Book Marketing from Ugly Potato Chips: What's Your Packaging Like?

Let’s learn book marketing from a bag of potato chips.?

(It’s always an adventure with me, isn't it?)

Kettle Cooked Uglies are chips made from potatoes with minor cosmetic imperfections. Potatoes that are too large or too small are used for these delicious chips. Or even potatoes that are blemished. Those find their way into the bag too.?

The coolest part?

Uglies has helped to reduce food waste by saving over 4,200,000 pounds of potatoes since 2017,?according to their website.?

Before I explain the book marketing thing, I need you to take note of their packaging. Here’s what I noticed:

• The thumbs-down graphic is always a negative, right? It means rejection, failure. But these designers used it to form a positive.?
• Notice the “Ugly Food Facts” on the back. They’re staying on brand with the word?ugly?and educating the consumer on food waste and how Uglies is remedying that.?
• Their tagline, which can be seen at the top and bottom of the bag,?is “Always Delicious. Always Ugly.” Clever! They have another one on their website that says, “Reduce Waste. Fight Hunger.” You can see what they’re passionate about.
• Uglies has partnered with Viva Kids to help fight hunger. They care about people, not just money.?
• They encourage people to follow them on Instagram and Facebook, where they offer recipes, giveaways, and educational facts.?

So what does an ugly potato chip have to do with marketing your book?

Because when I was shopping at the grocery store a few weeks ago, I had my eyes set on Doritos (spicy nacho, to be exact). But I skidded to a stop when I saw the packaging of these Uglies. It was the thumbs down and the word?Uglies?on a package that had me do a double-take.

It was just good marketing.

When I picked up the bag, I read about these chips and snapped a photo to remember for later. I never even tasted them. I was solely intrigued by their packaging.?

I see authors royally ruin so many good opportunities to sell their books by ignoring their packaging. [CLICK TO TWEET]

“Oh, so this is about professional cover design then?”

Sort of, but not really.

When packaging your book, I want you to check off these important musts:

1. Who is your target market??

The Uglies chips know they’re going to reach people who care about America’s issue with food waste. As an author, you need to know your target market.?No, romance readers is not a target market.?That’s too broad. You know what’s more specific? Readers of romantic comedies with doctors as the love interest. Yes,?that’s its own category on Amazon.?

2. What is your tagline??

They have two. Both taglines are clever and punchy while staying on brand and educating the potential consumer. For authors, we usually have a tagline, logline, and hook. Let me show you:

Hook (first sentence in book):?“It takes about eight to ten hours to hand-dig a grave, more if you was doing it in the dark.” —We Are All the Same in the Dark

Logline (one sentence providing a synopsis):?“An allegory on the high seas, in which a teenage boy and a 450-pound tiger are thrown together in a lifeboat as the only survivors of a shipwreck.” —Life of Pi

Tagline (high-concept teaser):?“Losing your planet isn't the end of the world.” —Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Do you have these for your book?

3. What are you passionate about??

It’s clear Uglies want to make a big difference in the world of food waste. They also want to fight hunger, which is why they partnered with an organization like Viva Kids. I want to be able to read about the author on the back cover or somewhere inside. I want to get to know you and your passions. This is done through an author bio. Make sure yours is "packaged" in a way that helps me learn more about your passions!?

4. Where can people engage with you??

Right on the package are social media logos so you know where to find them. There needs to be a website and social media handles on the back of your book or on the inside so I can follow you. Remember, social media is the lifeline to your readers.

5. What value are you bringing??

When I teach on value, I tell my authors to focus on one of the three: Education, Encouragement, or Entertainment. It’s clear Uglies wants to educate their consumer, especially with the "Ugly Food Facts." Have you determined what kind of value you’re bringing to the table? Is it clear in your packaging? If you're writing a book targeted toward entrepreneurs, are you going to educate, encourage, or entertain the reader?

6. Is your design smart??

We see in the Uglies packaging that they nailed it with their design. Your cover needs to do the same. It’s not just about having a beautiful cover. The cover must match the psychology of the genre. I’ve seen memoirs with covers that look like a pirate romance novel. Do not mislead your reader! Make sure your genre is crystal clear through well-positioned design.

7. Does your book make me want to do a double-take??

I wasn’t even looking for these chips. I was looking for Doritos, remember? But the packaging was so well executed that I stopped and went back. The same thing should happen with your book. You have competition, yes? So make sure your packaging stops me in my tracks.?

So what do you think? Does your current packaging achieve these musts, or is it time to go back to the drawing board??

An expert editor, best-selling author, and book marketer, Shayla Raquel works one-on-one with writers every day. A lifelong lover of books, she has been in the publishing industry for ten years and specializes in self-publishing.

Her award-winning blog teaches new and established authors how to write, publish, and market their books.

She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist, “The Rotting” (in Shivers in the Night), The Suicide Tree, #1 bestseller The 10 Commandments of Author Branding, and her book of poetry, All the Things I Should’ve Told You. In her not-so-free time, she acts as organizer for the Yukon Writers’ Society, studies all things true crime, and obsesses over squirrels. She lives in Oklahoma with her dogs, Chanel, Wednesday, and Baker.