The #1 Question: Who is Your Audience? . . . Plus an Excerpt

War has gone on since the beginning of man's creation.  And will continue until the end of time.  This necessary evil brings death and pain not only to its victims, but also to the warriors and their loved ones covering our small planet.  It's not the way we'd like it to be . . . it is the way it is.

Diary of a Vet's Wife, subtitled Living and living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a 96,000 word memoir covering an eighteen year period in the author's life and reads like a novel.  It took sixteen years to write and is the first book to show the day to day struggles of an ordinary family living with the chaos of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; unaware the author will develop this same disorder by association.

The number one question . . . who is my audience?

To think like a marketer is a common sense process that takes place over time.  -Jacqueline Deval

Did you know that it's not unusual for a traditional publishing house to take 18 to 24 months from the time the project is signed on until the finished books are in hand?  They're in the driver's seat, yet they can't put all their chips down on one book like a self-publisher can . . . they're just trying to make a living.

As a self-publisher, you control the timetable and make things happen when you say . . .

No matter what kind of book you have, its success depends on two things:  It must tell a good story, and you must find an audience for it.

Most books fail in the marketplace because nobody ever heard of them.  Only about 1/3 of new titles sell more than 100 copies.

Yet, an author today can build an audience solely through the community voice without leaving their own backyard.  Internet social networking has given authors their most powerful tool since the invention of paper. Word of mouth is the only thing that can make a book really successful.  Online communities allow authors to bond with readers intimately, inspiring deep loyalty.

There is no such thing as overnight success. It might require a year or more of steady work to see appreciable results.

Self-published authors who own the ISBN and online rights for their book can promote it however they please. Trade-published authors must confer with their publishers marketing department for approval.

Sales is nothing more than matching your product with a prospective buyer's needs and desire.  Early on those prospective buyers are wholesalers, distributors, and bookstores. They want to know you'll be an integral part of the promotion process . . . making sure those books aren't hanging around long.

Next are potential reviewers.  You're selling them on the subject of your book and why readers would care.

Final audience is book buyers, whose needs and desires can be met with your book.

Figure out what sets your book apart in the marketplace and drive that difference home - early and often.

Your #1 job is to Build the Demand for Your Book.  Zero in on the key influencers for your target audiences and focus on taking massive action.

Who would be the most likely readers of your book?  To whom would your subject be especially appealing?

Why not put this action item on your to-do-list today?  Start an ongoing list of potential readers that will be there ready and waiting.  Brainstorm!  Give your mind the freedom to wander outside of the box, and write down any ideas that float to the surface.  Never know when something surprising will appear . . .

Business-building is NOT immodesty.  Drawing attention to yourself when you have a good, high-quality contribution to make to the book marketplace, that's why you wrote the book in the first place.  You're an author with a book the world needs to hear about, and you have every right to tell your story.  - Peter Bowerman

I'm posing this question because I'm guilty as charged of being so busy I haven't focused in on this most important step myself . . .  

(Also see:  Marketing in an Electronic World . . . My First Steps - June 26, 2011 and The Marketing Medusa . . . Don't Let It Overwhelm You! - July 28, 2011)
 
Excerpt from Chapter Eleven . . . Diary of a Vet's Wife, Loving and living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

     Toxic fumes burned the inside of my nose as we merged onto Highway 10, heading out into the country away from the snarl of city traffic.  Soon Lorne turned onto a two-lane road and opened her up.  I hung on tight.  The narrow strip of asphalt dipped and twisted without warning, snaking through the rolling fields while a broken white line blurred beneath us.  Chilling wind beat against my arms, tugging at my hair, pulling strands free to whip my face.  The air smelled fresh and clean.

     I clung to Lorne, my body pressed into his, feeling his warmth penetrating my tee shirt.  He felt good in my arms like he belonged there.  I held on tight, leaning with him on every curve, my eyes squeezed shut.  Brown and white patterned cows that munched on meadow grass lifted their heads to watch the bike roar by.  Intoxicated with a feeling of freedom, I rode the back of the wind aimed at some unknown planet.

Lessons Learned . . . My Two Cents

     I was headed for New Zealand, standing in line at the airport waiting to go through inspection, when the young woman in front of me turned and said, "You have such beautiful skin!"  I was flattered.  Then I told her my secret . . . "I use apple cider vinegar to remove my makeup at night (not mascara)."  She seemed surprised.

     This weekend at church, another woman made the same comment.  I gave her the same reply.  The next day when I saw her, she said with a smile, "I used apple cider vinegar this morning."  It was then I realized I should share my secret with all of you . . .

     I've used Apple Cider Vinegar on a cotton ball to cleanse my face at night for about 4-5 years.  I read it someplace, tried it and loved what it did for my skin . . . and it's inexpensive.  It acts as an exfoliant, tightens pores, and balances the PH factor in your skin to alkaline.  If your skin gets a bit dry until it gets use to it, switch to Witch Hazel for a few days.  I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised as I was . . .

Let me know how you like it . . .