Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
When you’re trying to interest an agent or publisher in your book, you’re often asked to provide “comps” — other books that could be compared to yours, or books that might compete with yours. A good book proposal always has a “Competition” or “Comparable Books” section.
One of the most common questions I’m regularly asked is, “How do I figure out what books to include in my comps?” Do I look for books with the same premise or plot? Same time period? Same writing style? How do I know what to include?
I’m going to make it easy for you.
Ask yourself, “Who are my readers? What are they reading right now?” Those are your comparable books.
Keep this in mind:
“People who enjoy the following books are likely to enjoy my book.”
You can use that line in a proposal, then follow it with the comparable books, and for each one, a brief explanation of why your book would appeal to those same readers. This approach frees you from trying to decipher what an agent is looking for, and instead, use those comps to identify your audience.
If you can’t readily identify six to ten books or authors whom your potential readers are already reading, then you might want to stop what you’re doing and learn what’s already out in the marketplace, and who your potential audience is. If you can’t identify your audience, then how will you or a publisher sell your book to them?
Providing “comps” is all about helping your agent, your editors, your marketing team, and your readers to capture a vision for your book.
Too often, writers tell me, “I’ve looked and looked, and I can’t find anything quite like my book.” That may be true, but you can think about your potential readers, and figure out what they are already reading.
To read a little more about how to create a strong Competition section for your book proposal, click HERE.
Do you know what books your potential readers are already enjoying? How do you research this?
Image copyright: dgilder / 123RF Stock Photo
Jackie Layton
Good morning, Rachelle! It’s like you turned a light bulb on. You make the process sound easier than I was making it. I used to go to the CBD catalog, and l’d look for stories with similar themes and genres. I can still do that, but now I have a better idea what I’m looking for. I guess we can also go to blogs who review books and see what people are reading.
Thanks so much!
Jeanne Takenaka
Rachelle, this is an easier way to figure out the comps section for a proposal. Like Jackie, I’ve spent time looking on Amazon for similar books (in story, in theme), and I’ve tried to read books to see if they would be a fit.
*I’ve asked friends who read in the same genre I write in, and that’s been helpful. I’m thinking it would be good to ask people in my target audience what they’r reading . . .
*Thanks for this post. It takes some of the “this is so hard” out of the comps section of a proposal. 🙂
Shelli Littleton
I think I have a good idea what books potential readers are already enjoying because I’m reading them. 🙂
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Great post, Rachelle, and it sure does de-mystify the process.
* One way to find comps goes back to janet’s post on Monday; those who would endorse a book that one selects as a comp may well have themselves written comparable works. Just need to look at the back of the dust jacket…which is hard to do on Amazon.
* I have a tough time with comps because I write from the premise that the stories that I want to read aren’t being written, so I may as well write them.
* To that end my personal comps come from by reading history; the elements I enjoyed over the years form the literary foundation for what I write.
* As an example, folks who might enjoy “Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart” have likely enjoyed –
1) Richard Bach’s “Illusions”
2) “Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert Pirsig
3) Nevil Shute’s “Round The Bend”
4) Andrew Greeley’s “Angel Fire”
5) Shinryu Suzuki’s “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”
6) William Barrett’s “The Left Hand Of God”
7) Edwards park’s “Nanette”
8) Richard Paul Evans’ “The Christmas Box”
9) William Young’s “The Shack”
* Obviously, the list’s a mess, as it defines a reader that is probably quite hard to target.
* One way to remedy something like this would be to go into a readers’ forum, perhaps on Goodreads, and pose a question…”If you liked ‘Illusions’ and wanted to read something similar, what did you find?”
* I suspect that a lot how we look for comps, and what we find, comes down to the question of why we write. I write from a need to see the transcendent made manifest in the mundane, and every story I tell is a way of getting at this paradigm from a different direction.
* Does anyone else feel this way, that they’re not writing for love of an established genre, but are using writing as an avenue to find the right questions to ask of God, and as an ear trumpet to hear His reply?
Rachelle Gardner
Andrew, I imagine that unles you’re writing “category,” most people aren’t writing a particular genre, but simply telling the story they want to tell. Genre is purely a sales & marketing necessity. We have to find a genre that fits our book so we can have a handle on how to sell it. You have the right idea.
Davalynn Spencer
Very helpful post. Thanks.
Rick Barry
Now that is one of the best explanations for comps I’ve ever heard. Going to store a copy of that post, Rochelle!
Rick Barry
Oh, good grief. Typing too fast. Please excuse the typo, Rachelle. And to think I spent five years as an editor!
Nicholas Faran
Finding several is easy, finding several recent ones is harder. I have read that any comparisons need to be recent publications, but my main ones are older: e.g. Anne McCaffery, David Eddings and more recent but now a few years old, Paolini’s Eragon and Funke’s Inkheart.
How old can I go.
Reading submission guidelines in the UK, suggests comps are not requested as much here.
Tisha
This is timely, Rachelle, thank you!
Janet Ann Collins
Please pray for Lee Roddy. He has been in the hospital for days with an infection they can’t identify.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Praying, Jan.
Kristen Joy Wilks
If you read regularly in your genre in both the CBA and ABA, this isn’t too difficult. The hard part, I think is knowing if these books are selling well. But if we’ve heard of them more than once…they probably are.