JARM DEL BOCCIO, AUTHOR
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A Writerly Blog

My Reader Soulmate

3/12/2019

2 Comments

 
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What exactly is a reader soulmate? That was the question poised to us in Colleen Riordan’s Wild Ink Marketing beta course. To put it simply, it's that person who will fall in love with your book. Or purchase it for a child, grandchild, local library or classroom.

Colleen challenged us to answer three questions our reader soulmate would ask if she were perusing the shelves in a bookstore, and happened to lay eyes on our book:

1. Does this book contain the types of characters, plots and themes I enjoy? (Is it my favorite genre?)
2. Can I afford this right now? (Will it be worth my time and money?)
3. Do I need this? (Can I walk out of the store without it, or must it become my next read?

I attempted to answer those questions in my video - take a listen!
Do you think I answered those questions?

Here is another I could ask The Heart Changer's reader soulmate: What are your favorite topics or genres?

Since my MG historical fiction is for kids from 8 to 11, they probably like these:

- school stories
- adventure
- fantasy
- historical fiction
- biography
​- sports

And what about themes?

- family and friends
- horses
- heroism
- hope
- emotional wounds
- diversity

Where does my soulmate hang out?

Since most middle-grade readers (8 to 11 years) are not on social media, I need to find their parents, teachers and librarians. So, where do they hang out? Colleen also gave us those statistics:

Moms and Grandmas spend their time on Facebook and Instagram, and purchase books from Amazon, Christian Books, homeschool conferences and by word of mouth. Teachers and librarians find their books on Publisher's Weekly, Hornbook, School Library Journal and Booklist - which is why all authors value a stellar endorsement from one of those sources. I can only hope and pray . . .

Are you a parent, grandparent, teacher or librarian? If so, where do you find your books? What genre do your readers enjoy? Let me know below!
2 Comments
Kelly
3/13/2019 09:08:02 am

I find with my children, their reading desires align with their personality! My first children (both adults) enjoy good reads, literature with tons of descriptions of everything. And they both enjoy a good adventure, and fantasy novel.
My jr. Higher enjoys any read, fantasy being #1, adventure close behind.
To my chagrin, two children are not avid readers. I have tantalized them with adventures, people stories, mysteries, fantasy. No go. SIGH.
My littlest child loves "Geronimo Stilton". Not the greatest read. BUT. He loves them and his goal is to read all of them.
Note: My avid readers and I agree that we are not big on "4D" books. These are realistic stories of people/children dealing with; disease, drugs, divorce, and death. While for many readers these have their place, for us, "4D" is too every day. We LOVE our escapes.....

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Jarm Del Boccio link
3/13/2019 05:26:36 pm

And I love my escapes, too. . .especially historical (and biblical) romance. Thanks for stopping by, Kelly. It’s good to know your kid’s preferences. That’s so important to give them what they love to entice their reading. Unless it’s not healthy, of course!☺️

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  • HOME
  • About Jarm
    • Children's Author
    • Contact
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  • My Books
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