Defining Your Audience is Key to Creating an Engaging Non-Fiction Proposal

From the initial proposal to the promotional work after publication, your target audience will drive many of the decisions you make as an author, not to mention, most of the decisions your publisher will make.

An author who has a good handle on their audience will be able to better define the objectives of the book, their market analysis, promotional strategies, and why the book should or should not be on the market in the first place. 

Some books will not make it to market because the audience base is too narrow or vague. This doesn't necessarily mean the idea you have is dead though, there may be alternative outlets for the idea such as magazines, newspapers, or even electronic publishing.

For the scope of this article though, we are speaking about the non-fiction book market, so we'll get back on track with that line of thought.

Audience. Who are they? Where do they live? How many people will potentially buy the book? How do you find them?

Begin by taking a look at your non-fiction book idea and answer the following questions:

1) Is my audience- Male, Female, or Both? If both, is one sex more likely to pursue this topic? Why?

2) What age category is this book best suited for? Be as specific as possible.

3) Will this book appeal to a particular ethnic group?

4) Is this book suitable for only an American audience or does it have foreign appeal?

5) Are there commonalities the readers will have, such as "they will all be dog owners or soon-to-be dog owners." List as many commonalities you might think of.

6) What income range will the readers most likely be found in? For example: if you are writing a book on how to care for your luxury car, the prime audience will be those who would be in a higher income bracket. You may have readers at all income levels, but generally, there's a niche of where you base readership exists. If you are uncertain, there are other resources to tap into for the information (see next question.)