3 powerful things authors can do now to find their ideal readers

Struggling to find your ideal readers? Here are 3 things you can do now to find and reach them with your messages.

Our recent newsletter survey revealed that finding your book’s target audience is a big problem for many of you. And I get it. This feels overwhelming when you’re already juggling writing, editing, and all the other demands of being an author.

But here’s the truth: It’s absolutely crucial that you know who is most likely to buy your book. It doesn’t matter how well-written it is if the people who should buy it don’t know about it.

And for them to know about it, you have to know who they are and how to get in front of them.

The challenge is often greater for fiction writers than nonfiction writers because so many novelists write for the joy of it instead of writing for a specific market.

There’s nothing wrong with that from a creative perspective, but from a business view, if you want people to read what you write, you need to write with your audience in mind.

The good news? You don’t need to become a data scientist or hire an expensive consultant to figure this out. Here are three practical things you can do right now to find your ideal readers.

1. Give your book a personality.

This might sound strange, but think of your book as a person. What kind of personality would it have?

Is your book male or female? Humorous or serious? Edgy or conservative? Mysterious or straightforward? Sexy or not sexy? Shy or friendly? If your book walked into a coffee shop, what would it order? How would it dress? What kind of conversations would it have?

This isn’t just a creative exercise. It’s a powerful way to understand who will connect with your work.

The person who will buy a book that seems playful and lighthearted might not be the same person who is attracted to something with a more serious, scholarly personality.

Once you’ve defined your book’s personality, you can start asking yourself who would be attracted to someone like that.

What kind of person would want to spend hours with this personality? What do they value? What are they looking for in their reading experience?

This personality exercise gives you a foundation for everything else you’ll discover about your readers.

2. Do some detective work online.

Here’s where many authors get stuck, but it’s actually easier than you think. You can uncover a surprising amount of information about who reads books like yours with some simple online research.

Start with genre research.

Go to your favorite search engine and type in your genre plus the word “demographics.” For example: “romance book demographics” or “mystery book demographics” or “self-help book demographics.” Put quotation marks around the phrase for more precise results.

If that doesn’t turn up much, try searching “who buys [your genre] books” or “who reads [your genre] books.”

Use the magazine trick.

If you’re still not finding what you need, think about magazines that reach your potential readers.

If you write health and fitness books, there are several health magazines whose readers are probably the same people who would read your book. Go to a relevant magazine’s website and look for their “advertising kit” or “media kit.”

These documents, designed for potential advertisers, contain detailed information about their readers’ ages, income levels, interests, and more.

Look for recent data.

The publishing world changes quickly, especially with digital books. Try to find information that’s no more than two or three years old. Older data might not reflect current reading habits.

What you’re looking for are details like:

• Age ranges
• Gender breakdown
• Income levels
• Geographic locations
• Education levels
• Family situations (married, single, parents, empty nesters)
• Reading preferences (print vs. digital, where they buy books)

Don’t worry if you can’t find answers to every question. Even partial information gives you a much clearer picture than starting with nothing.

3. Create your imagined ideal reader.

Now comes the fun part – and the part that will make all your future book promotion decisions easier.

Take everything you’ve learned and create an imaginary person who represents your ideal reader. Think of this person as a character in a story. Give them a name, age, job, family situation, hobbies, and preferences.

Be specific.

Instead of “women in their 40s,” create “Sarah, a 43-year-old working mother of two teenagers who lives in suburban Denver. She’s a project manager at a tech company, drives a Honda CR-V, and reads for 30 minutes before bed each night. She discovers new books through recommendations from friends and Amazon’s suggestions.”

Consider their daily life.

Where does Sarah shop? What TV shows does she watch? Does she listen to podcasts during her commute? Is she on social media, and if so, which platforms?

Does she belong to any clubs or organizations? What challenges is she facing in her life right now?

Think about their reading habits.

Does Sarah prefer print books or e-books? Does she buy books or borrow them from the library? Does she read reviews before purchasing? How much is she willing to spend on a book? Does she buy books as gifts?

Give them a backstory.

What brought Sarah to your book? What problem is she trying to solve, or what experience is she seeking? What would make her recommend your book to a friend?

The more detailed you make this person, the easier it becomes to make decisions about everything from your book cover design to where you spend your time promoting your work.

Why this matters more than you think

When you know your target audience – really know them – three important things happen:

• You’ll sell more books. You’ll stop wasting time on promotion tactics that don’t reach your readers and focus on the ones that do. If you discover your readers aren’t on X/Twitter, you can skip it entirely and put that energy into something more effective.
• You’ll make better publishing decisions. Your research might reveal that your readers strongly prefer print books over e-books, or that they frequently buy books as gifts. This information helps you make smarter decisions about formats, pricing, and timing.
• You’ll write better books for your fans. The more you understand your readers, the better you can serve them. If you learn that your audience faces specific challenges or has particular interests, you can weave elements into future books that will resonate even more deeply with them.

What to do next to find your ideal readers

Pick one of these three strategies and start there. Don’t try to do everything at once – that’s a recipe for overwhelm and inaction.

If you’re a visual person, start with the book personality exercise. If you love research, dive into the online detective work. If you’re a storyteller at heart, jump straight to creating your ideal reader character.

The key is to start somewhere and build on what you learn. Finding your ideal readers isn’t a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process that deepens as you publish more books and connect with more fans.

Remember, every bestselling author started exactly where you are now: with a book and a desire to find the people who need to read it.

The difference is that they took the time to figure out who those people were and where to find them.

Your ideal readers are out there, looking for exactly what you’ve written. These three steps will help you find each other.

Quick tips for finding your ideal readers

Frequently asked questions about finding your ideal reader

1. Why is it important for authors to identify their ideal readers?

Because knowing who your book is for helps you reach the people most likely to buy, enjoy, and recommend it. Without this clarity, you risk wasting time and energy promoting to the wrong audience.

2. How can giving my book a “personality” help me find readers?

When you imagine your book as a person with traits, preferences, and style, it becomes easier to figure out the type of reader who would be drawn to it. This creative exercise helps you define your audience in a relatable way.

3. What kind of online research helps authors learn about their readers?

Simple searches like “[your genre] book demographics” or checking media kits for relevant magazines can provide valuable insights into age, gender, income, interests, and more. These clues help you better understand who is already reading books like yours.

4. What is an “imagined ideal reader,” and why should I create one?

An imagined ideal reader is a detailed profile of a fictional person who represents your target audience. Giving them a name, job, hobbies, and preferences makes it easier to decide where to promote, what formats to publish in, and how to connect with real readers like them.

5. What should I do first if I feel overwhelmed by this process?

Start with just one of the three strategies – book personality, online research, or creating an ideal reader profile – whichever feels easiest or most natural to you. Then move on to the next one.

Please tell us one thing you know about your ideal reader in a comment!