Writing, Self-Publishing, Book Marketing

Niche and You

November 10, 2009 at 1:21 pm mbutler22 Leave a comment

Whether you’re an experienced or novice writer, your story will integrate within a particular genre. The challenge for any writer, however, is discovering your writing niche and executing the benefits of a niche successfully.

Each of us has a type of writing that is best suited for our individual style and compliments our ongoing internal search to outlet creativity. The discovery process of finding your niche can be an adventurous and rewarding experience. Begin by evaluating your own experiences and interests. Then, evaluate the following writer-centric opportunities:

-        Writing Life: What do I want to write? Is there an emerging theme within my writing? Do I have to write?

-        Fiction or Nonfiction: Would I rather tell stories or research facts? Can I let my imagination lead the way or do I need structure and organization? Would I rather create my own truth in the characters I develop or interview people for the truth?

-        Audience: Which shelf do I imagine my book on in a bookstore? What targeted age group am I most comfortable with? Am I more  motivated to inspire or teach?

Defining your niche may take time, trial and error. It begins with knowing you — the you that is different from every other writer. Although you may write within similar topics or the same genre as other writers, your writing technique and style – your writing voice – is unique and separates you from the rest. Your unique writing voice is yours and yours alone, but you can use it within a niche to truly captivate your audience. 

Once you have defined your niche, study it. Read the work of others that are parallel to your storyline and examine your genre. You are not ranking yourself against other writers, but carving out your own uniqueness. The key is to understand the varying elements of different works and to differentiate your writing — establish a personality distinguishable by readers.    

Understand your niche and apply it to every aspect of your writing profession. Market yourself under your specific niche and focus on creating a forte in your writing. Utilize your author blog to contribute content specific to your book’s topic, which also enables constant digging and research into your area of expertise.

Niche development coincides with your branding strategy. It is finding you as an author and knowing who exactly with whom you are sharing your story. The benefit is once you have settled comfortably in your niche your writing and your voice will rise above the clutter.

- Melissa

Entry filed under: Marketing. Tags: Genre, niche, Self-Publishing, Writing, writing niche.