by Cherrilynn Bisbano @BisbanoWrites

My seventy-five year old widowed mom has a veracious appetite for reading. She loves novels about cats. Yes, she is that cat lady. I have a different palates when it comes to novels. I like suspense thrillers and historical fiction. Some of my younger friends consume fantasy and steam punk novels like I consume ice cream.

So, how do we define and locate the readers who want to devour our book? We must analyze the market by doing the following:

• Classify our audiences age and gender
• Obtain statistics on sales of similar books
• Locate special interest communities
• Identify why we’re the one to write the book and felt need the book fulfills

Each agent or publisher has specific guidelines, so check their website before you submit your proposal.

Identify Audience:

Divide your audience into primary or target, secondary, and tertiary groups. The age span of the primary audience should be within ten years. The secondary and tertiary audiences will cover the remainder of the age groups. The secondary and tertiary audiences are usually people the original reader knows. Here is an example from a non-fiction book proposal:

TARGET AUDIENCE:  Men twenty to thirty years of age interested in bible facts, math, and strengthening their faith.

SECONDARY AUDIENCE: Pastors and church leaders who desire material to educate, equip, and strengthen their congregation with the truth of fulfilled prophecy.

TERTIARY AUDIENCE: Small group & Bible study leaders who desire to use fulfilled Bible prophecy to look back for strength to go forward.

Statistics of similar books:

Refer to your Competitive Analysis. You can find the statistics of the book sales and Amazon rating at http://www.salesrankexpress.com

Mention each book and quote the statistics. This shows that readers are attracted to the genre of our book.

Special interest communities:

Brainstorm organizations and local clubs that can benefit from your book. My dear friend Lori Roeleveld just released The Art of Hard Conversation. Her book is based on Christian principles, but anyone can glean from it. Her special interest communities are not just Christian leaders and laypeople, she can market to hospitals, nursing homes, businesses, homeschools, lunch & learns, and more.

My friend Elaine Cooper writes historical fiction. I was blessed to have her in my state to do research for her latest book. Rhode Island Historical Societies, schools, and libraries are her special interest groups, not just fans of historical romance novels.

Why you’re the one to write the book, and felt need the book fulfills.

Books can and will meet a need in the reader. A non-fiction book has the essential information a specific reader desires. A memoir will help others who have experienced the same events, emotions, and healing, along with their loved ones. Fiction books whisk readers away to another place and time, or help them laugh. As the author, you must prove to the agent and publisher that you are the one to write your proposed book. Have you researched the topic? Do you teach the content of the book? Did you travel to the location mentioned in your manuscript? Have you experienced the events or are you an eyewitness?  These are questions this section of the proposal will answer.

Creating the book proposal is a daunting task. If you’ve never done one, try producing a section at a time or hire someone to create it.

If you want more ideas on identifying readers for your books, or how to market your books, pray about attending the Mountainside Marketing Retreat.

Edie Melson and DiAnn Mills want to help you succeed. Join them at the Mountainside Marketing Retreat January 17^th-20^th 2020.

“A commitment to writing quality books means ensuring the work captures the eyes of the reader and leaves them wanting more. Learning the craft is critical—no shortcuts allowed—especially if writers want to succeed. Along with this, we must acknowledge that learning how to market is an integral part of our journey. It’s vital that we scale the peaks of marketing to ensure our work lands in the hands of our readers.” -Edie Melson

Who is your audience? If you have any questions or comments, please join the conversation.

Don’t Miss the Rest of the Series on Book Proposal Basics:

Part 1: Title Page, Table of Contents, and Sell Sheet

Part 2: The Author Page

Part 3: Chapter Outline or Book Synopsis

Part 4: Market Analysis

Part 5: Marketing Plan

Part 6: Three Chapters

Cherrilynn Bisbano is the founder of The Write Proposal book proposal services.

As managing editor of Almost an Author, she helped the website earn the #6 spot on the Top 100 best writing websites for 2018 by The Write Life and Top 101 Websites for writers with Writers Digest.

Cherrilynn is a speaker with Women Speakers. Her topics include leadership, book proposals, and the Bible. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

She is a two-time winner of Flash Fiction Weekly. You can find her published in Southern Writers, More to Life (MTL), Christian Rep, Christian Voice, Refresh and other online magazines. Cherrilynn is a contributor to Selah-nominated Breaking the Chains, Heart Reno, and Chicken Soup for the Soul-Miracles books.