Whether you’re querying agents or crafting marketing copy, your USP plays a key role in attracting attention and stating intentions. From defining a USP and its importance to practical tips on identifying your book’s USP and shaping it into a pitch-perfect marketing tool, this article covers what you need to know about finding the USP of your book.
What is a USP?
As I mention in my introduction to book proposals guide, publishing is primarily a commercial industry, so it’s no surprise that one of its foundational marketing concepts—the USP—is borrowed from the business world. “USP” stands for “unique selling point,” or sometimes “unique selling proposition.” It’s a statement that highlights what makes your service or product better than the service(s) or product(s) of competitors.
In the case of books, think of the USP as your marketing hook: What makes your story and/or your brand stand out from comparable or competitor titles? That may be the plot, the tone, the structure, the themes, the types of characters, or even the unique perspective you bring to the table as the author—whatever will scream “pick me!” to agents, publishers, and readers.
The benefits of identifying your book’s USP
Knowing your book’s unique selling point(s) can be helpful in a variety of ways.
For pitching to agents and publishers, it can be a useful tool to:
- Differentiate your story. How does your book stack up against existing titles?
- Communicate its benefits. What does your book offer that others don’t?
- Create buy-in for your ideas / brand. Why is your book a needed addition to the market?
- Demonstrate you know your market. Who are your potential customers, and why would they care about this book?
- Showcase your style. How do you approach tone of voice?
Finding your book’s USP can also be beneficial in shaping both your writing and your book’s positioning. For example, keeping your USP in mind when you’re outlining, drafting, and revising material can serve as a north star to keep your book on track with the goals you’ve set for it. Likewise, your USP can act as a way to attract potential buyers by creating an irresistible pitch that speaks directly to your target readers and their needs / interests.
How to find your book’s USP
Finding a USP that encourages agents and publishers to choose your book from the slush pile and incentivizes readers to buy your book over the many others available starts with some reflection. Ask yourself questions like:
- What’s my story about?
- Who is my target reader, and what will they gain from my book?
- How does my story differ from other books I’ve read in this market?
- How do my characters compare with characters in similar books?
- What is the voice of my book, and how does it compare to other books in this genre?
- Do I as an author bring a unique lens or expertise to this story?
If in asking these questions you find that you’re not really sure how your book compares to existing titles or what target readers you’re trying to reach, take a step back from positioning your book and first spend more timing researching the competition and identifying your audience. You can’t choose your hook without knowing where you’re casting or what you’re trying to catch.
From these general questions, you can then see some emerging themes about what makes your book distinct. Is it the types of characters you feature? Is it the way you’ve told the story? Is it specific credentials or experience you bring as an author? Make a list of all the possible ways your book might stand out from the competition.
Once you have a shortlist of potential USPs, you may want to do some more competitor research. Look at the marketing copy of similar books and/or the books your target readers are currently buying. How are these books pitched? Are there specific hooks that are more effective than others? If you’re getting ready to query agents, you could also deep-dive into their profiles and wishlists and see if any of your potential USPs speaks to those. It may be that your book has a few USPs and you emphasize different ones to different outlets.
Crafting a pitch-perfect USP
Finally, when you’re ready to fine-tune your USP(s) into a pitch-worthy statement, consider how you can frame these unique aspects of your book in a succinct, easily digestible format. Think elevator pitch or ten-second sell.
While you don’t want to be too formulaic with the language or the approach to your pitch, this Writer’s Digest article on three ways to structure your USP offers some tried-and-tested methods that work well for query letters. In general, a good USP will be memorable, backed up by your actual book, and showcase a reader-focused benefit or point of intrigue.
Once you’ve gotten to grips with how to identify your book’s USP, you can also weave it into your full book proposal. Check out my book proposal template for more step-by-step guidance.