Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you must be able to communicate the core benefit of your book. In business school, we call this a value proposition.
What is a value proposition?
Jim: There are technical definitions, but simply put, a value proposition is the reason a reader should buy your book.
Thomas: A good value proposition resonates. When readers hear it, they immediately think, “Yes, that’s for me,” or “No, that’s not for me.” It is divisive in a healthy way. It quickly sorts the wheat from the chaff.
It is not a tagline like Brandilyn Collins’s “Seatbelt Suspense.” That’s not a value proposition because it does not clearly state the benefit to the reader.
A value proposition is also not a logline or a high concept.
Jim: The logline of my book rooms is Rooms is “The Shack meets It’s a Wonderful Life.” That is intriguing, but it is not a value proposition. Or I might describe the high concept of that book by asking, “What would you find if you walked into the rooms of your own soul?” Again, an intriguing high concept question, but it’s not a clear statement of reader benefit.
Thomas: A value proposition answers this question: What is the benefit for the reader?
Why do you need a value proposition?
Thomas: You may think this sounds like extra work. It is not. The more concisely you communicate your book’s benefit, the more easily your readers can communicate it to others. A simple, powerful message spreads faster.
If you can identify the core seed of your book’s benefit, it can grow into something far bigger. This may be the difference between thousands of readers and hundreds of thousands. A strong value proposition spreads.
Jim: When I worked in radio, our program director would say, “Create a word picture.” If we are selling a diet pill, we could say, “This pill will help you lose 20 pounds instantly.” That is fine.
But it is stronger and offers a more vivid picture if we say, “You will look fantastic on the cruise you’re taking in April.” Now you can picture yourself slimmer, confident, and happy. The desired outcome becomes vivid. That is compelling.
Developing Your Book’s Value Proposition
Question 1: Who are you writing for?
Thomas: The first question to develop your value proposition is this: Who am I writing for?
Your book cannot resonate with everyone. You cannot write “a book for everyone” as many authors try to tell us. Even “Christians” is too broad an audience. “Women” is too broad. Consider two women. One is deeply in debt while the other has $100,000 in the bank. A book about budgeting and getting out of debt will resonate with one and not the other. One thinks, “Yes, I need this,” but the other wants a book about investing.
The same applies to fiction. Readers of science fiction are typically not the same readers devouring Amish fiction. Different readers have different desires.
Jim: A World War II film and a romance movie appeal to different audiences. You instinctively understand that. Your book is no different so get specific when answering the question, “Who are your writing for.”
To learn more about finding your target reader, check out our episode called How to Find Your Timothy.
Question 2: What pain does your reader feel?
Thomas: Once you identify your reader, ask, “What pain do they feel?”
Every group experiences particular psychological pains. For example, many women 65 and older experience something called “future shock.” Culture changes rapidly. Values shift and the new societal rules feel unclear to older readers. That can be exhausting.
What alleviates that pain? Stories set in stable worlds. Amish fiction is popular in part because it portrays a community where life appears steady and insulated from cultural upheaval. That relieves the psychic pain of constant change for readers in that group.
If you are someone who thrives on change, that Amish fiction may not appeal to you. But for readers who feel exhausted by rapid cultural shifts, it can be deeply comforting.
If your audience is too broad, you will not understand their pain. And if you do not understand their pain, your book cannot offer relief.
Question 3: How does your book make readers feel?
Jim: For most fiction, the primary benefit is emotional. Does your book calm readers? Excite them? Scare them? Make them feel courageous?
The horror genre promises you’ll feel afraid, and some readers actively want to be scared.
If you are unsure how your book makes people feel, ask them. Buy a reader coffee. Ask, “How did this book make you feel?” As you listen to their answers, patterns will emerge.
Thomas: I love fantasy and science fiction because they make me feel courageous. Characters face terrifying odds and overcome them. Think of Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, walking through Mordor. That story says dragons can be defeated, and that resonates with me.
The last fantasy series I read, The Void Wraith trilogy by Chris Fox, raised the stakes to the survival of life across the galaxy. I loved that.
Other readers want something quieter and more restful, so high-stakes galactic warfare will not appeal to them.
In nonfiction, one powerful emotional benefit is making readers feel affirmed. Political books often succeed because they reinforce what readers already believe. A book that tells readers, “You’ve been wrong your whole life,” is a tough sell. No one wants to feel foolish.
Question 4: What problem are you solving?
Thomas: This is especially helpful for nonfiction, but it applies to fiction as well.
Jim: In nonfiction, the solution to the problem might be, “I will help you build habits that improve your life.”
In fiction, the problem may be less explicit, but it still exists. Perhaps your story inspires readers to take risks they have long avoided. Maybe readers tell you, “After reading your book, I finally traveled,” or “I started that business.”
Every book has themes. Even if you did not consciously plan them, they are there. When you talk to readers, you will discover the problem your story solved for them.
When you identify the problem your book solves, your value proposition becomes clearer.
Question 5: How does my book benefit readers?
Thomas: Ask yourself, “How does my book benefit readers?” The answer to that question is called the core benefit.
Question 6: Why is that benefit important?
Thomas: This is the classic marketing principle. People do not buy a lawn mower. They buy a beautiful yard. Keep asking why, like a two-year-old. Answer the question, then ask why again.
When I described why I read fantasy, that explanation was several layers down. It reached the core of who I am.
If you keep asking, “Why is that important?” you eventually arrive at something foundational. “I feel afraid.” “I feel exhausted.” “I feel overwhelmed by cultural change.” Once you reach that level, you are in a powerful position. That clarity strengthens all of your marketing.
Question 7: How is your book different?
Jim: Finally, ask “How is my book different from other similar books?” There are many mousetraps on the market. What makes yours distinct?
Thomas: This leans more toward positioning than pure value, but it still matters. Why should someone buy your book instead of one already available?
It is best to ask this question while you are writing. I spoke with an author who said her books were very similar to a series that inspired her. That concerned me, until I learned the earlier series was published in 1982 and is now out of print. In that case, she was not competing with a current title. That changes things.
Your answer does not have to be, “It is written better.” The real question is, how is it better for your readers? How does it uniquely deliver on its promise?
Jim: It’s important to figure this out before the book is finished. Once it is published, it is usually too late.
If someone says, “My book is about a girl who goes back in time and falls in love with an Englishman,” that may sound familiar. Readers may think of Outlander, which features a Scottish hero. That similarity could make your book feel like a copycat.
You can write in the same genre, you can even explore similar themes, but there must be something that sets your book apart from the competition.
There is a classic Marketing 101 story. Ask people, “Who was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic?” Most answer, “Charles Lindbergh.” Then ask, “Who was second?” Few people know. Even though the second pilot flew faster and used less fuel, we remember Lindbergh.
Then ask, “Who was third?” Many people have heard of Amelia Earhart because she was the first woman to do it. She stood out.
If you are writing in a crowded genre, find the Amelia Earhart element in your book. That difference often emerges during the writing process.
Thomas: However, you do not want to be too different. If your book is completely out of left field, readers may not know what to do with it. You do not need to reinvent the wheel, but you do need to explain what makes your wheel distinct.
Jim: It is still a wheel. It just happens to be blue.
What are some examples of value propositions?
Thomas: We created value propositions for a few books as examples. I will share mine first.
For Courtship in Crisis: “Courtship in Crisis explains where the singleness epidemic came from and what to do to end it. If you are single and want to be married, this book will help you understand why finding a spouse is so hard and how to make it easier.”
Jim: For my novel Rooms, we created this: “Rooms will show you how to find freedom from your fears and step into your destiny.”
We invite you to share the value proposition for one of your books at AuthorMedia.social. You may receive helpful feedback, and it is a great way to talk about your book with other authors.destiny.
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