Before ever putting the pen (keyboard) to the manuscript, the first thing a writer of any genre needs to determine is: "Who am I writing this for?" And, for those of you up-and-coming children's book authors, the answer is NOT "every child". I speak to authors daily and at least a couple of times a week I hear, "every child should read this story" or "this is a one-of-a-kind children's book."
- NOT! - in both cases.
You must be to be specific. Children come in all ages, all shapes and sizes, all cultural backgrounds, numerous languages, numerous religions, many levels of education, and a multitude of differing economic backgrounds and above all, not all can read - get the point?
First, choose the age group you are targeting - 1 - 3, 4 -5, 6-7, etc. Next, is your book gender specific? In other words, is it primarily for, or about, a boy or girl, or neither. (okay, we are referring to insects, animals, etc.) Are there any cultural, language, religious, or economic barriers which might be crossed or compromised in your story? (You'd be surprised what some cultures and religions consider "unacceptable" that are readily "accepted" by others.)
Once you have your target audience in mind, get real. Of those you believe are your target audience, which ones will actually have access to, or be able to hear or read your story? Now here is the tough part - what makes you think this is reality? Don't get upset or defensive, let's look at an example.
Let's suppose you were lucky enough to get a major bookstore to put your book on their shelves. In this particular store, there are over 5,000 children's books in the children's section of the store. What makes your book different from the other 5,000; what will make a customer choose your book over the other 5,000; and most importantly, what will drive them to your book amongst the other 5,000 books? The true answer to all of these questions is three simple words: publicity, publicity, publicity. But we are not here to talk about marketing or publicity, you'll see an article on that later.
The problem you are dealing with and the questions ask above are all related to your target market. You must be specific about who your book is written for or it becomes just another "one in tens of thousands" of children's books available on the market. You must be specific about who your market is, so you can create a cover that is appealing to that gender, age group, culture, etc. You must be specific about who you are writing the book for, so you know who will be buying it, and how best to approach your potential customers about why your book is different from the rest. You see, if your book is written and published with a 4 - 5 year-old child in mind, who is your real customer?
Surprise! - it is NOT the child. It is their parents, grandparents, another child's parents, possibly a teacher or baby-sitter, etc., but it is NOT the child. You must crack the code on how to get the real customer to think your book is the right book for the child they so dearly care about and will cautiously screen any media, books, or influences which may harm them.
Now, let's go back to the original question: "who am I writing this book for"? (or for those of you who are grammar-hounds: "for whom am I writing this book?" Here are a couple of things which might help:
FOR WHOM AM I WRITING THIS BOOK?
1) Be completely honest with yourself - who is really going to buy your book?
2) Once purchased, who is the reading audience?
3) Does the book have age, culture, religious, or gender boundaries?
4) Will it be seen locally, regionally, or nationwide?
5) If the regionally and nationally, how will it be publicized?
6) Would Oprah like it?
7) Ask friends: "please review my book and tell me who my market is."
Think about this and stay tuned for further articles on writing and publishing a children's book. In the meantime, I'm sure you will agree, "publishing a children's book is NOT elementary, my dear Watson.
Written by Ric Simmons, President
Lifevest Publishing, Inc. ~~~~ _/) ~~~~
http://lifevestpublishing.com
http://AuthorsToBelieveIn.com
