This post isn’t about favoritism, it’s about facts. Nowadays, an author can easily track the origin of their fan base. No worries fans (we’re not stalkers *winks*), it’s not a specific thing but more of a worldwide Google Stats thing.
Let me say up front (as my readers know) I’m a New Englander, born and bred. I adore and strongly support all New England states which include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. I consider New York, New Jersey and Delaware my own too. How could I not?
As aforementioned, over the past few years I’ve had the freedom of tracking my fan base. Interestingly enough, considering I write about time-travel from non-US countries to New England, the bulk of my fans are out of California and Washington State. My local North-Easterners, Heart-of-America's and International fan base is strong (love you all!) but not nearly as out-loud as my readers from the West Coast.
So why is this? Why does my readership scale tip towards the West Coast?
My guess is that West Coast readers (love you too!) enjoy reading about New England. At least I hope so. This country is so rich with history and our states so far apart that it’s only natural you'd be drawn to tales of another part of our beautiful country.
I’d love to hear feedback on this topic. Are you an author? If so, where do you live and where is your strongest fan base from? Why do you suppose that’s your largest demographic?
If you’re a reader, where are you from and do you know where your favorite authors are from? What are your thoughts on my blog subject?
Don’t be shy.
Best,
Sky
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6 comments:
Super interesting post. I'd love to hear more about how you find out the information about where your readers are.
While local will have a draw, I think people want to escape to places they aren't...or can't go. I know when I lived in West Virginia I liked reading about beaches because I was a teenager before I saw the ocean.
Great post. While I found I signed up for google analytics, I forgot to add the code onto my website pages. Oops. Another thing to add to my list of things to do. ;)
Good post, Sky. I am surprised that, for instance, many of my historical western romance fans are from Europe. I had expected them to be mostly from the western US, but they are from diverse locales. I'm so happy to know this and that's one thing I like about Google stats and Amazon sales from other areas.
TY for stopping in, Amy! When published, an author can easily track their sales through whoever they decide to publish with. Indie authors can track through Amazon, B&N and Smashwords as well as track visits to blogs and their website, including click throughs to buy links. All include demographics. :-)
Beth, thanks for swinging over! Isn't it interesting how it all works? I have a substantial fanbase out of Malaysia and surrounding areas. They're wonderful. I suppose we all love Highlanders! ;-)
Caroline, I totally hear you. It doesn't suprise me in the least that Europeans would love westerns. That's SO American! And a very interesting part of it. Thanks for stopping by!
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