Finding your readers
Published on Dec 21 2011 | Filed under: For Writers
Let’s face it, most of the planet is not going to like your writing, even more than that, they are REALLY not going to like your book. There actually might even be haters out there. Yeah, you heard me, haters. Straight up, they are going to despise your book and many for no good reason other than that they read it at the wrong time, on the wrong day when they just happened to be a touch constipated. And they will never ever recommend your book, they will never give it a second chance and you will never reach them. In the worse case scenario however, they will reach other potential readers and discourage them and what is really great about haters is that the only ones that will bother to review your book, or even tell anybody they picked it up, are the ones that REALLY hated it.
We all make our own flavors
But, that’s ok. That’s the way it is. You wouldn’t like their writing either. Don’t think about them, don’t focus on them, let it go. Not everybody is going to get you at all. It may be unfair and even a good few of them (had they read your book on that “right” day) would have liked it. But that’s how most readers read and when people read (you and me included) we’re looking for immediate gratification and, if we don’t get exactly what we’re looking for, we toss it. And that doesn’t necessarily mean it was bad writing. Writers can make better or worse readers. I’ve known writers who don’t read much because nothing is up to their standards. I also know writers who are like me, who can’t read enough, who actually flat out revel in all literature, the good, the bad, and the ugly. To me words are a drug and almost every flavor out there does something for me.
We are all affected differently
But that is simply not the case for most people. You are producing a certain flavor, some flavors go over better with more audiences then others. Take example: a cook book versus a character-driven five hundred page sci-fi, which one are more people gonna buy? Accepting this fact right away and immediately is one of the first steps to becoming (what I consider) a “professional” writer. We’re all writers but a lot of us never leave the closet, seeming to think of our work as fine wine “ya never know, the longer it gathers dust, maybe it’ll somehow get better!” I consider Stephen King one of the greatest writers of all time. Many writers laugh at this. And I laugh back at them. I am sad they can’t enjoy the wonders of Stephen King, but I am elated that I get to. I have no problem having my own tastes and I can completely enjoy them without company. But, I am a writer, and writing is done mostly alone so I’m used to enjoying things alone. You are a writer and your writing will first be enjoyed by you and you cannot, ever, let anyone, take that away from you.
You wouldn’t like ‘em anyway…
We’re talking about your own personal flavor now and, because of that, it’s easier to take offense when people do not like what you write but that is entirely why you don’t have any reason to take offense. Let’s say you probably would like to hang out with one in twenty people you meet on the street. That one in twenty may or may not like you and may or may not like your writing too. But the other nineteen you couldn’t get along with them if your life depended on it, so why would it offend you if they didn’t like your writing? Of course they won’t, you wouldn’t like their writing either.
So we land in the same place all of the writers before us land. You can’t take it personal. How many times have you heard that one? Well, if you’ve been around writing for a while like I have, oh eight billion, and most of those from myself. The point is to understand how to take criticism and understand who its coming from. For example: My boyfriend is reading my fantasy novel. A novel written by a woman. About women. It’s character driven and literary to some extent. There is action, though not right away. So, I am not offended by the fact that he’s not devouring it, I expected that. He might be my target man but he is not my target reader.
So, lighten up, focus not on the people who would probably never like your writing (even on a good day) focus on YOUR reader. Imagine them, see them in your mind. Is it a gal or guy? What’s their general age? Do they need to be English teachers to enjoy your writing? Or Construction workers? Know who your audience is and focus, focus, focus, on them. After that you have the opportunity to broaden that focus and attempt to pull more people in.