Who Are You Writing Your Novel For?
What do your bookshelves say about you and your reading preferences? Here are just 2 shelves of my books.
One of the steps in Jennie Nash’s Blueprint for a Book, a method I use in my book coaching, is to identify who your ideal reader is.
“Ideal” does not mean “everybody.”
I know, I know. You want your book to sell widely. Absolutely!
But we humans have such diverse backgrounds and interests. How could everyone possibly be your “ideal” reader?
A friend of mine is a huge Stephen King fan and loves horror in general. I’ve read exactly one Stephen King novel, Dolores Claiborne, and remember nothing about it except for gigantic dust bunnies. Horror is not my cup of tea. I don’t like to be scared out of my wits.
I’m also not a fan of monsters like vampires and werewolves. My husband’s been trying to persuade me to read Dracula for many years, but I persist in not reading it because I don’t care about vampires. (I didn’t read the Twilight series either.)
Why bother identifying this mythical “ideal”? How does it help?
Having a strong sense of who you’re writing your book for will make your work stronger. It’ll help you speak knowledgeably about your audience with agents and editors. And it will remind you that you’re not writing this for yourself.
Yes, you’re writing this book because you have a story to tell. The real power comes when your book finds its way into the hands of readers who need it.
Questions to help you identify your ideal reader
Be as specific as you can with your answers. Some people like to picture an actual individual as their ideal reader — their Aunt Sally, or their friend from the gym, or their son. If such a person comes to mind, use that person:
How old are they (I’m using “they” in the singular sense here)?
Where do they live?
What kind of person are they? Easy going? High strung?
What keeps them up at night?*
What do they want more than anything in the world?*
What can your book do to help them get it?*
*These three questions are the big ones. Why? Because of this:
“The world is asking only one question: ‘Can you help me where I hurt?’”
—Pastor Orval C. Butcher
So if nothing else, know where your reader hurts and how you can help them. And remember, pain can be helped by entertainment, humor, and escape, as well as by insight, inspiration, and instruction.