Why Writing a Book to Everyone is a Mistake (and What to Do Instead)

You’ve got a great idea for a book, and you’re eager to share it with the world. Naturally, you want as many people as possible to read it, so it’s tempting to aim for a broad audience.

The logic seems sound: the more people you write for, the more readers you’ll attract. But here’s the surprising truth — trying to write a book for everyone often results in connecting with no one.

In my book Riches in Niches: How to Make it BIG in a Small Market, I discuss how narrowing your focus leads to a much stronger impact. Writing for “everyone” dilutes your message and makes it harder to connect with the readers who need it most.

Let’s examine why aiming too broadly can undermine your success and how authors thrive by honing in on a specific niche.

Why Writing for Everyone Doesn’t Work

Think about the last time you picked up a book that tried to cover everything. Did it leave a lasting impression? Probably not. Books that try to be everything to everyone usually come across as scattered and unclear. Without a clear focus, it’s tough for readers to see the real value. Readers want solutions that speak directly to their needs — not vague advice that tries to do it all.

Personally, I’ve found that when I narrow my focus and write with a specific audience in mind, the writing becomes sharper, more engaging, and far more valuable.

When you speak directly to a specific group and their unique challenges, your message hits home. The sharper your focus, the stronger the connection with your readers — making your book memorable and impactful.

Take Chris Bailey, author of The Productivity Project, as an example. He didn’t write a typical self-help book covering everything. Instead, he laser-focused on productivity, sharing strategies from his year-long experiments. This tight focus spoke directly to people wanting to boost their productivity — not those looking for general advice. His sharp focus made the book connect with the right audience, showing that a targeted approach is much more effective than trying to appeal to everyone.

The Importance of Focus

When your book lacks focus, it can’t deliver on any one promise. Imagine trying to cover time management, health tips, financial advice, and career guidance all in one — it ends up scattered and shallow. Readers looking for real solutions will move on to something more focused.

A clear, targeted book stands out and grabs the attention of those who truly need it. Take Cal Newport’s Deep Work. Instead of covering all aspects of career development, he honed in on one powerful idea: focused, distraction-free work. His laser focus made the book a game-changer for professionals wanting to boost productivity. If he had gone broad, his message would have totally lost its impact.

Marketing Becomes Easier with a Niche

One of the biggest challenges of writing a book for everyone is marketing it. If you try to appeal to parents, professionals, students, and retirees all at once, you’ll struggle to craft a clear message. Each group has different needs, and it’s nearly impossible to speak to all of them effectively.

From my experience, narrowing your audience not only strengthens your writing but also makes marketing easier. When you write for a specific group, you can tailor your marketing to their interests. This makes it much easier to reach the right readers and show them your book is exactly what they need.

Take A.J. Jacobs’ The Year of Living Biblically. Instead of writing a broad book on religion or lifestyle, he focused on his quirky experience of following every rule in the Bible for a year. This unique angle let him market directly to readers curious about extreme lifestyle experiments. By narrowing his focus, Jacobs created a targeted strategy that resonated with the perfect audience.

Niche Books Build Loyal Readers

Every author dreams of having loyal readers, people who buy your book, recommend it to others, and eagerly anticipate your next one. But that kind of loyalty doesn’t come from a book trying to please everyone. It comes from a book that feels like it was written specifically for them.

Take Erin Falconer’s How to Get Sh*t Done. Instead of writing a broad productivity book, she focused on the challenges busy women face in balancing work, family, and self-care. This clear focus created a strong bond with her readers. It turned casual buyers into loyal fans who felt understood.

The more specific your writing, the more likely you are to attract readers who connect with your message.

Standing Out in a Crowded Market

Writing for everyone makes it harder for your book to stand out. The broader your focus, the more competition you face. A generic self-help book or vague how-to guide easily gets lost among the thousands of others covering the same topic. But when you narrow your focus, you cut through the noise and carve out a unique space in your market.

Look at Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist. Instead of writing for everyone interested in creativity, he targeted a specific group — artists looking for inspiration through borrowing ideas. This sharp focus helped him stand out in a crowded market and build a loyal audience. If he’d written a broad book on creativity, it would never have had the same impact.

Readers Want to Feel Understood

Writing for a niche lets you connect with readers on a deeper level. When they open a book, people want to feel understood. They want to see themselves in the pages and know the author connects with their struggles. By focusing on a specific audience, you deliver advice and insights that directly address their unique challenges.

Take Beth Kobliner’s Get a Financial Life. Instead of writing a broad finance book, she zeroed in on young adults starting their financial journeys. Her targeted advice spoke directly to their needs, turning her book into a go-to guide for twenty- and thirty-somethings. When your book feels personal and relevant, readers engage more and are eager to recommend it to others.

What Should You Do Instead?

If writing for everyone isn’t the solution, what is?

Find your niche.

Pinpoint the audience that will benefit most from your book and focus on solving their specific problems. The more specific, the better. Ask yourself: Who is my ideal reader? What challenges do they face? What are they trying to achieve? Answering these questions helps you create a book that speaks to your audience and stands out in a crowded market.

Remember, writing for a niche isn’t about excluding people — it’s about reaching the right ones. By focusing on a specific group, you create a stronger connection, deliver more value, and position yourself for greater success. Just do it!

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