Sell More Books, Part 9: Niche Markets
Ten Ways to Sell More Books
9. Niche Markets
It seems counter-intuitive that writing for a niche market can sell more books, and yet it does. Broadly speaking, a niche market is composed of people with very narrow interests. What sets them apart from general readers? They know their subject matter intimately and will cut you to shreds if you don’t. There’s that… but, on the upside, they are devoted, sometimes fanatical, and you’ll become widely-known or somewhat-known in a matter of weeks.
First, know thy niche: A story about the daily struggles of a left-handed, one-eyed salamander named Stanley is a far cry from “Amphibians Like Newt: Political Discourse from the 1990s.” In this case, honing your keywords prior to publication is an important strategy. Search results matter. Lizard people will not read either story, though folks named Stanley might take an interest. The more specific your subject matter the smaller your audience. Resist the urge to get too specific.
For writers of non-fiction, the task is fairly straightforward. For example, “Pen and Ink Accountancy: To Quill or Not to Quill,” is obviously aimed at a very specific readership; though you might happily pick up a few people interested in calligraphy.
For writers of fiction, a more difficult task lies ahead. “Advanced Harpooning Techniques of the 19th Century” might seem like an unsellable niche title. Not many people would be interested in the story of an obsessed (and peg-legged) whaling skipper. Who is the audience here? Other Captains? Illiterate Sailors? Tattooed Polynesians? Even if half the people in New Bedford, Massachusetts bought the book, it would hardly make the best seller list. Nor did it, and yet it remains a classic to this day.
Other examples abound. Who would ever read a book about an itinerant Spanish nobleman with serious mental health issues? Or take the story of a civil servant who turns into a large bug… Who is the audience here? Russian bureaucrats, or entomologists? The answers may surprise you.
A small bit of historical perspective. When books were first written on mass, and here I mean fiction, genres did not exist. They were not handed down from on high, they developed, evolved, each and every one, by niche market writers.
I dabble in Health Insurance thrillers. It may seem odd to you, but consider, healthcare is a one of the largest growing occupations in the world. A niche market that could easily spawn a whole new genre; a genre, I might add, soon to be recognized by the BISAC coding system. As one reviewer put it: “The protagonist here doesn’t just cut through red tape, she uses a chainsaw…”
Staying true to the genre means careful plotting and sketching real life characters: the opioid-addicted receptionist; the diabolical (but retired) medicare-cheat; the perplexed intern who has a penchant for ordering costly tests; or the hapless patient, lost in a jurisdictional maze with a saline drip in his arm.
My audience expects no less. Lesson learned:
One must remain true to thine readers. As a writer, you must stay true to your niche at all costs.
next week: final thoughts
9. Niche Markets
It seems counter-intuitive that writing for a niche market can sell more books, and yet it does. Broadly speaking, a niche market is composed of people with very narrow interests. What sets them apart from general readers? They know their subject matter intimately and will cut you to shreds if you don’t. There’s that… but, on the upside, they are devoted, sometimes fanatical, and you’ll become widely-known or somewhat-known in a matter of weeks.
First, know thy niche: A story about the daily struggles of a left-handed, one-eyed salamander named Stanley is a far cry from “Amphibians Like Newt: Political Discourse from the 1990s.” In this case, honing your keywords prior to publication is an important strategy. Search results matter. Lizard people will not read either story, though folks named Stanley might take an interest. The more specific your subject matter the smaller your audience. Resist the urge to get too specific.
For writers of non-fiction, the task is fairly straightforward. For example, “Pen and Ink Accountancy: To Quill or Not to Quill,” is obviously aimed at a very specific readership; though you might happily pick up a few people interested in calligraphy.
For writers of fiction, a more difficult task lies ahead. “Advanced Harpooning Techniques of the 19th Century” might seem like an unsellable niche title. Not many people would be interested in the story of an obsessed (and peg-legged) whaling skipper. Who is the audience here? Other Captains? Illiterate Sailors? Tattooed Polynesians? Even if half the people in New Bedford, Massachusetts bought the book, it would hardly make the best seller list. Nor did it, and yet it remains a classic to this day.
Other examples abound. Who would ever read a book about an itinerant Spanish nobleman with serious mental health issues? Or take the story of a civil servant who turns into a large bug… Who is the audience here? Russian bureaucrats, or entomologists? The answers may surprise you.
A small bit of historical perspective. When books were first written on mass, and here I mean fiction, genres did not exist. They were not handed down from on high, they developed, evolved, each and every one, by niche market writers.
I dabble in Health Insurance thrillers. It may seem odd to you, but consider, healthcare is a one of the largest growing occupations in the world. A niche market that could easily spawn a whole new genre; a genre, I might add, soon to be recognized by the BISAC coding system. As one reviewer put it: “The protagonist here doesn’t just cut through red tape, she uses a chainsaw…”
Staying true to the genre means careful plotting and sketching real life characters: the opioid-addicted receptionist; the diabolical (but retired) medicare-cheat; the perplexed intern who has a penchant for ordering costly tests; or the hapless patient, lost in a jurisdictional maze with a saline drip in his arm.
My audience expects no less. Lesson learned:
One must remain true to thine readers. As a writer, you must stay true to your niche at all costs.
next week: final thoughts
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