You may think you are on one side of your book and your reader is totally unknown in a far off land. That could be true (especially with works translated into other languages), but you should still have a specific idea before you write of who and what your reader is like. That's called demographics.

You can't say, "I'm writing for everyone." Not everyone picks up the same books to browse or peruse the same magazines, let alone read the same articles in each magazine. If you are writing to parents, are they parents of toddlers or teens? Are you writing to parents of adult children moving back home? If you are writing for children, is it picture books for toddlers and babies or stories for parents of babies to be read aloud? Are you writing for children in the 8-10 age range who enjoy reading themselves? Many children this age and older are captivated by the Harry Potter market. Are you writing for the tween market? The tween market is 10-12 year olds who don't want to read children's things but are too young for the teenage market.

Don't assume what people will like. Check the bookstores online and in stores to see what is offered and what people are buying. Today's readers, even children, are far more sophisticated in their reading than they used to be. Their needs are different and their interests are different. Children rarely read comic books now or graphic novels as they are sometimes called. Today's reader of comic books is usually age 20-28 years old. Don't assume anything when you choose a market to write for.

What's the socio-economic level of your target audience? Are your readers ones who try to look for ways to feed a family of four on a hundred dollars per month or do they seek to stay up with the current electronic gadgets and travel extensively? Do they stretch their wardrobe dollars or only wear what's purchased each season?

You need to know these things to be able to relate with your audience. How do you find out such specific data about people for whom most you'll probably never meet?

Whether you are writing for print or electronic media, you will be able to find the demographics listed on most publication's websites. These tell such things as age range, gender, income, education level, and other pertinent data to help you write to the needs of that particular reader. When writing a book length manuscript, it helps to have a publisher in mind as you write to target your writing to the needs of that publisher. Sometimes this isn't possible, but it's helpful. However, since nonfiction books are sold by book proposals instead of already written manuscripts, this will give you a chance to direct your manuscript to what that publisher needs. The publisher knows what demographics they target.

Get to know your reader. It's the same as if you own a retail store. The items you sell in your store cater to certain clientele. The customers' demographics are often similar. This doesn't mean everyone fits the same mold--but it gives you an overall area to try to line your stores' items with what will fit people's needs the best.

As writers, you have the same obligation to write what people want or need. It doesn't mean your reader agrees with everything you say or wants to read everything you write but understanding your audience of readers will help you focus your writing to a buying public.