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In this episode we are going to talk about developing a Value Proposition for your book!

Talking Points:

It is time for another Marketing 101 episode! Every once in a while we like to go back to marketing fundamentals and teach you how to apply them to your book. Thomas literally purchased a marketing 101 textbook and from time we pull things out of the TOC for authors.

Today we are going to talk about value propositions.

So Jim, What is a value proposition?

  • Jim’s answer
    • The reason a reader should buy your book!
  • Thomas: Good value propositions resonate with your readers. When they hear it they sit up and say “Yes, that’s for me!”

What a value proposition is not

  • Tagline – “Brandalyn Collins Seatbelt Suspense”
  • Logline – “Rooms is the Shack meets It’s a Wonderful Life”
  • High Concept – “What would you find if your walked into the rooms of your soul?”

Why do authors need a value proposition?

  • The more concisely you can communicate the benefit of your book, the more concisely your readers will be able to do it. This is the seed inside the fruit that grows another fruit.

Questions to help you develop a value proposition.

  1. Who am I writing for?
  2. What pain do they feel?
  3. How does your book make your readers feel? The primary benefit for many fiction books is how they make readers feel while they read them. Calm? Excited? Superior? Scared? Courageous?
  4. What problem am I solving for my readers?
  5. How does your book benefit readers? Why are those benefits important?
  6. How is your book different from other similar books?

Examples:

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.

Rooms will show you how to find freedom from your fears and step into your destiny.

7 Deadly Friendships    by Mary Demuth

Do you have a friendship where there’s there’s something wrong but you can’t put your finger on it? Toxic friendships happen to everyone, but we seldom identify the underlying issues.

Here is the value proposition: This book will help you find better friends and be a better friend yourself.

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