Yes, even horror writers need something to hook their readers. Saying this is a scary story or that it has monsters is not enough.
You need an ideal reader to write and sell your horror novel. It may take some time and research.
The question is, how do you do that? It’s one every writer has. How do I sell to my readers?
The trick is knowing whom you are selling your books to. Your books need the right audience and not just a horror reader.
Who is your horror book for?
You aren’t just writing for a horror reader. Or someone who wants to read about monsters.
You are selling your book to someone who will want to read it. As a horror reader, do you like every horror book?
Probably not. So the question is, how will you hook your reader? What is your horror novel about?
More on that later. The most important aspect of writing a novel is knowing your subgenre.
You also need to know their age range. How old are your readers going to be? Will they like the content or context of the book?
Create an avatar:
Some writers focus on one specific individual. You could ask this. What kind of monsters does my horror reader want to read about?
Again, age range. You can also ask what gender your readers are. Where do they hang out? What kind of monsters do they prefer?
Creating an avatar is not perfect. You may get readers you didn’t expect. If you wanted to get a female crowd but instead got a male crowd.
I wouldn’t panic. The important thing is knowing your audience more as you go along. Stick to that audience.
Use copy to attract them:
A couple of weeks back, I discussed using a logline. So, feel free to check that post out!
Copy is where that logline comes in handy. You can use that to create a story blurb. The more you know. The more likely your story will sell.
You must explain your story in as little time as possible. That should be about two sentences in length.
You can expand on that and turn it into a summary. The better the summary, the more likely readers will read your book.
Parting thoughts:
You should know that these tips are not an exact science. Nor is there a guarantee they will work.
But they may work if you use them the right way. Sometimes, it may mean using the techniques another way.
I suggest playing around with different subgenres, using different avatars, and experimenting with your book copy or blurb.
As far as copy is concerned, I’d suggest learning a little about writing it. There are lots of great resources out there.