Creating a USP for your book

USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition (or Unique Selling Point). It is about differentiating your product (in this case a book) from the rest.

Consider this question. Why should someone buy YOUR book? What makes it different from all the other books in your chosen genre? Sadly, if you don't know, then how is your potential reader? So far that's more questions than answers, but let's look at a few things we can consider. In an earlier post I discussed the importance of a book cover. The right cover does sell a book, or at least grabs the attention of a potential reader. So how can you differentiate between your book and others, if both have similarly attractive covers? Most book covers on the Internet are flat two-dimensional images. By producing a 3D cover, and perhaps adding a review, you can make the book stand out. Below are two views of the cover of my book - The Pyramid Legacy. The one on the left is the standard flat two-dimensional image I have to use on Amazon, but the one on the right is a 3D version, complete with a book review, which I use on my website, and any other site which will accept 3D images. 

As I'm trying to sell a book, I want it to look as much like a book as possible. I use 3D images of both the current book, and its sequel, in my YouTube book trailer, which is another good marketing media for helping to differentiate between your book and others. (Check out www.simplybookish.com for an inexpensive book trailer,)

Sometimes the title of a book doesn't convey the full story, so one or two short sharp sentences are need as attention grabbing headlines. I use "A sci-fi plot twisting the fibres of history together with those of the future . . ." and "For over four millennia the Great Pyramid of Giza has guarded a secret image; until NOW!" on my website, as an introduction to The Pyramid Legacy. Now, I'm not saying for one minute they are perfect one liners, but I think they do convey the link between the past and the future, together with some level of mystery. By creating even the smallest USP you can help your book stand out from the crowd.

Do book trailers provide a benefit?

In this short post I want to consider the benefit of book trailers. Let’s first of all look at the benefits. If done well, they can help create exposure, in the same way as trailers to movies stimulate your desire to watch a movie . . . or not, as the case may be. Not everyone will want to watch the same movie, or read the same book – but if your target market see it, and like what they see, then it will definitely generate readership.

If you recall my earlier post about AIDA – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action – a good book trailer, like a good movie trailer, will deliver on all four counts. Once your viewer's attention is grabbed – either through something visual, or audible, the trailer should try to build on this interest and develop a desire for the him/her to want to read the book. Finally, there should be some form of call to action. In other words, details of where the viewer can obtain the book, or at least give them more information about it.

So the major benefit is additional exposure, and potential extra sales. But what about the negatives? The biggest negative is cost, and this is where a minefield exists. Some companies charge huge prices for the creation of a book trailer. An expense you need to re-coup from additional book sales.  Yesterday’s post outlined the number of hits you need to generate to make sales. However, if a book trailer can be created for a modest cost, then it reduces the number of sales required to cover the cost. My own book trailer, below, was produced by Tracy Stewart (www.allaboutthecover.com) for a very modest $50. (Tracy’s normal price is $75, which includes the sourcing of graphics – but I provided my own.)

Once you have a book trailer it can be used on any website, without the need for the website to upload a huge file. My book trailer is on a number of sites, including, for example, my author page on the Independent Author Network website. I’ve already had a number of people inform me directly that they have purchased the book as a result of watching the trailer. I took the view that the cost was low enough to warrant taking a small gamble, primarily due to the flexibility of being able to have the trailer on more than one website.

So in summary, book trailers can help create additional exposure, but you need to be very cautious about how much of your hard earned royalties you are going to invest in them.