Find your people

How do I get readers to read my book?

Why do you write?

If you’re like me, you write, in part, for the joy of it. We write because we are word nerds, we love language, and story, and being a part of the magic. But beyond that, why do we write?

Most writers write to communicate with someone. A reader. They write to be read.

Don’t hurt your eyes with that eyeroll, friends. I can hear you saying “Well, duh.”

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/

Okay, we know we write so readers will read. But here’s the thing: we sometimes forget that. I know this because when I write, I too often get caught up in my own story, my own ideas. I have so much wisdom to share (feel free to eyeroll again) that I forget to think about which specific folks need that wisdom most.

Photo by frank minjarez: https://www.pexels.com/

Every week, I talk to writers who have a book idea, and they talk mostly about guess who? Yep. Themselves. What happened to them. What they think about their topic. Why they’re an expert, or just have a lot of opinions.

Too many writers, when asked who their target reader is, say “everyone.” They’re unfortunately misled.

Don’t misunderstand. A book does need to have a topic. Your story is important, and what you have to say (or write) is important. Your own life and learning often drive the narrative of your book. It’s powerful. BUT. A book (or article, or blog post) connects that power with the right person, the one who needs to read it. (And it is not “everyone.”) You have to know your reader, in order to write ideas or concepts that matter to them. You must write to a reader who needs to read what you have to say. You have to find your people, and take them on a journey with you.

Photo by Elijah O'Donnell: https://www.pexels.com/

Take an obvious one: you don’t write a parenting book for people who don’t have kids. Or have already raised their kids. You write it for a parent, typically one who is struggling with their kids’ behavior, or wondering about their kids’ development. When my kids were small, I read parenting books all the time. Now that they are grown, not so much.

In fact, when my kids were small, I read parenting books and also wrote books for parents. I didn’t offer parenting advice or surefire ways to get your kids to behave. I wrote for parents who were overwhelmed and wanted to find a way to nurture their own spiritual lives while caring for their children. I wrote for spiritually hungry moms who needed to be reassured that self-care wasn’t selfish. That caring for their family counted as much as volunteering at church or having a “quiet time.”

For years, I’ve handed out a short workbook to my writing and editing clients, called the Start Your Powerful Story Workbook. You can get a PDF copy for free by subscribing to this newsletter. It asks writers questions about their message, their reader, their qualifications, and other books on the topic. It helps them craft an outline or a proposal. (If you’d like to have the latest online version, where you can type your answers into a Google form, you can find that here.)

This week, I’ve been reading Write a Must-Read, by AJ Harper, and it is, well, a must-read. It is about the craft of writing, and not surprisingly, her main premise is that the reader comes first. But it’s brilliant, because it gives you a strategy for figuring out your reader, your message, and your promise—three essentials of a great book. The title itself demonstrates what she teaches: if you read this book, you’ll be able to write a must-read book. What writer doesn’t want that?

The book is part writing philosophy, part workbook, with places where you can write in info about your book idea. I got it from the library but will likely buy my own copy to take notes it. That alone should tell you about how much I appreciate this book.

I love how Harper puts it: “a book is not about something, it’s for someone.”

Whoa. Mind blown.

I knew that; I have been teaching writers that they need to identify their target reader for years. Book marketing is all about your unique selling proposition, which tells you who the reader is and what benefits they’ll receive because of specific features of your book. I have urged writers to do some careful thinking about their reader. But I never framed it just like that.

And when someone wants to talk about their book, I don’t ask, “Who is it for?” but rather, like most people, I ask, “What is your book about?”

Even seasoned authors sometimes have a hard time answering that question. They meander around a lot, can’t really state their thesis succinctly. But what I’m learning from reading Harper’s book is WHY writers struggle to explain their book. It’s because they haven’t first figured out who the reader is, and what problem the book will solve for them. If we can figure that out, we’re on the road to clarity about our message and the benefits our book will provide to readers.

Who is your book (or article, or blog post, or newsletter) for?

Most writers I work with want to include too much information. They don’t know what to include, and even more importantly, what not to include. My editing or coaching helps them to figure that out. But when I help them get clear on their target reader, knowing what to include or not becomes easier.

Who is your ideal reader? What do they want and how will your book give it to them?

Leave a comment and let’s talk about it. Who is your book for?

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