Understanding Your Audience

Each of us go through a series of stages once we’ve entered into the publishing arena. There’s the beginner phase where you’re blissfully ignorant and believe you’re going to make a ton of money right out the gate. There’s the excited phase where you’ve just finished writing your first book and haven’t realized the real work is about to begin. And then you hit the stressed out and uncertain how you’re going to accomplish all of this phase. There are many others between these, and many to follow, but you get the idea.

I’m in a phase where I realized everything I’ve done in the past has been wrong. So, now I’m trying to fix it while keeping up with my previous schedule. I must say, it’s quite a bit to chew. I have four books I’m writing simultaneously. Managing social sites, including blog and emails, as well as keeping appointments, and of course I’m still running the day job while raising my daughter. My work load has more than tripled over the past few months. I don’t tell you this for sympathy or to complain about my problems. Simply that we all experience these issues, and despite how hard some of them can be, we always find a way through.

My career has reached a point where I’m required to devote a far greater amount of time to my fans than I once did. Actually, the old fans seem to be content with how things are. It’s gaining new fans where I seem to have the hardest time. But that’s pretty natural for all of us. I hit the personal appearances stage pretty hard this past year, in addition to building my online empire. As we all know, you can’t grow your business if nobody knows who you are or where to find you. But with anything you do, you’re going to encounter annoyances.

The largest annoyance I’ve encountered during my stents in the real world is a single statement made by a large number of people. My original assessment was that it stems from ignorance, but upon further reflection, I believe it to be something else entirely.

Convention appearances and book signings are a different type of atmosphere. There’s an energy in the air that I haven’t found elsewhere. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars building a display that can adapt to my surroundings regardless of table placement. I can unload it in a single trip to the car, and I can setup or tear down in under thirty minutes. It offers a place of comfort during the hours spent there. But none of this can shield me from this single, simple statement. I can’t recall how many times I’ve heard the words, “I don’t read.” I used to let it go, as one could decipher it a great many ways. But over time, it began to permeate like a bottle of mead that’s gone sour. It’s taken some time, but I believe there’s a more accurate meaning behind these words. I believe what they mean to say is, “I’m trying to be nice, but I don’t care about you or what you write.” In many ways I wish they’d just say that. It’d certainly save some guess work. But then again, most people are incapable of honest conversation. I’m not one of those people. I’d much rather hear the truth, even if it’s a truth I don’t like, than to suffer through a guessing game to which I’ll never know the accurate answer.

However, there is a benefit to dealing with these people. Far more than the ones who walk past with their nose in the air. Or run, depending on the situation. However, all of them are more than happy to scan your table until you make eye contact. That’s when their head snaps forward and they never look back. Apparently, authors put off a fear aura much like that of a dragon. It’s hard to interact with these people. They came to look, with no intention of buying anything. And that means you’re unlikely to gain them as fans. With that in mind, you may as well get some entertainment out of it. Though I’d caution you not to take it too far. Treating a non-fan poorly can have negative consequences on existing fans.

When you’ve been sitting at a table for hours on end, watching people walk by, refusing to give you the time of days, you need to find ways to entertain yourself. If only it were as simple as having your laptop on hand to get some writing done. We are writer after all, it’s what we do. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy. If your nose in in the computer, or phone, or book, people seem to be afraid of bothering you, which leads to less sales. You have to remain accessible while working a table. But that’s a lesson for another time. It’s these people who proclaim they don’t read that I’m able to have the most fun, despite annoyances. I’ve offered coloring books, picture books, puzzles, and any other item that an illiterate person could find enjoyment. I even gave away boxes of cheap crayons once. Though I try to make sure I have these items available in the event they decide to talk to me. Again, this is a careful game. You don’t want to truly offend anyone with a misjudgment of character. The truth is, the vast majority of these people are not illiterate, despite the unintended message of their statement. Though some, it wouldn’t surprise me if they were. It’s more an issue of target audience. These people do not belong in your pond. That’s where research come in. You need to learn the audience before committing to a show, especially if they’re going to charge you a fee. We do book signings, not as a primary form of income, but as a way to meet fans and give them an interaction they can’t get elsewhere. If you’re working a show that’s tailored to an audience different than your own, you need to be aware of that beforehand, so you can expect what kind of reaction you’re going to receive. I drastically failed in this regard a few times. I once did a book signing at a local swap meet, anticipating one type of audience type, when another type made the bulk of attendance. I ended up selling about twelve books the entire weekend, opposed to the usual 30 to 50 I’d grown accustomed to at small events. I didn’t do my research, and because of that I encountered many ‘I don’t reads’.

When facing such issues, it can easily feel like the number of people who read for enjoyment is getting smaller. I understand this feeling. I’ve faced it myself, especially in those instances when people keep walking by. But I assure you, this is not the case. The reality is the number of readers is about the same as it has been for decades. The reason it feels like the pool is getting smaller is because the market has become so saturated. Basically, the number of fishermen has grown substantially, while the number of fish remain the same. This means we, as the fishermen, have to work twice as hard to maintain prior levels of success. By identifying tailoring target audience, marketing properly, and production quality, we’re using proper bait to ensure the fish continue to bite. If you’re the novice who drops their hook into the water without bait, you’re going to go home hungry.

As a new author, you’re going to struggle to make your mark. It’s going to take much more than understanding the trends, or even appealing to the market. There’s so much that has to be understood in order to become a financially successful. And until you’ve made a name for yourself, you’re going to have to deal with the sucky side of things. People are always on the go. You need to learn to market your work with them.