My Authentic WA Journey - Part Two - To niche or not to niche?

bykjkerr

108 followers

4 years ago

Hello fellow WA members, and welcome to the second installment of My Authentic WA Journey.

Today, I am going to bare my soul to you. Yes, I'm going to peel back a few layers from the skin of the proverbial onion as-it-were, and speak from the heart about one of my biggest dilemmas as an author, and now as a WA member. It's all to do with that innocuous little word - NICHE

Now, I must preface this blog with a very important clarification. I am going to ask you to learn about my book in this post. Please do NOT assume that I have any marketing or sales motive in this move. I don't. I could not care less if I got ZERO sales from this post. My motive is not sales, it is to ask your advice, it is to reach out my hand and say HELP!

You see, ever since I wrote the book, I have been frustrated by the one burning fundamental question. Who is it for? That's so crucial isn't it? Three years after self-publishing it, with only 333 copies in print, I am like an unknown singer looking at their music and crying for the want of an audience.

I can tell you my personal definition of who the book is for. That's easy. But to do that I also need to explain what the book is. Again, do not interpret this as a sales pitch.

The book is made up of 182 independent vignettes. Each vignette includes an original quotation by myself, and then a commentary which follows it. At the bottom of the page there's room for the reader to journal their thoughts about what they just read.

The vignettes cover a whole range of personal development and life-enhancing themes. Life, death, success, failure, family, attitudes, habits, goals, thinking, philosophy, spirituality. The book is deliberately wide in its scope, because it is intended to enlighten, enrich, and encourage people along the journey of life.

It was also designed to be a gift, a gift that can be given by anyone, at any time, for any occasion. That's why it's called This Book is the Perfect Gift.

So, I am clear on who I wrote it for. It is for anyone who enjoys being encouraged, inspired, uplifted, or simply reminded to be the best they can be, and to be grateful for the gift of life. It's also for the gift giver who wants to bring something of life-inspiring value to the recipient.

BUT, therein lies the biggest challenge I now face.

With something deliberately designed for mass appeal, how on earth do you even begin to find the niche to place it in, the potential audience to specifically target it to, and the specific keywords to create meaningful SEO ratings?

This is not the first time this dilemma has come to the surface. A few years ago I took a course from a big-name author. The course stated, write for the niche. I have seen that message over and over again, in courses, articles, books, videos. But, I cannot fit my book into a specific, narrow, clearly-defined niche.

If I scrap the book and start again, I will be untrue to the inspiration that birthed it. It seemed to flow from my higher self, a connection with something beyond my ego alone. Some of you may think that strange, but it is the only way I can explain how I can read it every day, and still gain value from it myself. It may sound incredulous, but at times I have asked "Where did that come from?" as I read my "own" work.

So, I do not want to scrap it, or fundamentally re-write it.

Should I re-title it then? Goodness I have gone back and forth on that a thousand times. The title came because writing it was a gift to myself during a health challenge. But it also came because the book is intented to be a gift of encouragement.

And it is encouraging people.

On Christmas Day 2019, I spoke on the phone to a woman I'd never met. She told me the book is changing her life as she recovers from a major cancer operation. She is the second person to tell me that, the other person is not recovering from any illness however.

Can you understand my frustration? I have a book that is touching lives, a book that people are falling in love with, a book that flowed from my very heart and soul... BUT I keep on meeting this blasted marketing hurdle. How do I fit something this general into a specific marketable niche? And how do I create a marketing thrust for it without a narrow niche to market to?

I came to Wealthy Affiliate with the number one intention of gaining the knowledge and skills to get the book out there to the people who need it. Of course, I want it to succeed. Of course, I would like it to sell millions of copies. What author would not want that for their creative baby?

If nobody liked the book, I could call it a day, and say that the above might never happen. But people DO like it. I just don't seem to have a clue on what I need to do to take it to the next level.

And so, I am reaching out to you, this community that appears to be so very generous with its help, and overflowing with its desire to encourage people. This encourager needs the encouragement now. I need your feedback, your opinions, your clarity, your advice. It's hard to even get passed the lesson on niche without saying to myself "Here we go again, same old problem."

So... Your feedback is invited. If you feel you need to know more about the book before commenting, just go to my profile. The book's website (hosted at WordPress) is linked up there.

Again, do not misinterpret this post as a sales pitch. It is far more important that I gain clarity than it is to rack up any sales right now, at least from this post.

Your feedback will give me food for thought with which I can advance in the process of learning here at WA, and hopefully will also provide ideas that can be applied expeditiously.

I await your responses. Thank you so much in advance.

Best Regards

- Kenneth