When putting together a marketing plan, the first task (besides budget) is figuring out who is your audience. Not necessarily who your reader is -- wonderfully, one could make the case none of us really knows what type of reader will find our book -- instead, what audience most interested in the book promotion tasks. Who will show up at your book reading? Who listens to your radio interview? Don't always assume the reader and the interested party are one and the same.
Why choose one? Why not develop a marketing plan to include both? Well, sure, except an author does risk diffusing the sharpest aspects of their platform, issue, and book. Instead try these steps:
1) Choose your buddies: Niche or General. Remember that the one not chosen will get its turn later.
2) Develop tools, venues and goals specific for the side picked. The Today Show for the General; Popular Mechanics for the Niche.
3) Go do.
4) As you go do, take notes of the places suited for buddy left waiting. In a hotel lobby, see the niche magazines. In your readings, get the name and number of the Polish dancing organizer for later contact for their e-ail lists, events, publications.
Ms. Obie Joe has a preference to pick the General buddy first, because it gives her time to develop new places and tools exclusive to the Niche. But with Fiction titles, it is a challenge to pick General first, unless the author has a killer author platform (hopefully not literally). In Fiction, Niche (the Author's hometown, quirk of personality, etc.) always pushes first.
Which ones would you prefer?
