We’re always asking who our audience is. But I’d like to challenge this and say we need to first find our peers. Who is making progress in your field? If you write no spice fantasy, then have you looked up similar authors? How do they write? How are they marketing? What are they doing that is working? What’s not working?

Studying our peers and how they are gaining traction can give us a good insight to our own progress and potential. But how do we find our peers? I’d say it’s as easy as a Google search, but we need to be sure it’s a strategic Google search.

You want to be specific. What’s your niche? For me, I’d search: female authors specializing in relatable and plausible science fiction for young adults. Why? Because I’m a female author writing in a male dominant genre and field. I am obsessed with encouraging young girls to study STEM and giving them confidence in learning. So I write plausible science in my scifi. And because I love the pacing of young adult stories, I mostly write to that audience.

Finding peers with similar beliefs and passions encourages me to keep going. That is why I recommend finding like-minded peers. BUT… We all can use experience with different perspectives, so I also suggest searching for peers who may think differently. This will help you grow not only as a writer, but as a person.