Knowing Your Audience

Who are your audience?

What age group do they fit into?
o Toddler to Kindergarten
o Grades 1-2
o Grades 2-4
o Grades 4-7
o Grades 7-12
Which gender are you targeting?
o Girls
o Boys
o Both
Describe the type of household and neighborhood they live in as well as anything else which you think may affect
how you relate to the audience in your writing (e.g. entertainment)?

What research have you conducted so far to improve your knowledge of the target audience?
o Spent time with children within the age group
o Interviewed parents
o Interviewed teachers
o Interviewed friends and family
o Looked into annual indexes about consumer trends (e.g. Slideshare)
o Researched your demographic in the U.S. Census
o Read Nielsen's PRIZM segmentations
o Conducted a survey on Facebook
o Conducted a survey on Twitter
o Conducted a survey on other social networking websites

When you have finished your research organise it into manageable groups, for example:
 What have I learnt about the lifestyle of my target audience?
 What interests my target audience?
 What do parents want from my books?
 What do teachers want from my books?

What do publishers want?

List the top 5 books currently being marketed to your target audience?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What do they have in common?
What makes them unique and original?
What are the trends currently happening around you?
Are there any trends you have found which are predicted to happen in the near future? Could these be useful for
your writing?