One of the more baffling questions for just about any author, I suspect, is the one that asks, “Who are your readers?”
Yes, I know about genres and their core audiences – Chick Lit, aimed at unmarried females in their 20s; Romance, middle-age women; Sci-Fi, geeky males; Young Adult, well, it’s self-explanatory. I even know that commercial radio programmers could target their listenership to hit an average, say, of 24.7-year-old women in the office.
For a poet, though, or the novelist working outside common genres, this question becomes more problematic. I can imagine those I hope will find the work appealing, but the reactions often turn up elsewhere. I’m thinking of a writer who hoped her work would speak to her friends, only to hear them say, “I don’t read books,” as if it’s a badge of honor. (Oh, for shame!)
What that suggests is that rather than expecting a boffo bestseller, we writers might envision a much smaller-scale enterprise – connecting with readers one-on-one, as an underground understanding. Let it be private and personal, then. Our own quiet conversation.
Whether my Hippie Trails novels find their appeal more for those who lived through the era or among younger readers undergoing similar searching is still taking shape. I would hope both. But I am enjoying the feedback I’m receiving, from wherever.
It’s not the big-business Manhattan operation I once dreamed of or the San Francisco counterculture success, either. But here we are, connecting, in our own little underground society. Little do the others know what they’re missing now, do they?
Jnana's Red Barn 
I’m not convinced by classifying readers by genre, I think that’s more of a publisher/bookseller thing. As a reader I don’t really fit any genre profile: I read fiction [lots], non-fiction, history, food, travel, poetry, memoir, crime, political thrillers, YA, historical and literary fiction. I do get very depressed when I hear ‘I don’t read books’. SD
Precisely! And keep setting that example.
🙂 SD
I wrote my memoir for myself, my daughters and to fulfill a long ago promise to my mom. My expectations of readership beyond those few readers were small. I’m always surprised and delighted when someone connects with the story. Sadly, reading for the pure joy of it seems less popular than before the electronic age.
Congratulations. And here’s hoping a century hence, someone comes across your work and treasures it. Maybe a great-grandchild will get to know you that way.
Very well stated. I was thinking almost the same thing just yesterday when it comes to my books. Someone asked how I promoted them. My concern is not a large audience, just the right audience. I want to reach those who will be touched and benefited from the words. Peace and Blessings
I feel that all we can do is to write from our hearts. If what we create connects with other hearts out there somewhere, then that’s a bonus.
David, I’m ready to frame that as a writing mantra. Bingo!