http://www.theguardian.com/books/20...ok-and-hoping-it-sells-well?CMP=EMCBKSEML3964 I certainly don't see my last work appealing to this group.
Hmm. I wouldn't worry about it. And don't make assumptions about what women in that age group read, either. Some I know are addicted to Romances, Historicals, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thrillers and gory Mysteries ...as well as literary works and non-fiction as well. I was just off the phone to one of them who organises one of the best literary book festivals in Scotland, the Ullapool Book Festival. She and her team are all in that age group or above ...and they are incredibly well-read and often promote ground-breaking fiction. I'm 66 years old, and I read lots of different kinds of books myself, and always have done. We (as a group) might not be in love with the Twilight Series or Harry Potter, but these were written for teens and children, not adults. No books appeal to everybody. And just about any book that's reasonably well-written will appeal to some. I reckon the trick is finding your niche and marketing to it—whether you're going for traditional publishing or self-publishing..
I'm in the dark about that one. Do they mean crime stories written by women, or crime stories with female detectives? I know lots of female crime readers (I'm not one of them) who have favourite categories of Crime fiction. Their preferences usually line up behind books that are either 'cosy mysteries' (like Agatha Christie or Ruth Rendell) or more gory and noir-ish ones (like Val McDermid or Ian Rankin.)
I'm fairly sure I've seen Women's Crime specified on a few sites. The only one I have a note of is the Shelley Instone Agency, the site for which doesn't seem to be working right now. I emailed them and asked what was meant by women's crime - no surprise that I didn't get a response. I guess it's a bit like if you need to ask the price you can't afford it - if i need to ask what a woman's crime/thriller novel is than I haven't written one. But yes, McDermid sells enough books and I can't say that I would classify hers as women's crime other than by the author.
Interesting, the woman I'm with is 38 and an avid reader of paranormal romance. I've read a lot of mixed reviews on the books she likes to read, however, they do amazing in the marketplace.
It only says who buys the book, not who is reading them. Statistically, women between 40 and 65 do the most grocery shopping, but we all eat. Women do most of the "kin keeping" so they are buying for elderly shut-in family members, for their children and grandchildren, to donate to the school book drive, etc.
