“Everyone” Is Not Your Reader  

Defining your target market can take a little bit of work, but it’s worth it. One thing to keep in mind is "everyone" is not your reader. No matter how great your book is, not everyone will like it. And no matter how much you believe the whole world would enjoy reading your work, not everyone will be interested in it. Trying to market to anyone and everyone is a huge waste of your time and energy; you will find you become more general and anodyne, and your message will become diluted. All you want to do is identify those perfect target readers and market to them. Do that and you can have a very rewarding writing career. 

How to Find Your Readers  

Start by asking yourself, “Who would want to read my book? Who did I write it for?” Even if you didn’t write with a particular reader in mind, you probably have a rough idea of who would love your book—male or female, child, young adult or adult, for example. You can also look objectively at your book and reverse engineer who it would be great for.  

Things to think about include:  

• What is your book’s genre?  
• What themes and hooks does it include?  
• What are your comparable books?   
• What sets your book apart from the competition? 

 As the author, you should also consider what makes you special:  

• Why are you the best, or only, person able to write your book?  
• What compels you to write what you write?  
• What is unique about your writing style or what are your strengths?  

Now, with the answers to these questions in mind, you can think about who would resonate with these things. Your answer can be quite rough, again considering age and gender but also perhaps some of this person’s interests, hobbies, or personality traits. If you’re writing nonfiction, ask yourself what problems or questions your target reader has that your book can solve.  

Now think about where you may be able to find your target readers. Make a list of all the places where they may hang out. Consider online and offline channels, such as the social channels they use (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), the blogs they read, the podcasts they listen to, the magazines or newspapers they read, and the TV shows they watch. Also make a list of social media groups and/or forums where people with an interest in your book’s themes may have a presence.  

With your target readers in mind, you can more easily think about what motivates and interests them, what they like and dislike; this can help you find more places where they frequent. Once you know who your readers are and where you can find them, it changes how you view marketing your book. It’s no longer “how can I sell my book?” Instead, it’s “how can I get in front of my target readers to let them know I and my books exist?”

Author Brand  

Having thought about who your readers are, now would be a good time to think about who you are as an author—what is the message you want to share, and how do you want to be seen by others? In short, what is your brand?  

Brand is everything people perceive you as. It’s your personality, every word you write, the fonts and colors you use, the way you make people feel when they read your books or visit your website.  

Many people wrongly equate brand to a logo or website colors, and although these are brand elements, a brand is much more than just these graphic aspects. 

Here are five best ways to start building an author brand with purpose:  

• How do you want others to see you?  
• What do you want people to think when they hear your name? 

Your brand voice is the tone you use in your blogs, across social media, and in the type of content you share— for example, are you witty, wise, or whimsical? To develop your brand voice, think about your values, what’s important to you, and what you want to represent. 

2. Figure out your USP 

Knowing your USP, or unique selling point, is essential if you want to get across to readers why they should buy your books. How are you different? If you’re a romance author, for example, what makes you different from all the other romance authors?  

• Why do people read your books? Is it the quality of the writing, your strong characters, or your brilliant pacing?  
• What are your unique strengths? 

If you find it difficult to know what counts as a strength, try thinking about what you love about other authors. Do you share any of those qualities?  

3. Set some expectations 

The aim of your brand is to tell your readers what they can expect from you. Expectations can include the genre you write in, how often you will blog, or when you will send emails. Always aim to be known for high quality, such as books that are formatted correctly, free from typos and with great covers.  

4. Know what you’re branding 

The key is to brand you, not your book. If you plan to have a long career, it makes no sense to have a website named after your first book. Your brand doesn’t have to be who you are in real life; it can be a persona. Just be sure you can stick with it, as consistency is important—an authentic brand is one where the brand values are reflected in everything you do and say.  

5. Choose a look 

This is the part that most people think of when they think about brand. It’s the color palette, graphics and visual cues, photos, and typeface. 

Yes, it’s also the logo! When choosing a look for your brand, there’s no need to be fancy or pay an expert—just remember to be consistent.  

Choose fonts and colors that support your brand voice and message. If you’re a horror author, for example, you might want to consider dark colors for your website.  

A strong brand can help you stand out from the crowd, so remember to implement it across your social channels, promotional bookmarks or business cards, your website, and even your email signature. 

You can read more advice in "Chapter 6: Standing out from the crowd – PR, publicity and marketing," published in the Writers’ & Artists’ Guide to Self-Publishing (March 2020), © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2020.