Representation of different cultures and your audience as a BIPOC author

When trying to write a story based in a culture that is different from "the common" cultures used in fiction, a BIPOC author may encounter criticism about the audience they are targeting.

They could easily receive comments about "not alienating" the readers with a different culture, about how "modern" is their portrayal of that culture, etc. The criticism may even be directed to the style of the manuscript: it could be considered "bad writing" for not following the "common" writing cultural conventions.

People have many opinions and ideas of how the manuscript should be written, and you could listen to what they say, but you also need to be sure of who is the book for. Is it for people who want to learn about a new culture or for people from said culture? Do people need to be familiar with a certain culture to enjoy the book fully? As a BIPOC author how do you feel about the culture you are portraying?

Don't be discouraged if you don't know the answers yet, or if you know the answers and are aware that your audience may not be as wide as you thought. If you are not sure of who your audience will be, it's never too late to think about it! It can even change the way that you write. If you know your audience but you think a niche audience would be bad for you and your books I have to say I disagree. I'm not an agent, so I cannot speak about sales, but I know for certain there will be many readers who will want to read your work, even if it doesn't align with what is "common."

As Matthew Salesses says in "Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping": "This book is against the idea of “finding” an audience and for the idea of writing toward the audience whose expectations matter to you. As writers we need to know that there are many different conventions—not just convention and experimentation—and we need to know where those conventions come from, and whom they serve, in order to know what and why and how to mean." (pg. 5)

You can find more of this topic in the book "Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping" by Matthew Salesses.