Powerful beings walk amongst us. Some are here for but a moment. Others have been here centuries. Would you want to have lived when Jesus was here? Asia did.
Asia was here when Robert the Bruce defeated Edward II at Bannockburn.
In fact, she's here now. Are you willing to help her hide from the ones seeking her?
George C. Lesley's Asia is not immortal, nor is she a superhero. In fact, you might even say she's not good. She had a job to do, but she refused. Her refusal made her a target. And because she loves humans, we're targets too.
Asia has loved many through the centuries. In her own way, she truly cares. With some, she becomes their blood sister. This exchange of blood gives the humans new powers. To Asia, it gives protection. Sharing her blood makes her harder to track, and know this, Asia is being hunted.
Lesley has created a protagonist whom readers care about. Her actions have resulted in the death of many, but still we care. In fact, we care so much that when the final battle comes, we're on her side.
Author George Lesley and I were able to connect recently and talk about his debut novel, Asia.
Though we're both writers, Lesley writes to entertain. My goal as a copywriter is to get a prospect to take action.
Still, we share some commonalities.
When I write, I have a target market. I need to know who I'm trying to move. Recently, I wrote about buying a big, cool dump truck for my baby girl. At the time that was unusual. An ad would not have included it in the "girls'" section. The truck wouldn't have been featured in a girl's magazine. But there I was, a mom buying a truck for her daughter.
Does that mean a copywriter writes a single piece of copy for "everyone?" No. It doesn't. When I write copy, I'll still have a target market. The writing I create will be for that market.
When choosing where to place the copy, it will be placed where the targeted market is most likely to see it.
That market may immediately be segmented by:
gender
age
whom the buyer is buying for
Thinking as a marketer and a copywriter, I asked George about the target audience for his book. He was quiet for a moment. Then, he began to break it down.
Asia is a fantasy-adventure novel. In the US, it would be in the broader category of Science Fiction. I was curious who would be more apt to read his book. In an article appearing on Sage Journals, originally males near 30 years-old used to be the primary readers of fantasy. However, in 2018, data has begun to show that the numbers between genders are getting closer together. That's great news for George and other fantasy authors.
Another category I was curious about was age. George described his novel as a "gritty, earthy read." There is sex. Afterall, Asia does love humans. But Lesley felt the most graphic parts would probably be the violence in his battle sequences.
Consequently, Lesley would consider the audience mature teens and older.
As we were concluding our talk, George did let me know that he had carefully researched the historical elements of the story. He has done his best to make sure they are accurate. In my marketing mind, that added another marketing segment, historical fiction.
Get a copy of Asia and decide for yourself. There are some readers who will tell you the genre doesn't matter. A good story is a good story.
This is a good story.
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