Target readers?

Last week Bracer left a comment on the blog (thanks!) asking who I am aiming these books at. I think the explanation at the page about IoPress still covers a lot of that, even though I wrote it just when I was starting everything. I guess I think that there are some kids who have braces and then when they're done with them are able to just put that behind them, but that there are also a lot who find it more difficult both having braces and then forgetting about them. Not that it was necessarily a totally traumatic exerience or anything but it was a big deal and something that's hard to totally get over and where they might want to read about others' experiences dealing with braces. I know that when I was a teen, when I had braces and afterwards, I was really disappointed that almost no one in all the books I read had to deal with all this braces stuff, and even if a character had braces it was maybe mentioned but the author never really wrote about what that meant and how it affected the character. My books are sort of the other extreme. All braces, all the time. I know they're the kind of books that would have helped me, so I guess I just think there are others out there who feel the same way I do.

I think I would have especially needed the books AFTER I had braces, almost more than when I did have them. Letting me relive and work through the experience. Which is also what I guess I'm doing by writing them.... I don't know if that works for other readers, but I hope so.

The books I've written so far probably aren't right for younger patients going through having braces now. Like I think my girls would still be too young for them. But Retainer Girl might be helpful for a teenager with braces. I'm not so sure about Love and Braces and The Braced Experience. On the one hand, I would have devoured them when I was like fifteen or sixteen. Especially L&B. But now as a protective mom I'm worried what my kids are exposed to, and even though the books aren't explicit the total focus on braces, and the fact that there's some fantasy and exaggeration about the actual orthdontic treatment makes me worry a bit that kids who can't handle it would be upset by them. But then I think that when I was a teen my mom would have thought the same way, while I would have totally been able to handle them....

So who are my target readers? I guess anyone who wants to read about what it's like having braces - not just what it's really like, but a sort of heightened fictional version. Because some of the stuff is exaggerated it probably isn't right for people who haven't had braces yet but want to know what it will be like - especially kids! - but I think anyone who has or had braces will get the exaggerated parts, and will find the books more entertaining because of them.

I think the readers who will enjoy my books most are those who had a bit of a tough time with braces and still have strong memories of those years - readers just like me. If I had to narrow it down to one person, I think my target reader would be a 17 or 18 year-old girl, maybe just starting college and away from home for the first time, who had braces during those awkward years of puberty and had a bit of a rough time handling that and everything else. I see her getting ready for bed, putting in her retainers, and then opening one of my books....

I haven't had much feedback yet on the books, but the few readers who have e-mailed say they've really liked them, which I think is great. I don't know if I'm reaching my target readers yet, but I'm glad that some readers are finding the books, and are enjoying them!