No matter if you’re a freelance writer or an author, knowing who your ideal reader is will make a huge difference to your writing career.
What is an ideal reader?
This is a fictional persona to whom your writing will most appeal. While this is not a scientific process, creating a profile helps you write with purpose and enables you to craft elements into your writing that surprises and delights this person.
Your ideal reader represents who you are writing to. It’s one person, not many people. This is a specific process and if you do it right, your ideal reader will come alive in your mind.
What this means is you need to figure out who your ideal reader is, what his or her interests are, and why your ideal reader reads.
Your most important question is why will your ideal reader be interested in your book?
Whatever the why, all readers have one and it’s your job to discover it for your ideal reader.
Do you want the worksheet that goes with this training?
Pop your email address into the form below, confirm your email subscription and I’ll send you the password to my free resource library.
Once you’re in look for “Discover Your Ideal Reader Worksheet” in the writing section.
Your ideal reader is your biggest fan
When you know who you’re writing to it gives your writing purpose and direction. This may seem like a strange exercise to go through but trust me, it’s a key step.
Even if it’s a loose definition, think about the person (real or fictional) who would most be interested in reading your work.
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS
- What does this person tend to focus on?
- On social media, what does your ideal reader like sharing about?
- From what you can gather, what does he/she most need/want/desire?
Once you know the answers to those initial questions answer this one: what problem are you solving for your ideal reader through your writing?
Through thinking about your ideal reader you should have a few words and phrases jotted down. Take a look and add a few more words to the page.
This time, write down things about your ideal reader. Noting things like hopes, dreams, challenges or family dynamics can help you paint a picture.
It can be vague or specific, long or short. Just jot down as much as you can think of in a five-minute period.
Look at the list you came up with and compare it to your first one—are you seeing a character emerge? Write a biography for this person—whatever comes to mind with as much detail as you can include.
Remember, this is a creative exercise. You’re trying to imagine who the person is who can’t wait to read what you write. The more human you can make this person, the better.
Here are a few marketing applications
In essence, marketing your writing is simple—put your writing in front of the people who will love it. If you have an idea of who your ideal reader is then finding those (real life) people is a lot easier. The more you know, the better.
- What stores do they shop in? Now you know where to sell your work
- Where do they hang out? Now you know where to hold workshops or readings
- What is their favourite social media platform? Now you know where you need to be online
- What are their biggest fears? Now you know how to help them
- What do they care most about? Now you know how to relate to them
- What type of marketing will they best respond to? Now you know what you need to do
There are a lot of ways you can find your ideal reader (or book buyer, or ideal client, etc.) so it’s important not just to parrot what you see others doing online but to find something that works for you and feels natural.
Don’t forget to download your free worksheets for this training
Pop your email address into the form below, confirm your email subscription and I’ll send you the password to my free resource library. Once you’re in look for “Discover Your Ideal Reader Worksheet” in the Writing section.
Other helpful articles
- How to Brainstorm Ideas for Writing
- Books You Should Read If You Want to Publish a Book
- I’ve Self-Published a Book…Now What?
- How to Write a Book that Sells from Cooks and Books
One more thing. You may be interested in my free resource library. This is where I keep my files, downloads, ebooks, worksheets (like the worksheet from today’s training!) and whatever else I manage to create. I love sharing what I learn and want to keep adding to this library so it becomes a wealth of helpful goodness.
This is a free resource but I do require a password to access the library itself. You can get access by popping your email address into the form below.
