Amy Saunders Skids in Sideways

Please welcome Amy Saunders, author of the mysteries The Jester's Apprentice and Dead Locked , to Skidding in Sideways. I had the honor to appear on her blog, and she has graciously come here to offer tips on how to find an audience.

Welcome, Amy!

Becoming a Girl With an Audience

When I started writing my first mystery novel, I wasn't a girl with a plan. I was just a girl who wanted to write. I dove into indie publishing, my only goal to gain a readership, and I've learned my lessons along the way. But this seemingly simple goal of finding an audience has proven one of the most challenging parts of this journey.

Challenge #1: Finding My Niche. The mystery genre includes everything from knitting cozies to hard-broiled crime fiction. When I first started promoting, I was totally confused as to where I fit in so I just snatched every marketing opportunity I came across and tried to represent my book the best way I could. I wasn't sure who would want to read my novels, and what little information I did gain on that front only confused me more. But I plunged ahead, determined to figure things out.

Solution #1: Paying Attention to What My Readers Read. Despite my confusion, my book did start to sell. So under my book, I flipped through the list of what customers had also bought. Not everyone reads the same exact thing all the time, but there was a pattern. I was definitely attracting more cozy readers, but a group who wanted more youthful, sexy cozy novels – somewhere in the category of cozy mystery meets chick lit.

Challenge #2: Appealing to My Readers. Knowledge is one thing, application is another. I obviously wanted to gain more readers in my niche, so the question became how to attract them?

Solution #2: Analyzing Books Like Mine. I returned to the 'customers also bought' list and realized two things immediately: my covers and book blurbs were off. So I studied what various successful authors were doing and went to work revising my own covers and blurbs. It took scanning stock illustrations until I wanted to throw up and honest feedback from friends, but I got the job done. And I will tell you that the effort has paid off, quite literally!

Challenge #3: Targeting Readers. Next, I wanted to know how to keep readers happy with my future books and continue to build my platform with them in mind. So the biggest difficulty was figuring out what about my books works and what I should do more or less of in the future.

Solution #3: Reading and Listening. First, I started reading what I knew my target audience likes, which is what I like to read anyway! But I read with a writer's eye, paying special attention to what the author zooms in on, what she glosses over, what the main characters are like, and the language itself. Each author and book is different, of course, but these details have helped me to understand what my audience is interested in. For instance, when it comes to details, I've noticed that heavy technical/procedural language is usually omitted and that fashion is indeed important.

I'm still learning about my audience and have no doubt that I will keep learning as time goes on. But now I'm able to focus on the people that matter – my readers. Knowing about what they like has helped me shape up my future books and keeps me focused when I feel stuck. Plus, it's actually freed me to write what I really want to write. All in all, finding my audience has been worth the challenges!

Check out Amy's ebooks on Amazon!