While writing can be one of the most rewarding careers, it is a difficult one to crack. While you may be feeling like your writing career isn’t progressing at the rate you hoped, it doesn’t mean you should give up altogether. There may be a few reasons why your writing isn’t reaching those who matter and hopefully identifying where you might be going wrong will help you get back on track.
Understanding your target audience is one of the first elements to consider when writing. You may have already decided who you want to reach with your content however it could be one of the reasons you aren’t progressing. It’s important to get into the minds of your audience and cater to their needs, not everyone consumes content in the same way. If your chosen demographic is within an older age range then you should be looking at getting your product into their hands. The older generation will primarily be focused on physical material such as newspapers and magazines so if you’ve been trying to target your audience online you might not be reaching the right people.
If your writing young adult or middle grade then social media is a vital part of your advertising. There are two parts to this, one being your social media accounts and the other being how you get your writing seen online. First it’s crucial that you are always up to date on your social media this includes instagram, twitter and goodreads, it’s all quite fast paced so being present will help you stay relevant; writers are doing great things online at the moment so try and find some inspiration and create some online content that will entice new and old readers. Secondly, how young readers consume their content has changed drastically and instagram and YouTube are some of the most popular avenues. Make sure you get in touch with book reviewers online as they will be the ones recommending your work, pitch your product and ask if you could send out a free copy in exchange for a review. If you manage to get your writing in a video or post it can reach thousands of people.
If you’ve reached this point and you’re still struggling to progress then it may be that your chosen audience or genre isn’t compatible for your writing. Try something new, write for a different reader or perhaps work on a new trope. It’s always beneficial to practice and experiment with contrasting genres, you could surprise yourself with the outcome.
Another aspect to look at is your branding, whilst your writing is the selling point it’s important that readers know who your are and your style so they can determine if your writing is for them. If you’ve got a big presence online then make sure all your logos and imaging is coherent and within your overall aesthetic. If you’ve got physical copies of your book or piece of writing then ensure any graphics or images also coincide, if audiences can identify your work simply by imagery then you’re on the right track.
If your writing isn’t being read by enough people then it could have something to do with consistency. If its been a while since you’ve released work then its likely your audience may have forgotten you. You might be working on something big and it’s just not ready yet but its essential not to keep readers waiting too long. If you’re adamant that you do not want to publish a full piece then try releasing some small projects in the meantime, you don’t want to get left behind.
My last recommendation is to make sure you’re networking, there are plenty of book and publishing events you can attend. Get to know your future audiences as well as publishers, if permitted at the event then you can hand out small examples of your work along with contact details. When you have the ability to go out, look up local events you can attend and get networking.
