--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What makes a publisher decide to market a…" description: "\"What makes a publisher decide to market a book to a particular audience is not the subject matter but the style.\" — Russell Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/russell-smith-9877_audience_what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market_1029543.jpg" --- # What makes a publisher decide to market a book to a… ![“What makes a publisher decide to market a book to a particular audience is not the subject matter but the style.” quote by Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/russell-smith-9877_audience_what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market_1029543.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/russell-smith-9877_audience_what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market_1029543.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/russell-smith-9877_audience_what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market_1029543.jpg) > “What makes a publisher decide to market a book to a particular audience is not the subject matter but the style.” [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A book's style, not just its content, determines its market audience, shaping how readers connect with it. **In simple terms:** Style decides audience, not just content. Key Takeaway Focus on style to reach target readers. Themes publishing marketing literary style Mood analytical practical Type industry strategic When to use this quote - book design - advertising strategy - author branding - editorial decisions Key Concepts audience targeting branding genre conventions Questions to Reflect On - How does style influence reader perception of a book? - When should content outweigh style in marketing? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on style may dilute substantive content. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) ## Related quotes > [As a publisher, you should decide what content is free and what you'd pay for. You have to get the packaging right, but people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccue/as-a-publisher-you-should-decide-what-content-is-free-and-what-you-d/) [Mike McCue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccue/) > [I don't write for a particular audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-don-t-write-for-a-particular-audience/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [It's really cool to know that you've put something together that isn't for a particular audience. It's so often that a TV show can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krumholtz/it-s-really-cool-to-know-that-you-ve-put-something-together-that-isn/) [David Krumholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krumholtz/) > [I don't write for a particular audience. I work as an artist, and I think the audience of one, which is the self, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-don-t-write-for-a-particular-audience-i-work-as-an-artist-and-i/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [I don't ever write with a particular audience in mind. I just write books that please me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/i-don-t-ever-write-with-a-particular-audience-in-mind-i-just-write/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [I'm imagining there's a particular audience out there that's younger and older, too. It works on two levels. Do they exist? I don't know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-m-kahn/i-m-imagining-there-s-a-particular-audience-out-there-that-s-younger/) [Joseph M. Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-m-kahn/) > [Many comics stay in one city and develop their acts for that particular audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-gold/many-comics-stay-in-one-city-and-develop-their-acts-for-that/) [Judy Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-gold/) > [I read whatever the publisher sends me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-read-whatever-the-publisher-sends-me/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [As a publisher, you have no direct relationship with advertisers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-calacanis/as-a-publisher-you-have-no-direct-relationship-with-advertisers/) [Jason Calacanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-calacanis/) > [A publisher should always be on the receiving end. He should take an interest in almost any subject and remain anonymous, letting the author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-canfield/a-publisher-should-always-be-on-the-receiving-end-he-should-take-an/) Cass Canfield > [Think like a publisher, not a marketer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-meerman-scott/think-like-a-publisher-not-a-marketer/) [David Meerman Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-meerman-scott/) > [No author is a man of genius to his publisher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/no-author-is-a-man-of-genius-to-his-publisher/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Being with a small publisher has been huge. They bat for me for everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-amsterdam/being-with-a-small-publisher-has-been-huge-they-bat-for-me-for/) [Steven Amsterdam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-amsterdam/) > [“Don't simply dream, create. Don't simply create, ship. Don't simply ship, dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/don-t-simply-dream-create-don-t-simply-create-ship-don-t-simply-ship/) [Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/) > [I was a nobody when I met with the publisher. Nobody knew who I was. I was doing some speaking for entrepreneurs. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/i-was-a-nobody-when-i-met-with-the-publisher-nobody-knew-who-i-was-i/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) ## More by Russell Smith > [If you tell your husband or boyfriend for his whole life that he needn't worry about his clothes, that he couldn't possibly understand them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/if-you-tell-your-husband-or-boyfriend-for-his-whole-life-that-he/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Canadian writers don't live in gated mansions; you can just talk to them when you see them lining up at the Second Cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/canadian-writers-don-t-live-in-gated-mansions-you-can-just-talk-to/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [I was given a thick paperback copy of the 'Guinness Book of Records' when I was 11 years old, and I read it gluttonously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-was-given-a-thick-paperback-copy-of-the-guinness-book-of-records/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [I would rather be nuts than unattractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-would-rather-be-nuts-than-unattractive/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [What I would love to see is art that explicitly addresses not personal intimacies but anonymous intimacies: the vast collections of facts about you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-i-would-love-to-see-is-art-that-explicitly-addresses-not/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Indeed, the whole point of the man bun, I have surmised, is to assert a high proficiency at yoga. There are no yoga-achievement badges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/indeed-the-whole-point-of-the-man-bun-i-have-surmised-is-to-assert-a/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Anything that encourages a boy to open a book, in a world of more violent and therefore more compelling video games, is something I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/anything-that-encourages-a-boy-to-open-a-book-in-a-world-of-more/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Verisimilitude is something I am constantly seeking in fiction. I am looking for surface detail that makes something seem real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/verisimilitude-is-something-i-am-constantly-seeking-in-fiction-i-am/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Increasingly, to dismiss any popular artistic style is seen as the worst kind of snobbery. And snobbery, it goes without saying, is unacceptable in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/increasingly-to-dismiss-any-popular-artistic-style-is-seen-as-the/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [What I don't understand is why men have decided that they like wearing hats indoors. It makes no sense to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-i-don-t-understand-is-why-men-have-decided-that-they-like/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [I am indeed completely nuts, but that doesn't mean I don't care about how I look. Sometimes, I admit, I will privilege appearance over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-am-indeed-completely-nuts-but-that-doesn-t-mean-i-don-t-care-about/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Everyone likes to hear that their eccentricities and their addictions are simply evidence of their sensitive artistic nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/everyone-likes-to-hear-that-their-eccentricities-and-their-addictions/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [There is actually no such thing as an Artist type. 'Artist' is just an economic designation, a box you tick on a form. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/there-is-actually-no-such-thing-as-an-artist-type-artist-is-just-an/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [One of the qualities essential to writing exciting stories, whether for page or screen, is an ability to abandon one's morality. We simply cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/one-of-the-qualities-essential-to-writing-exciting-stories-whether/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [I have never, ever, not once, met a writer who said he or she would never read a mystery or a story set in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer-who-said-he-or-she-would/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) [Explore all 69 Russell Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What makes a publisher decide to market a book to a particular audience is not the subject matter but the style.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Russell Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market-a-book-to-a-particular/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market-a-book-to-a-particular/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/russell-smith-9877_audience_what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market_1029543.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/russell-smith-9877_audience_what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market_1029543.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/russell-smith-9877_audience_what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market_1029543.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What makes a publisher decide to market a book to a particular audience is not the subject matter but the…” — Russell Smith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Russell Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What makes a publisher decide to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market-a-book-to-a-particular/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-makes-a-publisher-decide-to-market-a-book-to-a-particular/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```