“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.

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.