If you’ve written a manuscript or draft of a book (or even an outline) and you're excited to get it out into the world. You’re ready to either promote it to a publisher or sell it yourself, and to do this, you need to crystalize your promotional plan. In my experience publishing 8 books in three languages, I’ve learned that a part of your marketing (no matter where you're selling) should include telling potential editors or readers what its features and benefits are.

In the natural products industry running an herbal apothecary, I was adept at explaining the features and benefits of my herbal products. They came easily—features of my healing salves included being made from hand-harvested organic plants and professionally blended into a reliable skin ointment. Benefits included quick topical healing for rashes, itches and wounds; great natural scent; portable; and so much more.

But a book? How do you describe the features and benefits of the manuscript you've conceived of or started writing? Believe it or not, your book has features and (ideally) it will benefit its readers. It’s up to you to define these traits and to promote them VERY CLEARLY as reasons people should purchase your product.

Why Features & Benefits?

Your readers want to gain something from reading your work, and they also desire to know its structure. Even a novel or memoir has structure and these genres, if written properly, will benefit your reader. They'll gain something from it and the act of reading your work with inspire or motivate them, or educate them, or will have some other influence. 

People want to get things. They aren't out to read your book as an act of kindness to you (unless that reader is your mom). Readers and editors purchase books based on the influence the book will have on their lives, and this influence needs to be clearly portrayed in the Book Proposal, the document that is written to capture the attention of an acquisitions editor and sway them toward supporting your work when they present it in front of their team.

The book proposal is the only way, frankly, that you can get the key characteristics of your manuscript contained in a single document that clearly and concisely sells your book. It's more than the book itself (which may be sci-fi, or gardening tips, or how you forage wild plants, or about healing remedies or skincare). The book proposal signals to the editor (and will later be reframed for the book jacket) exactly what the benefits of the book will be to the reader.

In my course Book Proposal Bootcamp, we go deep into features and benefits, discovering how to identify them in words that an agent or editor will respond to, and in ways a future reader (if self-publishing) will identify with.

Beyond Features and Benefits

The bennies may sell the book, but thinking beyond these will really propel your book further. Consider what’s going to happen after the reader turns to the last page, reads it and finishes the book. Then what? How can you continue their experience and capture their interest after they’ve read the last page?

Perhaps you can extend the benefits. What about hosting a retreat where readers can meet together in person (or online) to discuss the book or ask you questions? Perhaps you can invite readers to share their emotions or their own personal experiences related to the topic. These can be bonding experiences and added benefits for someone who truly enjoyed your book.

Other fun things can keep the interest going (and be considered benefits): host a contest, play games, ask for alternative endings, host spontaneous book readings with excerpts and behind-the-scene notes. Can you teach a course where people can dive deeper into your subject? Host a reading party? Share interviews with yourself and your readers?

By being able to identify these early and share what readers can expect, you can boost the interest in your book and increase your readership for the long-term.