Now that you've started writing and are feeling good about your new book, let's take some time to consider who you are writing for. Who's your audience?
If you've never given this much thought before, it may seem like a stupid question. Geez, the "audience" is the guy who wants to know what I have to say!
Fair enough, but I'm guessing you have a lot to say about your favorite subject. Say you're writing a book about electrical engineering. Yes, you could write everything anybody ever wanted to know about electrical engineering but was too bored to ask, but if you ever finish writing, your book is going to weigh thirty pounds and cost $650 per copy. Even as a textbook, that puppy's going to be hard to sell.
And who exactly is going to read it? The raw beginner who has never so much as replaced an outlet, is going to be intimidated. The experienced professional doesn't want to waste his time slogging through the beginner-level stuff to find out what he needs.
So narrow it down a bit. What do you really REALLY want to say about your subject, and who really REALLY needs to hear it?
Are you writing this book to inspire high-school shop students to become electrical engineers? Or to inspire the Home Ec students? Or is your reader already considering a career in EE? Has he started an apprenticeship and needs to know the basics? Or is he an experienced professional, and you have a new technique or technology to introduce? What does that reader already know about your subject? Don't waste his time with a lot of stuff he already knows and don't confuse him with a lot of stuff he won't be able to understand.
Save your time and energy for the readers you really want to reach. When you finish your first book, there will be time enough to move on to a new audience.
If you're writing fiction, your audience may be obvious. Children's book? Children. Use a less sophisticated vocabulary and shorter sentences to give young readers a chance to take in the story. Young adult story? Young adults, obviously. They can handle a more sophisticated vocabulary. Expand their horizons by dropping in some fancy words. Depending on age, they may need a shorter length than an adult reader. Science-fiction opus? Adults who love science-fiction and have a good long attention span. Piece of cake.
Here's a fun one: adult readers learning English as a second language. They need practice reading and using English, and they don't want to read children's stories, but their vocabulary may be limited to a few hundred words. Tricky? Have fun.
Now that you have a sharper idea of who you are writing for, keep that in mind as you start that next chapter.
