Who is Your Ideal Reader? Why You Need to Know & How to Find Out.
- Chrystle Fiedler
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Yesterday, I had a Zoom call with Cara Metz, the fabulous fitness maven, who I worked with as a book coach and editor on The Menopause Metabolism Fix: The Over-40 Woman’s 4-Week Program to Recover Your Strong, Sexy (and Sane) Self in 15 Minutes a Day (Fair Winds 2025).
Meet Jane
When writing the Menopause Metabolism Fix, Cara kept her ideal reader and client, who she named Jane firmly in mind.
In the book, Jane acts as a stand-in for all the women who are going through perimenopause and menopause and are suffering from a puzzling array of symptoms from hot flashes to insomnia to mood changes and more.
As a reader, we meet Jane in the introduction and learn how these symptoms have upended her life.
The rest of the book is a solution for Jane and every woman traveling through the Change.
It’s a holistic program based on what Jane and women like her need and ranges from targeted support for the six most common menopausal symptoms, to mindset, 15- minute exercises and recipes full of hormone balancing ingredients. These elements work together to help women who have this problem feel better mentally, physically and emotionally.
Who is Your Jane?
If you’re writing a natural health self-help book, it’s essential that you too, identify your “Jane” or your ideal reader. Doing this not only defines your book’s message it also fuels your passion for the book you’re writing because you have a clear purpose.
To help your Jane.
To Identify Your Ideal Reader, Ask Yourself These Questions:
What problem or pain point is my book trying to solve?
Who needs this solution the most?
Who is my Jane?
Write down what makes her unique. For Cara, it was women who were going through perimenopause and menopause, and had busy lives and very little time to put her program into practice. That’s how the 15-Minute idea was born. She kept the solution for her ideal reader simple but effective. She offered small steps and stressed consistency rather than big changes and potential overwhelm.
What are the exact steps of your solution that will make your Jane feel better?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
If you use more than five that’s fine. See if you can make one step lead into the next one.
How does each step work to help my Jane feel better in a holistic way, mentally, emotionally and physically?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Try this Mad Lib for Natural Health Self-Help Book Writers:
My book solves_____________________(pain point or problem) for women who are________________ (identify your Jane) and need_____________________(Quick and Easy? Holistic solution?) to feel better. By the time they are done reading my book they will be transformed. My reader will know and understand___________________(the problem) and have solutions ________________(identify your method or plan) into practice.
Don’t Skip This Step
Identifying your ideal reader is an essential part of writing your natural health self-help book. When you know who your Jane, your reader is, and identify her pain point or problem, you can tailor your solution based on your knowledge and specialty to solve it effectively.
Get Help Identifying Your Ideal Reader & More
Helping you identify your ideal reader is an important part of the
Natural Health Self-Help Book Roadmap.
I open two slots a month for writers to work with me.
By the time our work together is done, you’ll have identified your Jane and much more, which results in a robust blueprint for your book including a complete Table of Contents to give you even more clarity and confidence.
You’ll know exactly what to do before you write the Chapter 1.
This lowers stress, anxiety and overwhelm and turns you into a confident writer. This means you’re much more likely to finish. That’s because you have support in real-time as you create and revise your book.
Start by scheduling a FREE Book Coaching Strategy Call.
Comments