Today’s writing dilemma…should I write for a specific audience or write for myself?
In my day job, I’ve been a product manager for ah-hem years. Rule #1 being – know your customer and develop a product to meet your customer’s needs. For years I’ve been analysing and getting to know my “target market”.
But when it comes to my writing, I don’t really know who my target audience is.
I’m writing a book I’d like to read and couldn’t find. In the wise words of the incredible Toni Morrison….
If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.
But then I’m busting another rule of marketing – don’t market to yourself. Cos that’s a pretty small market. I’m not going to buy my own book!
Confusion reigns.
This is today’s dilemma…how do you approach your writing? Do you have a specific audience in mind or do you write to interest yourself?
cbiliciwrites
I’ve recently been asking myself this very same question. Who am I writing for? Who is the target audience for this Ottoman steampunk adventure with a couple of ninjas thrown in that I have been working all month at?
Of course, it’s for me. Who else could it be for?
But then why should anyone else read it?
The only answer that I have come up with is, essentially, I am not all that unique. So there has to be people out there who, given that I have done a decent enough job, would also. It might seem ludicrous to leave to a law of averages, but it’s not really such a crapshoot. Talent has to come into it.
I guess therein lies the rub. I don’t have a degree in marketing or an editor or anything. So it’s all on me 😛
madeleinedeste
Your thoughts are similar to mine. Yes, I’m writing a book I would want to read and can’t find. It’s genre writing but I don’t think it fits into a neat little box. Is that good or bad? Who knows!? But it’s fun writing it.
cbiliciwrites
Yep. Fun it definitely is 🙂