When I wrote my first book, I didn't know who was going to read it.

Looking back, that was a bit of a foolish play as a first time author. But it turned out alright because I ended up writing it to myself. Well, me, three years in the past.

But that reader turned out to be a lot of people in my day job. No matter who I shared my book with, many claims adjusters and customer service people have purchased it to date.

My second book on the other hand, I knew exactly who I was writing too and it make the process much more difficult. In fact, I struggled working on my book for months.

As I have gone on to write four more books since then, I understand the value of knowing who you are writing to when writing a book.

If you don't know, you won't sell books.

That's just how it is. Your audience, following, or reader need to be central to the work you are doing as a self-published author.

And if you can't figure that out. You won't sell books. Well, you can do some tricks on your launch to sell books, but you won't keep selling books without a specific reader in mind.

If I am honest, I hate this idea. I don't like narrowing the path of my readers. Yet, it is essential. If you try to write to everyone, you will write to no one.

So, you target audience is essential to book creation and sales. And it plays a huge role in building your author platform.

Target Audience and Your Author Platform

Building a strong author platform requires first understanding your target audience. Your chances of developing a devoted following are increased when you can pinpoint and connect with the proper readers.

This will also help you adjust your content and marketing techniques. The importance of determining your target audience will be covered in this part, along with methods for performing market research.

Identifying your target audience requires thinking outside of the box of "people who read books."

It necessitates a thorough comprehension of the particular readership that will connect with your writing style, genre, and themes.

By focusing on a smaller audience, you can develop content that speaks directly to their interests and needs.

Three Main Ways to Discover Your Target Audience

There are three primary ways to discover who your reader is for your books. If you have written books before, work backwards. Do you know who reads your books? If not, try using these three ways to discover your reader too.

Who are reading books in your niche?

Analyzing the traits and preferences of readers who appreciate publications similar to yours is one technique to pinpoint your target market.

Successful authors in your field can be studied and researched for useful information about the readership's demographics, reading preferences, and motives.

Look for similarities between the audiences of your favorite authors and observe the distinctive qualities that draw readers to their writing.

Complete In-Depth Market Research

Another key tactic for comprehending your target audience is to conduct market research.

To learn more about readers' interests, routines, and demographics, this can entail surveys, interviews, or web research.

To learn more about the conversations and interests of your target audience, investigate online discussion forums, book clubs, and social media organizations that are dedicated to your genre.

Target Audience Avatar

This is a very popular form of discovering your target audience as an author. Consider developing fictional reader personas that represent your ideal readers.

These personas may contain information on the person's age, gender, profession, interests, and motivations.

By creating these personas, you can better see and comprehend your target market, allowing you to develop content and adjust your marketing strategies accordingly.

Target Audience Works with Your Author Platform

Your author platform can be customized to suit the preferences of your target audience once you have a clear grasp of who they are.

This entails matching your brand's content, visual style, and messaging to their preferences.

For instance, if young adult fantasy readers are your target market, your platform might have engaging imagery, immersive storytelling, and discussions on common tropes and themes in the genre.

Influences Author Platform Strategies

Your platform-building strategies are influenced by your understanding of your target audience.

Your efforts can be concentrated on connecting with your readers in the online communities and social media platforms where they are most engaged.

For instance, if Instagram is the site that most of your target audience utilizes, you may spend time developing aesthetically engaging content and establishing a strong presence there.

Improve Your Online Content

Additionally, understanding your target audience allows you to improve your content development strategy.

You can create articles, blog entries, and social media content that speak to their interests, problems, and aspirations.

You may become a reputable authority in your niche and gain more audience engagement by offering quality and pertinent material.

Final Thoughts on Your Target Audience and Building an Author Platform

In conclusion, choosing your target market is an essential part of creating an author platform.

It enables you to concentrate your efforts, produce material that is customized, and successfully connect with people who are most likely to identify with your writing.

You may improve your platform-building techniques and create a loyal following by performing market research, creating reader profiles, and learning about the preferences of your target audience.

On top of all that, it helps you sell more books more efficiently.

Learn more about Self-Publishing with J.R. Heimbigner on Substack!

J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who loves helping people grow in their faith and help writers become authors. You can connect with him on Medium, his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack!

Start Here!

Are there other books to read? Sure are. I have two short lists of them in my Writer's Starter Pack on Gumroad (It's free, you should check it out). The only other book I want to highlight is my own.

It's called Transform Your Medium Stories.

Initially written for writers on the Medium platform, the content of this book works for any online content. And it is a great short guide to help you write and publish your first book. So grab your copy today!

Don't Miss Out!

Also, I would like to invite you to join the Medium community where you can unlimited access to articles on Medium. Once you've joined the community, step into my inner circle by subscribing to all my articles (that way you never miss one).

***Please note: there may be affiliate links in this post.***