “new blog post” when tweeting gets more click-throughs to the link.

Tweet, Blog, Like and Link!: Using Social Media to Build Your Platform

• Google looks at the first 60 characters of your blog posting headline so when writing it, think in terms of what people are searching for rather than what makes a good headline.
• Keep sending those press releases – media outlets like to house them on their websites because it brings them more search engine traffic.

Successful Self-Publishing

• Peter Bowerman, author of The Well-Fed Writer, spent $12,500 to self-publish 6,000 copies of his book. He earned it back in 45 days, in part by selling additional information products with the book.
• Cathie Beck sold her memoir to a traditional publisher only after she self-published. Read the article she wrote about the experience for Poets & Writers.

Everything You Need to Know About E-books

• Tell someone the title of your e-book, then watch their eyebrows. The expression will tell you if the title confuses or intrigues.
• Smashwords will format your book in all e-reader formats, except Kindle, at no charge. You have to take care of the Kindle format yourself, but it isn’t hard. Smashwords takes 10 percent when it distributes your book.
• To get a list of e-book layout and cover design vendors, send a message to list@smashwords.com. (Make sure you check the samples of any vendor on the list before hiring them.)
• Don’t forget when designing your e-book cover that it will be displayed on a retail site in thumbnail size.

Website Wording: 10 Things You Must Say

• Don’t use your blog as your home page. (This is one of my pet peeves, so I was glad to hear it mentioned.)
• Use Facebook and Twitter widgets to display your ongoing updates on your website. It’s one way to keep adding fresh content to your site.
• Older sites do better with search engine rankings than new sites, so if it’s time for a make-over, don’t start with a new URL – use your existing one.
• Make sure your site is mobile device friendly because that’s how more and more people are accessing them.

Lights, Camera, Action! Shooting Videos and Vlogs

• Your video camera’s audio quality is as important as the video. People will forgive bad video but not bad audio. The Flip camera is not your best choice because the audio isn’t very good.
• Practice, practice, practice. And be yourself.
• Because YouTube is the second most popular search engine, you’ll get more site traffic if you post videos there (Iink them to your site). (This came up in several workshops.)
• The panelists agreed that people will keep watching a video as long as it’s interesting, but they also said that studies show that viewership drops off significantly at the two-minute mark, so keep your videos under two minutes.
• If you’re an author talking about your book, keep it to 30 to 60 seconds.
• Be careful not to share so much that people think they don’t need to buy the book.

Beyond the Page: Marketing Your Writing (Books) with Workshops

• When developing a workshop based on your book, write the workshop description first.
• For in-person workshops, don’t distribute a detailed handout because it keeps people from listening as closely as they will without one.
• Make room for the wisdom of the audience – let them share, too.
• Use Skype to deliver an in-person workshop from a remote location.
• What you charge for the workshop depends on what the market will pay.
• Workshop a book as you’re writing it to get feedback on your ideas, etc.
• To become a better workshop presenter, take a course at a local college offering an education degree.

I encourage you to consider purchasing the recordings. I bought the entire conference set so that I can listen to the sessions I missed.

What’s your favorite writers conference for professional development?

Here are 12 elements to consider for your platform’s legs:

1. E-mail list. How many e-mail addresses do you have, but more importantly, how many of them are in your book’s target market? Offer a freebie on your website – the first chapter of your book, an audio interview, or a white paper or report – in exchange for a name and e-mail address.
2. Newsletter subscribers. It’s important to keep your name and topic in front of the people who are most likely to buy your book; a regular e-mail newsletter is an excellent way to do that. Make it useful, not promotional, so that people look forward to reading and sharing it. Acquire subscribers with a form on your website.
3. Media interviews. Get interviewed by the press, get copies of those interviews, and create a database with the contact information for the journalists who interviewed you. You’ll want the clips, audio links, etc., for your book proposal and you’ll need the database to create a book publicity media mailing list.
4. Twitter followers. If you’re self-publishing, you’ll want quality, not quantity. If you’re hoping to get a contract with a traditional publisher, I’ve heard that many are more interested in quantity than quality (sigh), so go for volume. (But understand that if your book is about the mating habits of Icelandic penguins, those 68 social networking consultants who follow you aren’t going to buy your book.)
5. Facebook fan page likers/fans. You don’t need a completed book to create a fan page for it. Post content that gets followers involved and engaged. Invite your fans to bring other fans along, too.
6. Speaking engagements. An editor reviewing my book proposal asked for a list of my speaking engagements for the previous and coming years along with the audience size for each. This level of detail helps publishers estimate how many books they can sell – and whether they think they can sell enough. If you’re a speaker who writes, you’re on more solid ground here than a writer who speaks.
7. A blog plus subscribers and traffic. I’m surprised at the number of bloggers who don’t make it possible for visitors to receive their blog postings by e-mail or RSS feed. They’re missing the opportunity to generate repeat traffic – and to measure their fan base. Google Analytics and other tools and resources help measure traffic volume, too, but a truer measure of your fan base is that list of people who sign up to receive more of your content.
8. Industry leadership. This not only reinforces your expert status, it also means that industry organizations will be more likely to share information about your book.
9. Media outlets that use your content. Offline and online media outlets that regularly run your articles, videos, and so on will be more open to collaborating on book promotion.
10. Influential contacts. A favorable testimonial from a recognized guru, especially one who is willing to recommend your book to her networks, is almost priceless. Several of these? Golden!
11. Syndicated column. Whether you’re self- or service-syndicated, your column helps you create fans all over the country or the world. Similarly, a regular column in a traditional or online media outlet makes a key contribution to your author platform.
12. Media buddies. Freelance writers, in particular, often know many other freelance writers. If your writer friends write about your book topic and will be willing to pitch articles using you as an expert source, count them in as part of your platform’s foundation.

How many of these building blocks do you need to support your platform? That depends – on your book’s topic, the size of the market for it, and how that particular audience seeks/gets information. You need at least three legs to hold up a stool – and the more legs you have, the steadier the stool.

What’s holding up your author platform?

In politics and beauty pageants, your platform is a message or goal – “We have got to get more people working!” or “Stop bullying in schools.” With beds and shoes, it’s about height. But for authors, “platform” is the word the publishing industry uses to describe your built-in sales network. Who is waiting to buy your book as soon as it’s available? What’s your fan base or following? A publisher might ask, “How many books are we guaranteed to sell because of the author’s platform?”

Sometimes the need for a platform feels like a Catch 22 – you’re expected to enjoy a certain level of celebrity status in your niche to get a traditional book contract, and yet, getting that status can be difficult without a book as a credential. Not too long ago, an agent told me that she loved my unique nonfiction book idea, but wouldn’t be able to get a publisher for it until I had done several high-profile national media interviews on the topic. Could I get on the Today Show based on just my topic knowledge and a handful of successful workshop presentations? Of course not – I needed “author of . . .” after my name to snag that contract-generating exposure.

The explosion of social media in recent years makes it easier to work around that “you need a few big national media hits” obstacle, though. If you’ve got enough blog subscribers, Twitter followers, and Facebook-fan-page-likers, your platform might be big enough without a steady stream of national media interviews.

How are you going to build your platform so that people are ready to buy your book when it’s published? Think of it like a stool – the more legs you have under the seat, the safer you feel when sitting on it. Tomorrow, I’ll share a list of 12 platform-building elements to consider.

Author school visit tips

By Leonardo Ramirez

The kids that come to your reading or talk (I prefer to think of it as “hanging out” with them) are always wide-eyed and eager to have someone from the outside come in and change things up a little. They come from all walks of life and from different households, but for the 50 minutes or so that they are your audience, they are truly yours and there for one thing only . . .

. . . to have fun.

If you haven’t visited your local school as an author and given a talk, you’re missing out.  Yes, you are missing out.

I’ve been asked a few times by authors who are just venturing out after the release of their first book if I have any advice as to how to conduct an author school visit. These are by far my absolute favorite type of events to do because quite frankly, adults can be harder to entertain than kids (at least for me). Don’t get me wrong, I love meeting folks in general, but let’s face it: Adults have much higher expectations.

Here’s what I tell those first-timers who contact me for advice:

1. Don’t be afraid to be silly. When was the last time you had a gut-wrenching belly laugh? You know, the kind that brings a tear to your eye! Kids love a good laugh and so should we as adults. For a reading I did for Dr. Seuss’ birthday, I wore a Seuss hat and we posed for pictures making goofy faces.  I read Mo Willem’s Leonardo the Terrible Monster, and in the part of the book that called for it, I pretended to quietly sneak up on the class and speak softly. When it came time to scare the tuna salad out of the little boy, I gave it all I had. The class roared in laughter and I had a blast.
2. Be yourself. They’ve got your number. Kids are by nature intuitive and can spot a phony a mile away, while hardships that accumulate in our lifetimes can sometimes skew our perceptions as adults. As a side note we really should be ourselves in any setting, be it an author event or talking a stroll.  I’m simply stressing that we should not try to be someone we’re not when we’re around kids.
3. Remember, it’s not about you. Try to focus on the reason you’re there – the kids. You’re not there to sell books or gain publicity, even though the latter can sometimes be a natural result. Folks can always gauge motive, and we as authors should keep ours pure. We’re there for them. Ask yourself if you would still go if it meant you were not allowed to mention your book. I’m not saying that you should not take your book. That would be silly, but if you can honestly answer “yes,” then your heart is in the right place. Take your book, read it with glee, and remember who you’re there for.
4. Be open. You might actually learn something. Yes, it’s true that you’re there to share with them (and yes, you are in charge), but you can also learn a little something about how you deal with different personalities.  Teachers know that when it comes to getting a student to learn something, every child is different and has a different learning style. What might work for one child (scaring the tuna salad out of them) might not work for another.
5. When we give, our problems move farther and farther away. You might be having a tough time until you come across a child who could be suffering a worse fate. You might not know what the problem is, but you can more than likely (if you look closely enough) see the pain in their eyes. Giving of ourselves somehow helps us remember to be grateful for what we have and can help a wounded child – at least for a moment. That brings me to my last point . . . .
6. Show them that you care. To me, this is paramount. Don’t simply pretend that you do because kids know. When a child asks you a question, look him in the eye and speak to him as if he is the only child in the room. Be real. Be genuine. It goes without saying that kids may get rowdy from time to time and that there will be a time where order will have to be called, but keep in mind that you’re only there for a short time and as an author, you can leave a lasting mark on a child you might never see again. For some kids, this might be the only seal of approval they get outside of their awesome teacher.

Reading to kids has always made a lasting mark on me, but only when I’m able to be open, honest, and most of all, fun. Enjoy the reading just as much as they do.

What’s your best school visit tip for authors?

“. . . a line or two in a ‘trusted’ mag and I’ve had more sales on Amazon in three days than I had in the preceding three months,” commented parenting book author Vivian Kirkfield about her interview in a Parenting Magazine article that also appeared on CNN.com.

This, I told her, is why we put so much emphasis on publicity and media relations in the course curriculum. While we also cover social media, virtual book tours, public speaking, and other tactics, I want participating authors to benefit from the fact that legitimate, traditional media outlets still carry a great deal of weight with book buyers. To make sure this happens, I offer personal attention and feedback to every author/student in the course. As a result, the book publicity plan they create at the end of the four-week course is one that will work for their book, and one they can implement in the time they have available for this type of work.

We have a few more slots available in the the next four-week session running January 30-February 24, 2012. Like Vivian, past students have enjoyed publicity success in everything from their local media to ”The Today Show,” USA Weekend, and many other recognizable outlets. Join us to learn where (and how) to invest your energy, and what to avoid. This is not a generic, “one size fits all” course — you will learn what works best for your book, not someone else’s.

To learn more, please visit http://buildbookbuzz.com/how-to-build-book-buzz-workshop/. Questions? Send me at note at sbATbuildbookbuzz.com.

Paula Deen is a brand. And Paula Deen is a business. She has a TV show, cookbooks, a magazine, cooking tools, dishes, food products, and on and on.

Will the Paula Dean brand suffer because of her choice to keep her diabetes diagnosis private until she lined up a spokesperson deal with a pharmaceutical company to promote its diabetes drug?

Would announcing she had diabetes when she found out three years ago have hurt her brand then, especially considering that her show promotes cooking foods that are generally considered unhealthy?

Should she have taken some time to reflect on the news and the impact it would have on her personal and professional lives because of the diagnosis, then learned what she used to help her fans?

I’ve been following the reaction to her announcement in the news and on social networks, and people seem to have two opinions:

1. She blew it.
2. She has a right to keep her diagnosis to herself.

Because of the industry she’s in and the type of food she promotes, and because she is a brand and a business, the privacy option the rest of us have doesn’t apply to her. Keeping quiet about this for three years is the foodie equivalent of the married politician who promotes family values having secret sex with hookers.

(If you missed her announcement, watch it here:)

Regardless of why she got diabetes — her diet? genetics? sedentary lifestyle? — the fact is, the food she promotes can contribute to diabetes in others. She had a responsibility three years ago to share what she learned. When she didn’t, she became guilty of withholding information that she — and her managers — knew would influence how some people perceive her brand.

That’s forgiveable — really, it is. But to wait until she could profit from her disease to tell her fans that she had it? That’s wrong. Just plain wrong.  But it’s good business for the pharmaceutical company, isn’t it? We now know about a drug that diabetics can use to help manage their symptoms — some of which might be managed by making healthier, non-Paula Deen food choices, too.  If this had unfolded in a more socially-responsible way, the drug would have received far less free media exposure. I’d have a better feeling about both the drug company and Deen if she had affiliated with it after she had introduced healthier recipes and ingredients to her show and her brand.

But back to the original question. Did she blow it? Will her brand as a cookbook author and food industry empress be tarnished by the way she handled this situation? It certainly undermined any perception of integrity for a lot of us – but is that enough for her to sell fewer cookbooks or kitchen gadgets? We won’t have an answer to that for some time, but what’s your opinion? Did she make a mistake by sharing her health news only after she could benefit from it financially?

Our guest blogger today is Jan Bear, who helps writers create the platform they need to reach their ideal audience and sell their books. Find out more about Jan, her services, and target market analysis at http://MarketYourBookBlog.com.

Finding your novel’s target market: 7 keys hidden in your story

By Jan Bear

Finding the right target audience for your book can make the difference between bustling sales, excited readers, and a burgeoning writing career versus the loneliness, discouragement, and wasted effort of trying to sell your book to people who don’t want to buy it and never will. Here’s why:

• If you go the traditional publishing route, knowing the target market for your book helps you to talk like a savvy marketer to agents and publishers deciding whether to publish your book.
• If you know your target market, you can speak directly to the people who already want your book, saving time, energy, and money in wasted advertising.
• When you speak directly to your target market, you don’t even have to “sell.” You only have to let them know that your book exists, and they’ll be ready to buy it.

Planning for your novel’s target market

When you’re writing a book, you’ll want to consider your target market –

1. During the planning phase — to decide whether the effort will be worthwhile
2. During the execution — to shape the book to talk in the language of your target audience
3. After the book is published — to find and engage your ideal readers

For many novelists, though, it just isn’t practical to focus on a target market before the book is done. As useful as it is to plan ahead for the target market, the novel is so personal that they’re essentially writing at least the first draft for themselves.

Clues to your target audience

So let’s say you’ve got a novel in hand and you feel too close to it to find its target audience. Here are a few clues hiding in the pages of your book.

1. Genre: This might be the clearest path to your target market, especially if your book sits comfortably within a recognizable subgenre of one of the big categories: mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy. The audience for a cozy mystery is very different from the audience for a hardboiled detective story. If you’re writing within those conventions, some quick internet research will tell you all you need to know about your target audience.
2. Problem: Maybe one of your characters is dealing with a problem faced by real people: autism, cancer, schizophrenia, homelessness. Anything that has a foundation or nonprofit organization dedicated to it can be a source of sales for your novel. If you approach the problem with sensitivity and compassion in the context of your story, and especially if you offer help or inspiration in dealing with it, those organizations might sell your book to their members.
3. Setting: If your setting is a loving tribute to a real, recognizable place, the local color in your book can be a way to get the book into local newspapers (articles, not ads), book stores, gift shops and tourist attractions.
4. Milieu: Some books explore a specialized world within the setting, and people read the book as much for that world as for the plot. It might be a 12th-century Benedictine monastery or a Navajo reservation in 20th-century USA. Linda Kuhlmann, an independently published author I know, wrote a murder mystery that involved horse racing. She contacted her local horse racing arena for a book signing and sold out all the hardbacks she brought to the event. If you’ve written a book that involves some special field of interest, you may have a hook for a target market there.
5. Theme: Who would resonate with the life lesson your novel teaches? The answer may give you some good places to make contacts. For example, if your theme is that the simple things in life are the most important, you may be able to promote your book through the simple-living blogs. Or if it’s about the importance of family, you might find allies among the mommy- or daddy-bloggers.
6. Character: Getting the reader to identify with your protagonist is essential to telling a great story. Your protagonist might represent your target market. So if your protagonist is a college graduate trying to work her way out of a dead-end job, a similar person outside your book may turn out to be your ideal reader.
7. You, the Author: If you bring a specialized knowledge to your story or if you belong to some identifiable group, readers might like your book just because you wrote it. Are you a schoolteacher? A member of a tight-knit religious or social community? Part of the appeal of medical and legal thrillers is the writer-practitioners bringing their inside knowledge to an exciting story of what’s it’s “really” like. So think about your affiliations.

Speaking to your people

Writing for a specific target audience is as important for novelists as for anyone else who communicates. But novels offer a different set of target-marketing challenges compared to informational nonfiction.

You’ll be way ahead in your book’s success if you craft your target marketing through the whole process, from planning to selling. The clues I’ve given you might not all work for your book, and any one might not represent your whole audience. But if you look for opportunities in them, you might find that a simple tweak in your story or a new direction in your promotion can bring your target market into focus and help you sell more books.

Do you struggle to find your book’s target audience? Tell us why.