I Challenge You to Become a Part of My Audience.

The Wicked Orchard by Sidra Owens
16 min readNov 26, 2023
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

I can go on the record and say that I have been a published author since 2017. The feeling of joy after I finished writing my first novel, and then after publishing it, has only been duplicated a handful of times in my life.

I know that for some the writing is the hard part, but for me, it was the easy part. Everything that came after is the hard part. Having to figure out how to truly reveal my work to the masses, so that one day, I can write fantastic stories and support myself and my family doing it. That is the secret recipe that I am searching for.

I have read many an article, post, and listicle about how to market your novel. The trend is towards non-fiction, which really isn’t my bag, but much of it can be applied to fiction.

But the second most daunting question for me, next to which genre does your work fall into, is the question of: Who is your audience?

Years ago, I would have answered simply. Readers. Readers are my audience. People who love a good story. Unfortunately, I was basing my answer off myself. I don’t pigeonhole my literary sensibilities. You never know what you might enjoy. You just have to give it chance, and if you don’t like it; it isn’t the end of the world. Other people, I have learned, are far more tribalistic with their literary tastes. They will only…

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The Wicked Orchard by Sidra Owens
The Wicked Orchard by Sidra Owens

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