How to use this site
A short guide for anyone across the business, including editorial, marketing, publicity, sales or design.
- 1
Start on the Personas page
The Personas page is the home of the site. Use the Adult / Children's toggle at the top to switch audience, then filter by genre, format or author. Click any persona card to open its full profile in a slide-over.
- 2
Read a persona profile
Each profile is organised into tabs: Overview (who they are, what they read), Media & Interests (where to reach them), and Communications (voice, hooks, cover direction). For children's personas, an Adult Gatekeepers tab shows who is actually buying the book.
- 3
Navigate with the keyboard
Inside a profile, use ← / → to move between personas, ↑ / ↓ to move between tabs, and Esc to close. Every tab is deep-linkable — copy the URL to share exactly what a colleague should see.
- 4
Not sure which persona applies? Take the Quiz
The Targeting Quiz walks you through a short set of Yes/No questions and lands on the primary audience for your book. There are three modes: Adult book, Children's book (Buyer/Gatekeeper), and Identifying the Child (End-Reader).
- 5
Compare personas side by side
Pin any persona from its card or profile, then open the Compare page to see them in a side-by-side matrix — useful for positioning a title between two audiences or briefing a halo campaign.
- 6
Look up an author
The Author Index is an A–Z of every author and illustrator referenced across the personas. Search a name to see which audience(s) they belong to.
- 7
Check the FAQs
The FAQs page explains the thinking behind the framework — mood states vs. personas, how the segments were built, and how to handle books that straddle two audiences.
Quick tips
- Start with the reader's Need State (the WHY), not the genre.
- The first Yes in the quiz wins — that's your primary audience.
- A book can have a primary persona and a secondary 'halo' persona. Brief the cover for the primary; cut alternative copy for the halo.