WRITING FOR YOUR AUDIENCE

Robert E. Alberti, Ph.D., FAPA -- APA Honolulu -- July 2004

Why You Should Forget About Writing a Book

·         There are 50,000 or so new books published every year

·         There are over a million books in print

·         Most new books don't sell out their first printing

·         Somebody's already done your book

·         You're probably not a very good writer

Why You Should Forge Ahead in Spite of the Odds

·         There are 50,000 new books published every year -- why not yours?

·         You have something to say, or you wouldn't have made it here at 8am

·         There's always room for another good book

·         If you have a good idea, you can get help with the writing

The Many Roles of Author

·         Conceptualizer:  What to write about?  How to limit the topic (like dissertation)?  How to make it different, fresh?

·         Researcher:  Do your homework.  Read the competition.  Check your facts.  Assess the need.

·         Writer:  Organize.  Present material in logical order ("from where they are to where you want to take them"). Consider reader convenience. Address needs of your audience -- in their language.

·         Re-writer:  Edit language, style, grammar, level. Reorganize.  Get critiques.  Re-write.  Then do it over again.

·         Presenter:  Give presentations on your topic at local, regional, national meetings.  Give public presentations. Listen to response.  Re-write again.

·         Networker:  Collect names.  Connect with colleagues and others in the field. Listen.

·         Promoter:  Let others know of your work. Write articles on it for popular and professional publications.  Make presentations to audiences of potential buyers. Listen.

·         Trainer:  Train other professionals in your method.  Use your book.

·         Practitioner:  Continue practicing and refining your approach -- and listening.

Writing for Your Audience

·         Know what you're talking about -- research, field testing, feedback & critique from experts and audience

·         Know the reader to whom you're writing. Define your audience carefully (despite what you may think, your book is NOT for everyone!): ages; gender; demographics; ethnicity; careers; language skills; time; geography; family status; competitive media (readers, or viewers?).  Consider carefully the different audiences for a dissertation, a research paper, an article for a refereed journal, a professional reference book, a college text, a popular magazine article, a self-help book. 

·         Listen to the audience -- give talks, workshops, etc. to your audience; do surveys; pay attention to their needs.

·         Know the competition -- study the books that have been successful with your audience; improve on them.

·         Include lots of stories, vignettes, real people.

·         Don't try to cover the entire universe -- specific material which helps readers solve real problems and is targeted to them will -- most often -- succeed better than broad generalizations about how to live a better life. (Remember delimiting your dissertation topic?)

·         Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite

·         Follow your publisher's guidelines for manuscript preparation.

·         Work collaboratively with your editor.

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*Psychologist; APA Fellow; Editor-in-Chief, Impact Publishers, Inc., Atascadero, California -- www.bibliotherapy.com