The last thing we did in the Christmas holidays (wow that seems so long ago now) was go to the cinema.
We’d been saying we’d go throughout the break between Christmas and New Year, so on the last day before my daughter went back to school, we drove to a cinema that boasts reclining seats, good snacks and huge screens and went to watch Avatar 2.
We’re all big fans of Avatar.
I remember watching the first one, way back in 2009 when my son was a little boy and my daughter hadn’t even been thought of yet, and so I was both nostalgic and excited as we found our seats.
We got there early.
We’re the type of family that wants its money’s worth. To see all the trailers and get comfy before the big show.
As we settled in, my daughter sitting in the middle of me and my husband, the fella to my right pressed the button to recline his seat and said loudly, ‘I just need a blanket now and I’m good.’
I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the type of cinema I’m talking about, with the La-Z-Boy type seats, but they are so comfortable and recline all the way back so you’re practically lying down.
Without meaning to, I giggled at his comment and the woman he was with, leaned over to me and said, ‘he’ll fall asleep. You watch, he’ll be asleep as soon as it starts.’
We got chatting, and they told me they were on a first date of sorts.
They’d met recently and even though he hated the first Avatar, and despised science fiction films, let alone an epic one that lasts three hours, he’d come to watch it to make her happy and ‘be romantic.’
‘Did you like the first one?’ He asked me, and I nodded.
‘Loved it,’ I said, and he rolled his eyes. ‘And if you start snoring,’ I told him, ‘I’m waking you up.’
The lights dimmed, the film started, and he shuffled about a bit in his seat, already restless.
I was worried.
I really wanted to enjoy this film, but three hours is a long time to be sitting next to someone who doesn’t want to be there.
As it went on, I got lost in the story and the man and his partner on their first date went out of my mind. But I noticed this: he got up around six or seven times throughout the film and left the theatre, coming back after about fifteen minutes.
I looked across at his date at one point after he’d walked out, and she kind of gave a shrug and a slight shake of her head and then we went back to watching the film.
When it had finished, and it is brilliant by the way, he turned to me and asked,
‘What did you think?’
‘Loved it.’ I told him, and he gave me the eye roll again.
‘I’m glad it’s over,’ he said with a laugh. ‘I tried to like it, I really wanted to, but it’s just not my thing.’
And isn’t that like everything?
You can’t force yourself to like something you hate.
Not even if it’s a first date and you’re trying your best to impress a new love. You can’t persuade yourself to enjoy something or be interested in something if it’s ‘just not your thing.’
And this is what’s super important to remember when you come to selling your book.
If you’re creating content, delivering newsletters, writing articles and doing everything completely right, but it’s only being shown to the wrong people, you’ll make little sales because for many people, the book you’ve written ‘just isn’t their thing.’
You need to only be creating content for your ideal reader.
The person who’s reading books like yours over and over. The reader who is searching out books like yours daily.
That’s the person you want to be seeing your content and signing up for your newsletter. So take the time to find out who they are. And once you know who you are, address every single piece of content you create to them.
Don’t do a scatter gun effect and hope for the best. Creating broad posts for everyone who likes to ‘read books’ will not be targeted or effective.
So how do you find this elusive ideal reader?
I’ve created a workbook that takes you through the steps to do just that, it’s for paying subs only for now, although you could sign up for a seven day free trial if you fancy grabbing a free copy and cancelling payment within the week.
It’s a workbook that you fill in as you research where your ideal reader hangs out on line and exactly who they are. Once you’ve completed it, all your book marketing will be easy-peasy, because you’ll know who you’re talking to.
And when you create content for your ideal reader, and only your ideal reader, your social channels will resonate with them, and they’ll engage and follow, and that’s exactly what we’re aiming for.
You’ll build up a community of perfect readers who are desperate to see what you're working on, and not simply following because they’re ‘trying to make themselves like it.’
I’m currently researching my ideal reader before I write my next book. Yep, before I even write a word.
I want to know who I’m writing for and what they like to make sure that when I finish the book; I know I’ll have people for who it really is their thing, and more importantly, people who’ll buy it.
If you want to see how I’m getting on, I’m sending out my first letter of the Self Publishing Diaries next week. They’ll be bi-weekly for the time being, as there are so many foundations to put in place before the writing even begins!
So tell me, what are you working on at the moment? I’d love it if you’d leave a comment so we can all see what books we have in the wings.
Have a brilliant weekend,
Zoe x