ChatGPT Analyzes the Marketing Potential of "Getting What I Deserve"

Something a little bit different this time:

The “Back to School” / fall season is the best time for a middle-grade/Young Adult book like “Getting What I Deserve.” While preparing a new campaign for August/September, I decided to use ChatGPT to test my hypothesis. I asked:

I believe that, considering the entire population of the world, people who buy books in English, and subject matter, there is a substantial audience for every book. Can you work out statistics on why this would be true for "Getting What I Deserve," and what the potential readership could be if it were possible to reach every ideal reader?

Here’s how ChatGPT responded:

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Great—let’s step back and look at your question statistically and conceptually in the context of “Getting What I Deserve.”

You asked:

Can you work out statistics showing why there is a substantial audience for this book, considering the world’s population, English book buyers, and the subject matter? What could the potential readership be if you reached every ideal reader?

Let’s break this down:

📘 1) Who is the book for?

Getting What I Deserve is a YA/upper middle-grade novel about:

  • Bullying and its psychological impact
  • Toxic friendships
  • Coming of age, resilience, self-worth

This positions it squarely in:
 ✅ Middle-grade to teen readers (roughly ages 10–16)
 ✅ Parents, educators, counselors looking for anti-bullying resources
 ✅ Readers interested in stories about overcoming adversity

🌎 2) Global English-speaking & book-buying population

Let’s look at the reachable audience size in the English-language market:

A. Global Population

~8 billion people

B. English proficiency

About 1.5 billion have some English proficiency.  Of those:

  • ~375 million are native speakers
  • ~750 million can read English well enough to consume fiction

For a book primarily sold in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, etc., the more relevant pool is:

Core English-speaking markets:

  • U.S.: ~330 million
  • U.K.: ~68 million
  • Canada: ~38 million
  • Australia & New Zealand: ~30 million
  • Other strong English readers globally: ~100 million

=> Approx. 500–550 million high-proficiency English readers in book-buying economies.

C. Book-buying behavior

Roughly 15–20% of adults and teens regularly buy or read fiction books each year.

So:
 500 million × ~20% = ~100 million active fiction readers in the core English market.

D. Target segment

Not every reader is looking for a story about bullying.

Estimate:

  • ~30–35% of middle-grade/teen fiction buyers are interested in “realistic,” contemporary issues
  • Parents, educators, and counselors may also buy these books

If we conservatively say 10–15% of the broader English-reading fiction audience are prospective buyers of a contemporary anti-bullying novel:

100 million × ~12% = ~12 million potential readers.

👩🏫 3) School & institutional adoption

In the U.S. alone:

  • 50+ million K–12 students
  • ~25 million are in the age range that reads middle-grade/teen fiction
  • Many schools use novels as part of SEL (social-emotional learning)

If even 1–2% of teachers or librarians adopted the book as recommended reading, you could see:

25 million students × ~1% adoption = 250,000 copies distributed via institutions.

🛒 4) Realistic vs. theoretical ceiling

Theoretical maximum potential readership:

  • ~12 million ideal audience individuals
    • ~0.25–0.5 million institutional adoption

Realistically:

  • Awareness, marketing budget, discoverability, and shelf space limit actual sales.
  • Even bestsellers in middle-grade contemporary fiction might sell 100,000–500,000 copies over years.
  • If you had unlimited reach, the book could plausibly be read by millions globally.

📊 5) Conceptual illustration

Imagine a pyramid:

  • 🌐 500 million active English readers
    • 📗 ~100 million regular fiction readers
      • 💡 ~12 million readers interested in this topic
        • 🎯 Your ideal target: teens, parents, and educators committed to anti-bullying stories

Even if you only reached 1% of the ideal audience:
 12 million × 1% = 120,000 readers

This is a significant number compared to the reality that many books sell only 500–5,000 copies without major marketing.

✅ 6) Why this audience exists

Statistics supporting a substantial audience:

  • 1 in 5 students in the U.S. reports being bullied each year.
  • ~60% of educators actively seek classroom materials about bullying prevention.
  • ~15% of children’s/YA books address contemporary social issues.
  • The market for “issue-driven” YA fiction is robust (e.g., “Wonder,” “13 Reasons Why,” “Speak”).

✨ Conclusion

Bottom line:
 Yes—there is a substantial audience for Getting What I Deserve.
 If you could put it in front of every ideal reader worldwide, you could reach millions. Even capturing 0.5–1% of this group would be a remarkable success.

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That was the entirety of ChatGPT’s answer. It doesn’t unlock the key to ensuring that success, but it provides insight that offers a meaningful starting point for more focused research and actions to improve my efforts. Of course, I’ll keep you in the loop.

What do you think?

 

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