Writing For An Audience Of One

Posted by Tom Colvin

May 31, 2008

Ben Eavey yesterday commented on my last post about the soaring numbers of POD titles. He speculated that most of them probably have single-digit sales. He’s probably right.

As it happens, I’ve actually been thinking during the past few weeks about the importance of sales and readership. This brief post has been brewing for awhile.

I’m beginning to see a major shift in the way I look at it. I too have been focussed on numbers: the more readers the better. I obsess about that as I track several times a day the readership of this blog. I also spend lots of time worrying about building a platform for my book-in-progress to assure high sales.

But now I wonder if this is not just another example of our society’s over-emphasis on materialism and success. I’m prompted into that thought after reflecting about the current economic situation, which I see as a natural consequence of the greed that seems so pervasive.

I now wonder if it’s not better to write for an audience of one. Why not visualize a single person as my audience? And think about that person passionately, the solitary reader that matters the most. And if I write successfully — and passionately — then maybe I will reach that one reader. And then, maybe another one. And then yet another. An audience that builds, one by one.

And what if I sell only 99 copies? …if I never get beyond double-digit sales?

Maybe that doesn’t really matter. Instead, maybe what does matter is the impact of my writing on the single person who devotes time to reading it.

If this evolving point of view has any substance, then POD publishing may in fact become truly significant. I, as a writer, can actually publish my work just for that single reader. That knowledge can feed my motivation, can push me forward. The effort, knowing about that single reader out there, does become worth it.

Then, maybe I won’t check my blog’s subscription and visitor numbers 10 times a day. And, maybe instead, I’ll write a few more posts, even short ones like this, knowing that there must be one reader out there who will take a look.

Think about it. I am.

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