Pinning Demographics in the Writer's Market

When you are writing a novel or novella, it is important to know who your readers are. That is why several websites that sell books have charts regarding the ages, genders, locations, and interests of readers. So, if you don’t have any of these tools available to you, how do you start? How do you know if you are targeting the right market. Simple. You do the research.

First, you might want to find out where your readers are located. By doing this, you will enable yourself to know where to advertise your books. No one wants to spend a ton of money and time advertising to the wrong crowd. According to WorldAtlas, the top ten countries that read the most are: India, Thailand, China, the Philippines, Egypt, the Czech Republic, Sweden, France, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia (WorldAtlas, 2021). I know, surprising right? The United States isn’t even on the top ten nor is the United Kingdom. Therefore, if you were using all of your time and effort in advertising solely in these countries, that is why you may not have made as many sales.

Now, you might want to figure out what format people are reading in. Do they like ebooks or paperbacks? Which format will bring you the most sales? Well again, this may be a shocker. “Publishers of books in all formats made almost $26 billion in revenue last year in the U.S., with print making up $22.6 billion and e-books taking $2.04 billion, according to the Association of American Publishers’ annual report 2019” (Handley, 2019). This means that even though it may be easier to create an ebook and rake in more revenue per book for the author, ebooks are not the dominating player in the publishing game. Paperbacks are.

Okay, so where are people finding their books? According to the Pew Research Center, “64% of those ages 16 and older said they get book recommendations from family members, friends, or co-workers, 28% of those ages 16 and older said they get recommendations from online bookstores or other websites, 23% of those ages 16 and older said they get recommendations from staffers in bookstores they visit in person, and 19% of those ages 16 and older said they get recommendations from librarians or library websites” (Pew Research Center, 2012). So, it sounds like social media advertisement might be the way to go. What other ways do people publicly connect with relatives and friends on a regular basis? They do this by word of mouth. If they see your book and decide to read it, they may tell a friend or family member about their enjoyment of your read, which can in turn result in another book sale or two.

It is important to know where your market is. If you know where your consumers are located, you can advertise there. If you know how your consumers spread their knowledge of your work, then you can make sure that you create advertisements that are easy to share with others. Also, if you create your books in a format that is more accessible and purchased, then you are giving your books a better chance at making money.

Knowing the facts can help an author figure out who his or reader is, what he or she likes, and where he or she can get his or her attention. This can be important information when marketing a book, and it can save you a lot of time. Therefore, the motto of the day is work smarter, not harder.

Sources

Handley, Lucy. (2019). Physical books still outsell e-books — and here’s why. CNBC. Retrieved October 3, 2021, from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/physical-books-still-outsell-e-books-and-heres-why.html.

Pew Research Center. (2012). Part 2: Where People Discover and Get Their Books. Retrieved October 3, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2012/06/22/part-2-where-people-discover-and-get-their-books/.

WorldAtlas. (2021). Which Countries Read the Most? Retrieved October 3, 2021, from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-countries-that-read-the-most.html.