Who is your target audience?

If you are writing with the goal of publishing your work, you need to know your target audience - specifically!

Many authors fail to take this into consideration when they are writing. They write what impassions THEM, but they never stop to think if there's a large audience out there who also wants to read their work.

Make sure what you are writing is actually SELLING. Go to your local bookstore and ask what genres are selling best. See what's currently on the shelf.

Profile your target audience - what is their age, gender, income level, education level? Will your work appeal to a specific region of the country or world? Where does your target audience like to shop, where do they go for fun, and most important, what sites do they frequent online?

Bottom line, if there is not a NEED for what you are writing, it will never sell.

And if you do not know how to reach your audience, you will not sell books, either.

So do your research!!!

Axis Avenue

Friend and fellow author, Lynn Tincher, recently led me to the site Axis Avenue:

http://www.axisavenue.com/author/1240/l-diane-wolfe

It's another great place to post author tours and connect with others!

Author Megan DiMaria

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
Out Of Her Hands Tyndale House Publishers (September 22, 2008)
by Megan DiMaria

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I was born and raised in New York State and have since lived in Maine, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, and now I live in Colorado. My husband and I have three delightful, adult children and an old Jack Russell Terrier named Belle who seems to find her way into my novels. My resume will tell you I graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a degree in Communications, and after graduation I worked as a radio and television reporter, freelance writer, editor and marketing professional. I'm a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and am assistant director of Words For The Journey, Rocky Mountain Region. But what's most important to know about me is that I am a follower of Jesus, wife, mother, friend, reader and writer. Life’s a journey, enjoy the adventures!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In this second novel by Megan DiMaria, Linda Revere is back and continuing to struggle with the turmoil of contemporary life. Linda has been praying for her children's future spouses since they were very small. Confident that her prayers will be answered, Linda is not prepared for the young woman her son brings home. But Linda soon learns that while everything she once controlled is out of her hands, God is still in control. Megan uses her trademark humor while dealing with issues to which her readers will relate.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Out Of Her Hands, go HERE

"No sophomore slump for DiMaria! This novel (Out of Her Hands) is as engaging and meaningful as her first, Searching for Spice. Her realistic portrayal of the characters' lives should endear them to readers and help Christians to feel less alone in their daily trials." ~Romantic Times Magazine, 4 ½ stars TOP PICK!

“Life in Linda's world is messy...but filled with love, laughter, struggle and faith. Megan has created a most real heroine for us to love...and I adore her!”~Deena Peterson, reviewer: A Peek at my Bookshelf

“Megan DiMaria crafts a novel so compelling, so real, you forget you're reading fiction.”~Darcie Gudger, reviewer: TitleTrakk
"This is a great read for a quiet afternoon or in those times when you feel your own life spinning out of control and need the reality check of knowing you're not in it alone."~Amazon reviewer

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/141431888X

Importance of outlining

I'm working on my next book and I can't imagine starting a book without an outline.

It would be so easy to veer off course and lose sight of the storyline! Plus I would forget so many critical details and plot points without an outline. Character inconsistencies show up in an outline, too. It would just be one jumbled mess!

And I HAD to outline for my series. The Circle of Friends has so many characters that appear in several of the books, I had a master outline detailing the major events in their lives each year, from the first book all the way to the last book. (That was a span of over eight years, too.) It was the only way I could keep all of the details straight and remain consistent from book to book.

Needless to say, I highly recommend that everyone starts with an outline!