As you peer into their various sites you are looking for specifics of how that author presents their books and how you might present yours. You are not there to copy but to learn and emulate. Undoubtedly, you will discover the many places the author is listed ranging anywhere from YouTube to Facebook to Amazon. Follow and study those links and you will not only acquire information about that author and their audience but discover how you may use this information to develop your own following.
How do you know if their readers will be interested in your book? Again, genre is the key. For example, if you have written a dark, spooky novel then most likely your audience wouldn’t be the same as Christian writer Karen Kingsbury’s, but it might be the same as Stephen King. If you’ve written an adventure novel, then maybe you want to research James Patterson or Tom Clancy. Know your genre and the authors that have enjoyed success in that arena then set about shopping for your audience.
Reader reviews are significant so be sure to read them. Those reviews will tell you why they like the author and/or the story and what it was that drew him/her in. Did the first page grab the reader? Did they cry? Did they laugh? How did they relate to the story? Will these readers relate to your story?
As you window shop authors be sure to take notes of what impressed you. Make a list of dos and don’ts, of locations, links and of reviewers. Listen to interviews of the authors to learn how they got started, where they listed their books and analyze the information you glean to see how you can incorporate what you have learned from them into your thoughts for marketing your book.
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