Part 1 of 3

Every Christian needs to read my book.

My book is headed straight to WalMart and Costco.

I’m planning to be on Oprah to promote my book.

I hate to rain on your parade, but if you believe the above statements, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

It’s important to have realistic expectations and to recognize who your real market is. In order to figure that out, ask yourself these defining questions: who, what, and where?

Who

If you cannot narrow down your who – the audience for whom your book is targeted – into a specific, narrow group, you’re going to have a difficult time marketing your book.

If your who is all Christians, all women, all men, or all teens, you’ll also have marketing problems.

Your goal should be to target your message to a specific group, such as:

• New moms
• Single moms
• Adoptive moms
• Stay at home moms
• Military wives
• Wives of veterans
• Cancer survivors
• Homeschoolers
• Christian writers
• Teachers
• The grieving
• Bereavement counselors
• Christian counselors
• Runners or hikers
• Pastors or church leaders
• People in sales
• Parents of terminally ill children
• Caregivers
• Senior citizens

You get the idea. The more clearly you can define your market, the easier it will be to find ways to advertise and promote to them.

If you are a fiction writer, make sure to include an issue in your story. Do not just have your main character become a Christian and live happily ever after; create a character who struggles with abortion, domestic violence, infidelity, prodigal children, AIDS, homosexuality, etc.

There are many support groups (both faith-based and secular) that reach out to those who face difficult issues. If you target your novel around a social issue, you’ll be able to niche-market your title to a targeted audience.

In next Monday’s post, we’ll discuss the WHAT.