Ginger McKnight-Chavers

• Fiction buyers in every category are predominantly female. • Women read more books than men, especially fiction. • Book groups consist almost entirely of women, and the recent proliferation of literary blogs are populated mainly by women. • The most likely person to read a book in any format is a college-educated Black woman. • In the Heart of Texas explores the diverse experiences of educated African Americans and African American family and professional life and appeals to the large demographic of African American female readers and book clubs. • In the Heart of Texas is a contemporary novel set primarily in Texas and appeals to readers within this region, particularly given the dearth of contemporary non-genre Western/Texan fiction. • The overwhelming majority of fiction buyers are women interested in stories about fulfillment, love, and romance. • Though the protagonist of In the Heart of Texas is African American, it features a diverse array of characters and situations appealing to a broad, particularly female, audience. • Television programs featuring African-American protagonists in contemporary settings such as Black-ish, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Empire were among the highest rated/viewed TV series in 2015, and In the Heart of Texas appeals to fans of these programs. • The author is well-connected within the African American community, and to large African American women’s organizations and sororities, where this book will find many readers.