I want to start out with some context for this post: recently, I’ve been trying to find some tools to better my writing skills, specifically in the area of outlining. I don’t feel like the way I’ve been outlining my stories is as in-depth as it could be; so I made a purchase on Amazon to help me with that.
This is ‘Your Novel Outline Journal’ by Bulgarian author Reni Stankova. It has everything in it, from character sheets to your novel outline to worldbuilding and a romantic subplot. I’ve only finished the character sheets so far, but it’s been really enjoyable, and I’ve loved cracking into it.
At the beginning of this journal, Stankova gives a breakdown of what she calls ‘Your Novel Core.’ She writes, “A Novel Core is a list of your novel’s key characteristics you must decide on before starting the outline. These characteristics are your novel’s target audience, your point of view, and your story’s goal. Answer these two critical questions: ‘Who do I write for?’ and ‘What reaction do I want from my readers after finishing the book?’ Once you have these answers, your Novel Core is ready.”
This is what I want to dig into today, and possibly in two other posts: your target audience, your point of view, and your story’s goal. But for today, let’s just focus on target audience.
Your target audience is who you are writing for. If you don’t know this, you might have a difficult time knowing what content you should or shouldn’t include in your book. According to Stankova, there are four main age categories: middle grade, young adult, new adult, and adult. Let’s dig into each of these categories to figure out what they’re looking for.
Middle Grade
Middle grade books are targeted at children 13 years old or below. The word count typically is less than 40,000 words, catering to the attention spans and stamina of this age group. These stories usually feature protagonists the same age as the target audience (think the Percy Jackson series, The Bridge to Terabithia, or Wonder) with emphasis on themes of adventure and friendship, and possibly self-discovery, courage, loyalty, and others. These books tend to avoid mature content (such as extreme violence or sex scenes) and stick to themes and situations that are appropriate for the audience’s stage of development.
Young Adult (YA)
The YA age range is generally 13-18 years old. These books have a general focus on personal development and relationships. They come in a range of genres, with books like The Hunger Games, The Fault in Our Stars, and Six of Crows. Novels in this category generally explore themes such as identity formation, first love, navigating peer pressure, and the like. The tone can also range from lighthearted and humorous to intensely dramatic and introspective, reflecting the emotional roller coaster that most adolescents go through at this time. Romantic subplots are also common in these novels. YA novels may also include non-explicit sex scenes, but it is up to the author’s discretion to include those or not.
New Adult
While Stankova notes that ‘new adult’ is not an official age category, it has gained significant traction in the literary world. The age range for these books would be about 19-24 years old, the age where the readers and the protagonists are transitioning from adolescence to early adulthood, establishing their independence, navigating careers, and exploring more mature relationships and identity in this new adult world. Tone in these books can range from angsty to lighthearted since characters in these novels typically face significant life transitions and have to make choices that will shape their lives from that point on. Relationships are often the central focus, and (again, depending on the author’s preference), often these books may have more explicit sexual scenes than YA. Think of books by authors like Colleen Hoover, Elle Kennedy, and Anna Todd (although these authors can push the boundaries into the “adult” category).
Adult
Adult books are often geared toward readers 18 years old and up. It’s a pretty broad category, and the themes are generally more complex than YA and middle-grade novels; they can delve into social, political, philosophical, and personal issues with more depth and nuance. The tone varies enormously depending on the genre and story itself: it can be dark, light, humorous, satirical, philosophical, or anything in between. Characters and relationships in this book are generally more complex and multi-layered than the other three age categories, and they may explore more mature content (i.e., heavy themes, mental illness, complicated social issues, heavy violence, and graphic sexual intimacy). However, not all adult fiction includes these elements. Most of these novels focus on character-driven plots and exploring specific themes without explicit content.
Identifying your target audience through these age categories is going to be incredibly helpful in terms of finding books that resonate with your readers’ interests and life stages. If you would like to dig in further, this is the link to ‘Your Novel Outline Journal’ on Amazon. I hope that this will help you in developing your novel’s core and starting your outline!
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