The publishing world is competitive. Targeting specific genres and subgenres can enhance the commercial viability of your book. Here’s why this strategic focus is so effective:

1. Meeting Reader Expectations

Genre Conventions:

• Every genre has its own set of conventions and tropes that readers expect and enjoy. By adhering to these, you meet the expectations of genre enthusiasts, making your book more appealing to them.

Predictable Audience:

• Targeting a specific genre helps you identify and understand your audience more clearly. You can tailor your marketing and promotional efforts to attract this well-defined group.

2. Niche Markets

Less Competition:

• Subgenres often have less competition compared to broader genres. By focusing on a niche market, you can stand out more easily and attract readers looking for something specific.

Dedicated Fanbase:

• Readers of niche genres are often dedicated and loyal. Once you capture their interest, they are more likely to become repeat customers and advocates for your work.

3. Effective Marketing

Targeted Advertising:

• With a clear genre or subgenre focus, your advertising can be more precise. You can use targeted ads on platforms like Facebook, Amazon and Goodreads to reach the right readers.

Optimized Metadata:

• When you know your specific genre, you can optimize your book’s metadata (title, keywords, categories) to improve discoverability on search engines and online bookstores.

4. Stronger Branding

Consistent Author Brand:

• Writing within a specific genre or subgenre helps you build a consistent author brand. Readers know what to expect from you, strengthening your reputation and making cultivating a loyal following easier.

Series Potential:

• Genres and subgenres often lend themselves well to series writing. A successful series can generate ongoing interest and sales as readers eagerly expect the next installment.

5. Community Engagement

Reader Communities:

• Each genre has dedicated communities and fan groups. Engaging with these communities can provide valuable feedback, promote word-of-mouth marketing, and create a sense of connection with your readers.

Industry Events:

• Genre-specific events, such as conventions and book fairs, offer opportunities to network, market your book, and connect with readers and other authors.

6. Higher Conversion Rates

Focused Efforts:

• Concentrating your efforts on a specific genre makes your marketing and promotional activities more likely to convert into sales. You can craft compelling messages that resonate with your target audience’s desires and interests.

Enhanced Reader Engagement:

• Books that align with genre expectations are likelier to keep readers engaged. Satisfied readers are more inclined to leave positive reviews, recommend your book, and look for more of your work.

7. Adaptive Strategy

Trend Monitoring:

• Keeping a pulse on genre trends allows you to adapt and evolve your writing to align with changing reader preferences, ensuring that your work remains relevant and appealing.

Feedback Utilization:

• Focusing on a specific genre makes gathering and using reader feedback easier to refine your writing and better meet market demands.

Conclusion

Targeting specific genres and subgenres is a powerful strategy to enhance the commercial viability of your book. It allows you to meet reader expectations, tap into niche markets, optimize your marketing efforts, build a strong author brand, engage with dedicated communities, achieve higher conversion rates, and adapt to market trends. By understanding and leveraging the unique dynamics of your chosen genre, you can increase your chances of success.

Here’s more about the Write-To-Market approach:

‘Write to Market’ means understanding what readers crave and tailoring your writing to meet those desires. It’s about hitting that sweet spot where your creative idea is shaped to meet market demand.

There are specific things you should look at when evaluating your market. The information you glean can help you write a more commercially competitive book. Here’s what that information should comprise:

Comparative Title Analysis:

• Revenue Assessment for the Top 20+ Selling Books in the Genre and Subgenres. See the revenue estimates for top sellers in your genre and subgenres (which show the market demand and potential).
• Specific Title Strengths & Weaknesses Breakdown. Analysis of a title’s strengths and weaknesses, why readers bought it, and why some might not buy it.
• Specific Title Discourse Breakdown. A comprehensive report on how language is used throughout the book, such as the choice of words, how sentences are structured, and the language and communication strategies used by the author to convey their message and engage with their audience.
• Specific Title Thematic & Narrative Breakdown. A comprehensive and detailed thematic and narrative analysis of the story, examining the structure, content, and meaning. Analyzing patterns or themes, looking for commonalities and differences that can be used as writing guides.
• Specific Title Structural Breakdown. A comprehensive and detailed structural narrative analysis highlights the structure’s benefits to the reader.

Genre / Subgenre Analysis:

• Market Intelligence (Overview)
• Market Trends
• Reader Demographics & Psychographics
• What Readers Need & Desire (Audience Feedback)
• What Story Elements and Qualities Readers Look For
• Critical Success Factors (for Fiction or Nonfiction)

These are the same Write-To-Market reports we generate and use for developing, planning, and writing our stories. The information comes from qualitative analysis, machine learning and predictive modeling using a combination of historical Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes & Noble reviews, historical customer reviews and ratings, market research, on-site analytics, key element analysis, social media insights and other historical insights to provide a deep understanding of the reader’s demographics, interests, psychographics and sentiment toward books in the genre and subgenre.

Contact us if you need help with a Write-To-Market approach to your book planning, writing and publishing or if you would like to request an example of our reports.