Who’s ever going to want to read this?
It’s a question authors ask themselves more than you might imagine. Finding the right audience for your novel is key to its success. Readers who love your genre or really gets into the characters you’ve created are your book’s natural-born cheerleaders. They’ll recommend you to their friends, suggest your book at their book club, and give you the reassurance that those voices living inside your head really are fun to hang out with!
I’ve been thinking alot about my book’s target audience as the reviews from my Advance Readers are starting to come in. I’m not completely surprised that some of the first to speak up have been up—the plot is full of the kind of hard-driving action that a lot of men enjoy—but I have to admit I’m really curious to hear what women think of it.
Throughout the writing of this book I always wanted to, and as a writer-had to, keep Sarah up front as the hero. She’s the hero. But I didn’t want to dismiss or belittle the males in the story just to serve her objectives. Instead, I tried to create a balance in the roles, influenced by the traditional spirits of women and men, but always making sure to cast Sarah as their leader at all times.
This isn’t a new concept; woman as leader. In Viking history we can look to Freydís Eiríksdóttir, a documented female Viking warrior, and Sigrid the Haughty, a Norwegian queen with significant political influence. We find these examples stretching back to the very beginning of our civilization’s long history.
So, I hope I’ve created a leader that women respond to and can immerse themselves in as they read the story. I can’t wait to hear their reviews!
You can read more about how authors find their voice in an article I wrote for work.