“Whom are you writing for?” is the question I always ask writers as we start to work together to generate a memoir.
“I want my children and grandchildren to know me,” some writers answer, “and I want to place my life in a greater context.
Other memoirists will say, “I’m hoping to have readers beyond my kin, readers who are interested in a larger picture of what life was. There are some issues I would like to address.”
Let me repeat a shocking truth: your memoir—and mine—will not appeal to everyone in the world. It is likely to appeal only to a small niche group, but given that there are a billion people on the planet who read English, the “small” group may be large enough to support you nicely as a writer. You, the writer, have to reach them—that is the niche marketing part.
So…
Who will read your memoir?
An example of a niche market: the writer who is deaf has learned to speak and has developed a speaking career. This person has written a memoir of the experience. Her/his audience will be people who have dealt successfully with exceptionality and professionals who work with them. I’m not one of this audience. I’m sorry, but while I am generally sympathetic to this issue, I am not interested enough in it to spend hours reading about it. But, not to worry! There are tens of thousands of people who are interested in such a story.
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Writers: The free giveaways and the blog posts continue to be available. Please use these resources to develop your memoir. We will not be accepting coaching or editing clients, but can refer you to professionals who have worked with us. Contact: [email protected].
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In the video, Whom Are You Writing For? I discuss finding an audience for your book. Click above to learn more.
When you get to YouTube, be sure to like this video post. “Likes” help to bring a video to the attention of other writers.
Thank you, and whatever you do today, write a bit on your memoir.
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