Who is your target audience?

[Miskatonic]

Not sure what section this belongs in.

Is there a particular audience demographic that you are trying to focus on with your stories?

For instance, my focus is much more on adults than say teens and younger.

 

[Ophiucha]

I don't write YA or children's lit, so I suppose that means I write for adults. Probably the 20-40 crowd more than 50+, if we're further dividing up that demographic. Also, more for women.

 

[Feo Takahari]

I guess I'd say ages 13-30 would be the most likely to identify with my characters. I don't make assumptions about who'll be reading my books, though--I've certainly read plenty of books that weren't marketed to me.

 

[Devor]

Well. Okay. I'll try.

I'm writing for the fanboys. Those are the geeks who like stories that gives them a lot of little cool things to talk about. I want to have things in my stories that fans can get together and "geek out" about.

I'm writing for adults that like mature relationships. And I mean adult/mature in the real way, the grown up, this-is-what-a-relationship-is-like, let's-work-at-living-life-together way.

I'm writing for action fantasy fans that like to see swordfights, magical booms and heroes who survive by the skin of their teeth.

I'm writing for the escapists who want to dream about an awesome, beautiful "shire" and get away from the crap of real life.

I'm writing for idealists who like to think about what life should be like.

I'm writing for those who are tired of the fake, who like to talk about the "real" consequences of warfare and the struggles of life.

I'm writing for horror fans who like to shiver at the temptations of evil.

I'm writing for people who want the good guy to win in the end but can't imagine how that's ever going to happen.

 

[cupiscent]

I'm writing for an audience like me.

But to be more useful and less flippant, what that means is I'm writing for readers who would like to see fantasy stories with more diversity (of gender, of race, of sexuality, of experience in general, and also of setting - I'm writing for people like me, who ask, "Why does it always have to be European?"). I'm writing for readers who find emotional action more interesting and fulfilling than physical action (but who appreciate a nice bit of physicality when the emotional resonance is strong). I'm writing for readers who want a satisfying ending and to see a character develop, but get annoyed when things are too easy or neat. I'm writing for readers who like to explore significant aspects of being human, in terms of both the individual and broader society, through speculative fiction. I'm writing for readers who believe part of the beauty of life is because of the grubby, difficult bits. And I'm writing for readers who enjoy language.

 

[Reaver]

I don't write with the intention of getting published so my target audience is anyone who is intrigued by my ideas and wants to read my stories.

 

[Garren Jacobsen]

Me, but mostly anyone between the ages of 13-130. I want a broad base audience.

 

[Ruby]

Hi Miskatonic,

I wasn't aware of having a target audience and thought I was writing Comedic Fantasy. But I've been told by someone who knows about these things that I'm writing for children/young adults. Having said that, a lot of adults read these genres too.

I think the book you write kind of chooses YOU, not the other way round.:Smile:

 

[BWFoster78]

Me, but mostly anyone between the ages of 13-130. I want a broad base audience.

I'm going for everyone alive on the planet earth

It was a tough call, but I chose to exclude ghosts b/c they, as far as I know, have no money, and space aliens b/c my work relies heavily on the human condition.

 

[Svrtnsse]

I'm trying to write for a person who's keen on a bit of escapism, but who's getting a little bit tired of the regular action packed fantasy stories. I'm trying to write for someone who's got time to stop and smell the flowers, and who's able to find wonder even in the little things.

 

[Russ]

First- Acquiring Editors

After that anyone who likes fantasy probably about 15 and up.

 

[SeverinR]

Definitely YA, but YA has a very large group.13-30+.

 

[skip.knox]

I write for 21st century humans. Dwarves don't buy fantasy and elves all think they're a bunch of literary critics. And orcs just eat the covers.

Honestly, I scorn the notion of audience. If the notion were taken seriously, I would never have discovered H.G. Wells at fourteen. My audience is whoever reads the story, whether or not they like it.

 

[BWFoster78]

Honestly, I scorn the notion of audience. If the notion were taken seriously, I would never have discovered H.G. Wells at fourteen. My audience is whoever reads the story, whether or not they like it.

I think that, if you're trying to make a career out of writing, it's smart to pay attention to who your audience is. Maybe you have fans who really love your stuff and buy everything you write. All it would take is one book that they hate to put them off of you forever. Not to mention the time wasted creating something that the market doesn't want.

Until you reach a point where earning a living is even a possibility, though, I'm not sure it does a whole lot of good.

 

[Devor]

I write for 21st century humans. Dwarves don't buy fantasy and elves all think they're a bunch of literary critics. And orcs just eat the covers.

I agree, it's really hard to sell fantasy to a dwarf. But elven critics can sell thousands of books if you can manage to impress them, and orcs may not buy a lot of copies in wood carving editions, but the margins are high so it's worth the risk.

 

[Chessie]

I would say that Elven critics would be the worst, with their finicky ways and above average selections. Dwarves might be more into epic fantasy too.

On a slightly more serious note, I'd like to include a wide range of readers into my audience but it's not like I'll be choosing who reads my stories. Definitely though, I do not write for children. My stories are full of adult things, so my target audience is 18+. Anyone who likes mythic fantasy with a splash of drama and suffering is invited.