Into the Fire

Yes, let's get back to the "audience" for our novels. It's fairly easy to identify and market to the audience of non-fiction and memoirs. They're relatively easy to pigeon-hole according to specifics of "genre" in the non-fiction category of books. That's in no way an insult to non-fiction readers – although those who read "only" non-fiction tend to be a little smug and condescending to those of us who read and write novels. Just sayin'. (Side note: it's usually those non-fiction readers who think all romance novels are the same with Fabio covers and meaningless male/female banter/shenanigans/sexual escapades/crying and ranting, etc.) 

Marketing might be key to finding the audience for my novels. However, within the Christian community of readers, there are so many variables with my stories it makes it a bit more difficult to find my particular audience. Out of my nine published novels, I have two, possibly three, that could be marketed to men as well as women. It's fairly common knowledge that most men don't prefer their fiction to be in the love story/romance genre. Okay, so we gear our marketing to females.

What age bracket? I stipulate its importance because if you're a young lady (especially a Christian young lady), you really might not have lived a lot of life yet, and my novels definitely depict some characters who've managed to indulge a lot of what the world has to offer. As a more mature Christian, you've observed a lot of life and hopefully haven't experienced it personally, but, if your history includes a season of rebellion, you'll understand how the world operates more easily. I don't "pretend" that worldly conduct is a good thing, but I do write it like it is without judgment. That has proven to be a point of contention for some Christian romance readers. It can also disqualify my writing (unjustly) from the trendy, shouldn't-be-a-thing, label of "Clean Fiction" for Christian fiction readers. 

Okay, so does that mean my novels have a place within a "niche" market? I don't know. My love stories don't follow the "norm" formula for romance novels which is why I categorize them as "Love stories heavy on the romance." Romance novels tend to be loaded with conflicts – many of them overdone misunderstandings between a couple or those who will become a couple. Those drive me crazy. As I've said ad nauseum here: I only read a very few authors of romance and my main reading consists of thrillers, mystery, and suspense novels. Point two: romance is a real thing and to deny its sexual component/temptation/mutual excitement is to ignore the definition of romantic attraction for both males and females. 

My stories contain both worldly and Christian protagonists and heroines and secondary characters who are also either. True redemption is always included no matter the struggle to get to it. Jesus is evident, but He might take His time to join the story.  

Here's my projected audience: Ages 30+; mostly female; primarily Christians (but a few non-Christians have praised the stories without their adherence to the "religious" parts)

So. You tell me. Who is my audience? The challenge to my readers: tell me who you think my audience is. 

Raw  Romantic  Redemptive      Love stories with a passion. 

Father, you know all the answers to my questions. You know my questions before I ask them. I know this: apart from you I can do nothing. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.