I was super excited the other day to see that Janice Hardy had posted the next step in developing an author business plan: identifying your readers. This is a part of the process I’ve always struggled to formalize… I know I write for young adults interested in history who also want to be entertained, but what else do I need to know about them?

Gender and Age Range

Janice emphasizes this is the gender and age range most likely to read my books. I think there are a couple men who have read Haunting Miss Trentwood and enjoyed it, but I’ll admit, they weren’t my target audience. I love that they had fun with the book, though!

1. Primary audience: Girls ages 12 – 17 years
2. Secondary audience: Women ages 30 – 44 years
   55% of YA purchased by adults; of that, 28% belong to this gender/age group according to Nielson Market Research

What popular authors write similar books to mine?

Somehow my books have been lumped up with far more gothic and sexier books than the ones I believe I’m writing. Hmm… I wonder how I can change that?

What TV shows draw a similar readers?

This is a hard one since there aren’t many historical shows out right now. But the shows which hint at the tone in my books (or the tone I perceive in my books)…

• Reign
• Pushing Daisies
• Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
• Anne of Green Gables

What expectations do they bring to the genre?

• I want to learn a little about historical events.
• I want to escape from my day-to-day worries and settle into something fun for a little while.

Will I fulfill or break these expectations?
Well, my hope is to meet these expectations, for sure. I think I’ll break expectations by not spending as much time “teaching” the way Ann Rinaldi does. Perhaps this is a way to differentiate so my writing seems more young adult rather than escapist adult fiction…