When you’re daydreaming about your book being in your readers’ hands, who do you envision holding it? Who would your book speak to the most?

Maybe it’s a younger version of you. Maybe it’s someone from a shared cultural background.

Whoever they are, the person you think of when you wonder who your book is for is likely your ideal reader.

Knowing who your ideal reader is specifically helps you home in on who will resonate with your book the most. By considering your ideal reader, you understand who you’re speaking to, how your book will impact them, and what you want to make them feel.

Many writers push back against the idea of an “ideal reader” because the concept sounds counter intuitive. Shouldn’t we want everyone to read our books? If we market to an “ideal” reader, are we possibly alienating other people who might discover our books? Are we “niche-ing” ourselves too much?

The answer to that is: No.

A book meant to appeal to everyone will appeal to almost no one.

Why?

Because in trying to speak to the widest audience possible (everyone), you end up hitting nobody’s heartstrings. People are so so so so different. If you want to speak to all of them, the only way to do so realistically is to dilute your message into the most generic, palatable thing. Generic, palatable things are forgettable! They’re really just “meh” and I can tell you that authors are not setting out to write “meh” books!

My books, Blood in the Water, Only Fools Rush In, and Caught in the Crossfire are NOT for everyone.

They’re why choose, mafia romance—which means they’re dark, violent, and spicy. They come with a whole page of content warnings, and tons of explicit content. And it’s completely okay that they’re not for everyone (and might not be for you, too!).

I know my books speak to my ideal reader.

I know I’m meeting that reader’s expectations. I KNOW my ideal reader loves them, because I wrote them with that person in mind. My goals are to tug heartstrings, change people’s lives, open eyes, impact them emotionally, and make them feel something.

Being confident in who my ideal reader is gives me so much excitement and pride on release day, despite all the uncertainty and anxiety. As the emotions surge, I’m grounded by the reactions, support, and encouragement of my ideal readers.

See, you cannot please everyone. Nor should you try to.

Instead, you should work to understand who your ideal reader is: what they care about, what they want to read, what they love.

Then, you can build your story around what that specific person cares about, and how your books will impact their life.

Understanding your ideal reader is crucial for developing everything about your book—from its message, to its character arcs, to its plot, to its marketing.

By considering your ideal reader, you understand who you’re speaking to, how your book will impact them, and what you want to make them feel.

AND it gives you guidance to help you dial in on things like:

What message would resonate with your ideal reader?

For example, for me, a woman in my thirties with a young daughter, I don’t really resonate too much with a coming of age message any more. Is it fine? Sure. Will I pick those books up regularly? No. But for a teenager who struggled to understand their identity, I picked up coming of age books nonstop.

What kind of arcs would this ideal reader identify with?

For example, an arc about sexual exploration and letting go of internalized shame would not be right for a reader who wants to see action/adventure books about pushing the limits of morality.

What kind of plot would grip your ideal reader?

For example, a plot about winning prom queen is likely not going to resonate with a grown man interested in putting his detective skills to work.

In each of these examples, even just knowing the age group of your reader counts toward understanding who your ideal reader is! And knowing what they care about and why it matters to them is HUGE for being able to not only write your book for that specific person but also to market it.

Do ideal readers have to be as specific as “31 year old woman with a 4 year old daughter who has blonde hair?” Nope! Not at all!

But if you understand you’re speaking to “kids who have struggled with bullies, who want to be seen, who live in an environment where they can’t wait to grow up but are stuck in limbo and unsure of their future,” damn could you create a compelling story that touches that person. And literally there are so many kids who hit that group.

To dive into who your ideal reader is, you need to get to know them. Start by thinking about what is important to them and what they care about. Develop that ideal reader as if they were a character. Keep them in mind as you write and as you make decisions for your story.

You can ask questions like:

  • How old are they exactly?
  • What’s their gender?
  • What are their passions? What are their dreams?
  • What do they fear?
  • What do they need to hear? What do they need to learn?
  • How do you want them to feel as they read?
  • How do you want them to feel at the end of your story?
  • What do you want them to take away or learn from your character’s journey?

Literally visualize this person. Give them a name! The more you understand them (and they may be a version of yourself!), the more you can use their experiences to help you craft a book that resonates with them.

The more you understand who your ideal reader is (and it can look like many different things, with varying degrees of specificity), then you are so much more well-equipped to not only create a compelling narrative, but to also understand how you will sell it to the people that will care about it.

xo,