Do you write for a niche?

Posted by bridgid on | August 8, 2010 | 2 Comments |

There has been a lot of talk about niche marketing for writers lately, and it’s made me wonder: Is niche marketing leading to niche writing?

I’ve always thought that first comes the passion for a book or topic, then comes the niche. But what if it is smarter to identify a niche, then write the book?

I initially ran into the topic of niche marketing over at the WordHustler blog, where author Amanda Lee mentioned how niche marketing helped market her cozy mystery series.

“…while I was writing The Quick and The Thread, I ran across Nordic Needle, an embroidery catalog that sells books that fit into their niche. When I received galleys for TQTT, I called their main office and asked if they’d like to see a galley to consider my book for their catalog. Long story short, they wound up obtaining TQTT for the catalog, their shop and distribution to other shops in their network; and they’ve expressed interest in the next book in the series.”

-Amanda Lee in her interview with WordHuslter.

On The Book Deal – An Inside Look at Publishing, Alan Rinzler cites recent examples of authors who have successfully leveraged the niche marketing potential of their books. This includes Erica Bauermeister, author of The School of Essential Ingredients. Her novel is about a group of people who meet through a cooking class. According to Rinzler’s post, Bauermeister identified her niche (foodies) and targeted them by giving away recipes, visiting food-focused blogs and speaking to cooking classes.

“When I started niche marketing this way, my novel shot up the Indie Bestseller List and stayed there for six months.”

-Erica Bauermeister, as quoted in Alan Rinzler’s blog.

My question is: Should writers keep niches in mind when writing their books? Or is that a recipe (pun intended) for a poorly fueled book?

What do you think?

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