My Kinda Page-Turner by Eric Beetner

 Tell us about your ideal reader. For whom do you write and why don’t they ever leave reviews or tell you how you’re doing?

One stark fact I’ve had to contend with is that my ideal reader is an endangered species now. We all know reading has trended downward for many, many years. There are still blockbusters, still loyal readers, still dedicated series fans, but younger generations have so many distractions competing for their attention, it’s an uphill battle to entice new readers.

Some genres do better with newer readers like fantasy and romance. The classic crime fiction fan who used to pick a .25 paperback off a spinner rack would probably really like most of my work. Trouble is, most of those readers are dead.

I’ve had conversations with other writers and it is generally agreed that someone like Elmore Leonard would have a very tough time getting published today. That type of criminal-forward, fairly dark, antihero style book isn’t what is topping the best seller lists anymore. Changes in reader tastes over time have eroded that base of hard-boiled crime action readers for sure. Yeah, those were my people. Domestic suspense, romantic suspense, psychological suspense have all become the more dominant choices for crime readers. 

Many of my books, especially early on, were tagged as Noir, which can be a kiss of death for a book in today’s market. But you can’t expect readers to want the same thing that was popular in the 1930s nearly a hundred years later. Times change and tastes change.

My own readership is small, but loyal. That puts me in mind of another phenomenon I see as a brick wall to new writers wanting to break in. The loyal readers. Whether a series or an author, there are so many established legacy authors and brands now that occupy most or all of a reader’s choices in a year, it’s tough to break through to someone who wants the newest Jack Reacher or VI Warshawski or Harry Bosch.

Now, with series continuing after an author’s death, it makes things even harder. Who thought a writer in 2024 would have to compete with a new novel from Agatha Christie or Robert Ludlum, Stuart Woods, Robert B. Parker or Tom Clancy. 

Then there are the Franchise authors like James Patterson who fill the shelves with so much content that readers are never left browsing a bookstore looking for a new find because their beloved series characters all have new titles every time they walk into a store.

So my ideal reader was probably one of those casual readers who want a fast-paced, simply-told story and want it to be on the shorter side, cinematic in its execution and unexpected in the plotting.

In other words – me.

We all really write for ourselves first, don’t we?

But as labels have perhaps been a barrier to potential readership, I love it when I get a nice note or meet someone who I wouldn’t think would be a fan of my work. Maybe it was too violent, maybe too fast-paced without a romantic subplot. Maybe I’m too mean to my main characters from time to time. But then I meet a reader who went all in on what I was trying to do and I’m surprised all over again.

Now, if I can convince that special reader to write a review, then that’s a bonus. But hey, one step at a time. I’m still trying to figure out how to get them to pick up a copy of the book first.

Currently sitting at 27 reviews. I'd love to get that higher. But I'm looking for readers first, reviewers second. I don't expect people to take on a part time job to go along with their pleasure reading.