You’re going to make writer mistakes. That’s a given, part of the writer’s rite of passage. But you don’t have to make all of them. So I’m launching a new Writer Mistakes series in the hopes of sparing you a few writer mistakes along the way. My first topic: writing for everyone rather than a defined audience.
Years ago, a co-author I had teamed up with and I made that exact writer mistake. The book’s editor called us out. We argued that the nonfiction book’s premise could and perhaps should appeal to everyone.
“That may be true,” she countered. “But first, you have to succeed with a single facet of that readership. If it’s a hit, other segments will hear about the book. If you try to appeal to everyone, you will wind up appealing to no one.”
I may be paraphrasing her words, but I’ve never forgotten her message.
In a recent Writer’s Digest article, Robert Lee Brewer echoed that idea when he wrote that “writing for everyone is often the same as writing for nobody.”
Unfortunately, too many writers suffer from this universal-appeal syndrome. I totally get it. When we’re passionate about a topic–or your manuscript for that matter–it’s hard not to imagine that everyone might not feel the same way. But that’s exactly what gets us in trouble. So we need to focus on the fact that, as Brewer points out, “the better you can define your audience the better your chances of finding success.”
When figuring out just who your readers will be, start by identifying demographic basics including age, sex, profession, where they come from, etc. Beyond that, come up with real people from your life who would want to read your book. That will help you move from generalities such as baby boomers who believe in women’s empowerment, for example, to middle-aged females in law enforcement who owe their positions to women like Fanchon Blake, the subject of–and my co-author on–Busting the Brass Ceiling: How A Heroic Female Cop Changed the Face of Policing.
You can also define your readership by identifying successful competitive titles and exploring who they’re appealing to. Why not ride their coattails if you can?
Regardless of how you pinpoint the characteristics of your audience, knowing whom you’re writing for helps you sculpt your content and decide what stays in and what needs to go. As Scribe Media’s Tucker Max points out in his article How to Write For and Target the Right Audience for Your Book, “a focused book that appeals to a small audience is much more valuable than a broad subject book that is only marginally appealing to many audiences.”
So now you know how to avoid at least one of the most common writer mistakes. More to come, so stay tuned.
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