Before you write a book, you need to have someone to write to.
This part of the proposal is hugely, ridiculously important. You don’t want to invest your time and effort in a book that never gets read. So in this section, your goal is to show that not only is there a substantial audience for your book, but that you can reach them.
That may sound intimidating, but the good news is, you may already know the answers here. Who is already the beneficiary of your knowledge?
- Classes. Do you teach about your topic? What skill level or previous knowledge do your students have? Why do they take your class?
- Writings. Do you write articles for magazines, websites, or your own blog? Who comments, and what are they asking?
- Conversations. Do you participate in a community of people who are interested in your topic? Who are they, and what are they looking for?
- Social media. Who follows you on your topic-relevant social media accounts? (Your private Facebook page with your high school friends and your sweet Aunt Trudy doesn’t need to count here. I’m sure Aunt Trudy was the first to follow your professional page anyway.) Who shares your posts? Who interacts with them?
See, you already know your readers. You know what sort of content resonates with them, and you know what questions they’re likely ask. You’ve already been reaching them and connecting with them.
Let’s say you’re pitching a book about knitting baby clothes. You could take a look at who follows you on Instagram and downloads your Ravelry patterns and conclude that your audience is, generally, intermediate-level knitters and people who love your vintage-style knits. But if you’ve also been teaching a class on baby knits at your local yarn shop, you might add a secondary audience: beginning knitters who are expecting a baby.
Market Research
Once you’ve decided on those broad categories and you’ve shown that you have the power within you to reach them, you can always add more information establishing that the potential audience is, in fact, large. After all, not everyone who buys your book will be someone who knows who you are. (Obviously excepting Aunt Trudy.) Any editor or agent who reads your proposal will no doubt hit up sources such as Google Trends and start looking to trend reports in your industry. But if you happen to know of an article on how your subject is getting more attention lately, it’s fine to share that too, even if it’s not directly about you. You’re proving that there’s a market for your book.
And just in case this doesn’t go without saying: Now that you know who your audience is, write your book with them in mind!
Tiffany Hill, Editor 