Target Audience Worksheet
The more clear you are on who your target audience or ideal reader is, the easier it will be to find them and then speak with them in a congruent way. Create a separate Target Audience Worksheet for each new target audience you identify.
I also attached a marketing plan that I did a while ago for a YA fiction Christian fantasy novel.
Where Does Your Audience Shop?
Your target audience will have a typical method for purchasing books. If you miss the place they’re most likely to purchase books, it’s highly likely they’ll miss your book.
Example: if your target market likes to purchase audiobooks, your book must be available on Audible at minimum. It can also be available on other sites like Overdrive or OneClickDigital for library purchases.
Example: if your target market likes to purchase their books for Kindle, at minimum your book must be available for Kindle. (People purchase a lot of fiction in ebook form.)
Example: if your target market likes to purchase print books be sure to have your print version listed on CreateSpace for Amazon, at minimum. (People purchase a lot of nonfiction – and almost everything else – in print form.)
Obvious places to buy books are:
- Amazon – Kindle or print? (80%)
- Their local bookstore (available to you by using Ingram Spark AND by going in and talking to the store owner or manager directly)
- Barnes & Noble – online or storefront (13%)
- Other online store (iBooks 23%)
- 3rd party seller on Amazon (print)
- Audible (audiobook)
Not-so-obvious:
- Craft fair, state fair
- Conventions
- Trade shows
- Author signings
- Specialty stores (hobby, specific pastimes)
- Gift shops
- Libraries buy books (borrow ebooks, print, and audiobook)
- Church bookstore
- Book fairs (like Scholastic)
Likelihood of someone buying your book:
- 95% of readers are more likely to buy a self-published book from an author who is known to them
What about paid vs. free?
- 35% of readers have been introduced to new authors via free books more than 20 times
- 21% have found new authors through free books more than 10 times
- 85% said if they liked what they read in the free book, 85% were extremely likely to buy another book from that author
Matching Your Audience with the Most Effective Contact Method
This is where you identify where people go to find book information. We’re looking for easy, inexpensive ways to find people. I uploaded the sales methods table here again for quick reference.
This is where people go to find information about books:
- 18% Facebook
- 17% Retail sites
- 13% Goodreads
- 10% Author websites
This is where people go to find information about their favorite authors:
- 62% Facebook
- 62% Author websites
- 36% Author newsletters
- 27% Goodreads
- 19% Twitter
- 18% Retail sites
So, to boil it down: every author needs a website, an email list, and a Facebook Page. Depending on your book type, you may want to do more than this, but start with these 3 things. We’ll cover each of them in upcoming posts. (As well as several other methods.)