Self-Publishing: Readers = Customers

Deciding to self-publish is deciding to throw yourself into the business of publishing. I know I certainly didn't think of this as "business" when I decided to do it, but when I was developing a plan for it, I realized that I had to become more business-minded. Not with the creative stuff--I write what I feel I need to write--but with this blog, with my Twitter, with my cover design, with my prices, I think about everything in terms of how it will affect my bottom line.

Target your audience.
These are your customers. You need to know who they are, what they want, and how much they're willing to pay. My target audience is the group of twenty-something mothers, either stay-at-home or work-out-of-home, without a lot of time or a lot of disposable income who miss being able to read romantic (erotic) fanfiction whenever and for however long they wanted. These women are my contemporaries. These women are me. I know what I want to read and I know how hard it is to find it, so I'm offering the product I want.

Respect your audience.
Appreciate that they are spending their hard-earned money on you and the entertainment you provide. Respect their buying power and respect the chance they're taking on you. Be grateful. Be determined to deliver. Make them trust you. Continue to earn that trust. These people are making your dreams come true. I know that's how I look at my readers. Without them, I'd have to get a real job. I had a real job. It was okay, but it was nowhere near as awesome as this.

Isolate your audience.
By this I mean offer them something they can't get anywhere else. Be unique in your product somehow, be it content or design or price. Build their confidence in you by consistently offering quality at a competitive price and make repeat customers--loyal readers--by always earning that confidence. If they're confident, they'll recommend your work to their friends and family.

Basically, I'm saying: benefit them. You want to get paid, they want to be entertained, this can be a mutually-beneficial relationship. People are smart. They're savvy. They're protective of their money. Give them a reason to spend it on you.