IT’S THURSDAY, DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR READER IS?

Just came out of Sales Conference, a full two days of talking about our books, our authors, our PR/marketing plans, our cover designs and looking at lots of data

As I think about the data, it reminds me of  conversations I’ve had lately with authors, both Sourcebooks' authors and many others I meet at conferences, along the lines of “you are not your reader.”

Now, it’s probably obvious that authors are also voracious readers. But authors are not necessarily the demographic of their readership.

So here’s a quiz, and as I look at your posts and answers (feel free to pose questions too) today, I’m going to share some of the data I have about who the romance reader is, and what I know about her (yes, she’s predominantly a “she”).

PLEASE ALSO POSE QUESTIONS—I THINK THIS IS A REALLY USEFUL CONVERSATION FOR AUTHORS TO HAVE, AND QUESTIONS ARE AS IMPORTANT AS ANSWERS SOMETIMES.

1  (Yes or NO) Do you think you and your core readership match in:

a        Age within 10 years? YES or NO

b       Household income within $5K? YES or NO

c        National Region? (South, Midwest, Northeast, Southwest, Northwest) YES or NO

d       Regional type? (Urban, Suburban, Rural) YES or NO

e       Education level? (Nongraduate, High school graduate, College graduate, Advanced degree) YES or NO

2   Have you ever asked your readers for their demographic information?

3  (Multiple choice—one answer only—your main answer to this question) Would you say you are writing:

a      the books you want to read?

b     Books you believe the majority of romance readers want to read?

c     The books you want to write (the book of your heart)?

d     I’ve never thought about it this way                                                                                                           

        I don’t know

4 What is the median age of the romance reader?

5 What is the household income of the majority of romance readers?

6 What is the education level of the majority of romance readers?

7 In what region does the highest percentage of romance readers live?

8 In what region does the second highest percentage of romance readers live?

9 Where do the majority of romance readers buy their books?

1 Where do the majority of romance readers discover new authors?