Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours with fifty writers and lots of readers at a library Author Meet & Greet — shout out to Aurora Public Library! I had a great time talking to readers, but after the tenth time explaining a word in the title of my book — FRENEMY — I began to wonder if I was crazy and this word was way more obscure than I thought.
Writers don’t need much excuse to start freaking out about their work. But after I had a moment, I realized what was going on. No one who asked me to define the word was in my targeted audience, and no one in my targeted audience needed an explanation. There weren’t many YAs at the meet & greet (where were you guys, anyway?), so it felt like I was out of touch with potential readers.
If you’re trying to sell a product, offer an idea, or even persuade a friend to go out for Thai instead of French, know your audience and work to make sure whatever you’re selling will speak to them. You’ll never make everyone happy, which is great because variety makes the world go ’round. But when it comes to the people you’re trying to woo, work to give them what they want. At the same time, be willing to explain your product to people you never thought would be interested. They might prove you wrong.
