In the previous section, you chose a topic for your book and identified its purpose. Now, let us consider another important question: Who will read your book?
Identifying your intended readers helps you decide what information to include, how to explain it, which examples to use, and how to organize your content. A book written for beginners may need more explanations and step-by-step instructions than a book intended for experienced professionals.
You do not need to know every future reader personally. Instead, you should develop a general understanding of the people who are most likely to benefit from your book.
1. Who Are Your Readers?
Your readers may have different backgrounds, interests, levels of knowledge, and reasons for reading. For example, they might be:
- Students who want to learn a new subject.
- Teachers who need educational materials.
- Beginners who want to develop practical skills.
- Professionals who need information related to their work.
- Researchers who are looking for detailed information.
- Members of a community who want to preserve and share local knowledge.
- People who are interested in a particular hobby or activity.
Think about the people who would benefit most from your book. You can write for a broad audience, but identifying your primary readers will help you make better decisions when planning your content.
2. Understand What Your Readers Already Know
Before writing your book, consider how much your readers may already know about the topic.
For example, if you are writing a guide to using Drupal, some readers may have never created a website. Others may already manage websites but have never used the Book module.
These readers will need different levels of explanation. Beginners may need instructions for basic tasks, while experienced users may prefer more advanced examples and practical recommendations.
You do not need to explain every familiar concept in detail. However, avoid assuming that all readers have the same knowledge or experience. Introduce important terms, explain unfamiliar concepts, and provide examples where necessary.
3. Identify Your Readers' Needs and Goals
A useful book helps readers answer questions, solve problems, gain knowledge, or complete tasks.
Ask yourself:
- What questions might my readers have?
- What problems are they trying to solve?
- What skills or knowledge do they want to gain?
- What should they be able to do after reading my book?
- What information or examples would help them most?
For example, readers of a practical Drupal guide may want to learn how to create book pages, organize chapters, edit content, and publish an online book. A guide that addresses these specific needs will be more useful than one that only describes the available features.
4. Consider Language and Accessibility
Think about the languages your readers understand and the devices they may use to access your book.
If your intended readers speak Tajik, publishing in Tajik can help make your knowledge accessible to them. If your readers are learning English, a bilingual publication can help them compare explanations in both languages.
Also consider whether your readers will access the book using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Clear headings, manageable sections, descriptive links, and readable text can make your publication easier to use on different devices.
When appropriate, explain technical terms in simple language and avoid unnecessary jargon. Your goal is to help readers understand the subject, not to make it appear more complicated.
5. Choose Your Primary Audience
A book may be useful to several groups of people, but it is helpful to identify the group you want to serve first.
Consider our bilingual user manual about publishing online books with Drupal. Its primary audience includes people who want to learn how to create, organize, edit, and publish online books using Drupal's Book module, particularly those who are new to this process.
The manual also serves Tajik-speaking readers who want to use Drupal in Tajik and readers who want to practise English while learning about online publishing.
By identifying these readers, we can make informed decisions about the language, explanations, examples, and practical exercises used throughout the manual.
You can apply the same approach to your own book. Start with a clear picture of your primary readers, then consider whether other groups might also benefit from your work.