Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
On Thursday, Mary wrote about how creating a synopsis for a proposal confounds many writers. Another part of the proposal that I frequently hear questions about is the Title Comparables or Competition section.
The first thing to grasp about this section is that publishers ask for this information because they want to know:
What other titles would yours compete against? If you’ve written a 
book targeted for teen readers that you believe would appeal to the readers of The Fault in Our Stars, you’ve hit on the sort of novel that teens adore. On the other hand, the publisher will ask, Is there room for another novel like John Green’s huge hit? That’s where another role of comparables comes in:
How is your title different from each one you’ve listed? Writers often choose to engage in magical thinking when they ask themselves this question. Sometimes when I’ve challenged my clients about how unique their manuscript is, I’ll hear something like this: “I know it seems a lot like The Fault in Our Stars, but my main character is a boy not a girl, and mine is told in third person.” As the writer, those, of course, seem like mammoth differences, but to the typical reader who will spend about 30 seconds deciding whether to buy your book…not so much.
Or let’s say you’ve written a memoir on how you overcame depression. You can’t ignore the elephant in the room, Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, which currently is on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. That title must appear on your comparables list, and you must point to what truly distinguishes your book from Lawson’s. Let’s say your book has outtakes from your journal that include pen and ink drawings you made during your journey out of the blues. (And they’re really good.) Okay, now we’re talking not only about what’s unique in your work but also about something the reader will quickly recognize as different.
How do you decide what to include in the list? You must include all the obvious choices–the books that are the standouts in the category. If you don’t put them on the list, the comparables become suspect. Either you aren’t aware of your competition (which is bad–how will you know the ways to focus your manuscript so it is unique?) or you’re choosing not to mention those titles so yours looks like a standout (which is even worse).
You also need to list titles that might not be as well-known but that show there is a market for your book. If you can’t find books that would appear on the same shelf in the bookstore, that spot in the store might not even exist. Yes, I know many people don’t shop in literal bookstores, but imagining a store’s shelves helps us to have an image of how many books are jammed onto the shelf–or sitting there by themselves.
How many comparables do you need? You don’t have to list every vaguely connected book. I would suggest going for the obvious choices and those that are closest to being like yours. You also don’t need to go back to 1988 to find titles–unless some groundbreaking book that still sells with vigor was released that year. I’d search back about 10 years.
What if you can’t find any competition? That would be bad. It either means your book will be lonely on that bookshelf (and probably unpublished in the traditional realm) or you haven’t looked in the right places. A rare exception occurs when a writer tweaks a trend in a clever way and creates something new. But, then it isn’t entirely new is it? It’s connected to the books that created the trend.
A helpful resource one of our clients, librarian Judy Gann, made us aware of recently is a website called Novelist. Many libraries subscribe to it because it enables them to make recommendations to readers who are looking for a certain type of book or who read a book and want to read something similar. While that name suggests only novels are available, Novelist Plus subscribers can access fiction, nonfiction, and audio books. Subscriptions are also available to libraries for K-8th grade reads.
If you know one book that is related to yours, the librarian can access others. There are a variety of ways to conduct those searches, too. For example, if you’ve written a WWII novel, you don’t have to wade through all the novels written for that time period. You can focus it on WWII clean romances. Give your local library a call to see if they subscribe.
I also find checking out a similar title on Amazon can lead me to others I wasn’t aware of. Although that does take some investigating because sometimes Amazon’s “Customers Who Bought This Item also Bought” can be perplexing to find the correlation.
Ultimately, your list should show that, yes, readers are interested in this sort of book, but the shelf isn’t jammed. There’s room for your unique take on the subject.
What do you struggle with when you look for comparable titles? Have you found a solution?
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Great post, Janet; it’s a tough subject, and I imagine one simply has to do one’s best, against a fog-shrouded target.
* I use Amazon, and start with authors whose style and subjects are broadly similar to mine – Richard Paul Evans and Nicholas Sparks come to mind. I’m familiar with most of what they’ve written, so the starting point’s not hard.
* Then I use the “frequently purchased together” and “also looked at” features to find other titles…and if these are unfamiliar (but the storyline’s in the ballpark), I use the ‘look inside’ feature to check style and pacing.
* I also check sales ranking; comparing with a boat anchor’s not very useful.
* And I make darn sure that what I’m using as a comparison isn’t anywhere near erotica. That would be kind of embarrassing.
* Unless I’m doing something very wrong, I’m thinking that the way Amazon has set this up is almost tailor-made for the comparisons needed by proposal-writing writers. I kiss Jeff Bezos’ picture daily.
* And I’m still here. And somewhat amazed, after the last 72 hours. Thanks to all for prayers and good wishes. I’ll try to repay you by continuing to write the best way I know how.
I confess that I check Between the Lines late Sunday nights looking for your comment, Andrew, for the affirmation that you are still with us, still well enough to write. And here you are! Thanks be to God.
* And apologies to you, Janet: I am very interested in the topic, but too tired to conjure up a decent comment. I’ll revisit after some sleep.
Shirlee, that means more to me than I can ever express.
Shirlee, I’ll look for your comment later today. I hope your sleep is peaceful.
Andrew, your system sounds very reasonable to me. You have the benefit of knowing two authors whose work you can use as a starting point.
I’ve been traveling (with Wendy), and we both worried over you while we were together. I’m thankful you’re still with us and able to make another great contribution to the conversation.
Janet, thank you so much…it is always a privilege to be here, and to be able to participate in what has become a literal lifeline.
* You and Wendy traveling together, eh? Wow. Did you have to give advance warning to the cities upon which the pair of you descended, that they might clear the streets and lock away the breakables? 😀
Andrew, how thoughtless that we didn’t give the city a warning of our arrival. Of course, we were trying to keep a low profile since being royalty always causes such a fuss otherwise. I think Wendy’s going to write about our adventure in her blog post tomorrow so stay tuned.
I tell Barbara that when the train she takes home from work in Albuquerque is late, I assume that it has been slowed by the crowds of her subjects, desperate to catch a glimpse of her queenly profile and perhaps a regal wave from on high.
* I’ll be looking forward to the Tales from the Trip!
I like your reminder of Amazon’s–“Customers who bought this also bought” … Rachelle once said something similar … “if you liked this, you will like my book.” That helped me. I worked through this recently … found three books and enjoyed reading every word. Is three a good amount?
Shelli, three probably is ample as long as you aren’t leaving out some vital comparison.
OK, I confess. When I walk into a bookstore, I imagine my book on the shelf. What I haven’t imagined is writing about the other books in the section where mine would stand.
* Does the comparison go author to author as well? Would I compare my perspective and voice to Max Lucado’s? Or focus on how my book is different than his latest book? It would be easier for me to do the book–it is less personal. But I’ve learned here that the publishing process is never about “easy.”
Shirlee, you could do both comparisons. It would go something like this: “While Max Lucado’s voice and mine are similar and we see the world in much the same way, my manuscript differs from his latest work in that ______.”
Thanks for these suggestions. In the past I’ve asked my critique partners, and I’ve studied the CBD catalog.
I’ll be sure to check into Novelist and the Amazon trick. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Jackie.
This is the one section of a proposal that scares me. I’ve looked at the “Customers also bought . . . ” section on Amazon, and I’ve had some success with finding good titles. My biggest challenge is writing the comparable between the other book and my book. I’m planning on reading this again to absorb your insights, Janet. 🙂
Andrew’s trick of looking inside a book and reading a portion of it should help you to see how your work differs. Reading the Amazon reviews is good, too, because many reviewers give a book synopsis.
Janet, would you please post a ‘sample comparable’, so that we may see what one looks like? (I know your schedule may not permit it today, but perhaps next week)?
Here you go, Andrew. You can figure out a lot about this novel’s plot by the way my client, Angela Mills, wrote her comparisons. I think she did a great job:
Comparable Books
See Jane Post readers would also enjoy the following books:
What a Girl Wants, by Kristen Billerbeck, 2007. Like What a Girl Wants, See Jane Post is a light and fun read that will appeal to Christian women. Unlike What a Girl Wants, See Jane Post is written in a unique blog format and features a protagonist that is already married with children, something that will appeal to married readers. Also, while See Jane Post is an easy read, it contains significant concepts regarding marital life.
I’ve Got Your Number, by Sophie Kinsella, 2013. I’ve Got Your Number is another light, fun read. Like See Jane Post, the main characters communicate through texting and emails and chunks of story are told through these forms. Unlike I’ve Got Your Number, See Jane Post comes from a Christian point of view and incorporates the protagonist’s faith into the story as well as exploring in a subtle way emotional affairs. Christian readers will appreciate a modern story like this in a unique voice that also inspires them to walk closely with God.
Talk of the Town, by Lisa Wingate, 2008. Talk of the Town, like See Jane Post, is a funny Christian story that has the main characters involved in a major television show. Unlike Talk of the Town, See Jane Post is written in first person. Readers of Talk of the Town will enjoy Jane’s sense of humor and the Hollywood setting.
Fame, by Karen Kingsbury, 2011. Fame is a dramatic Christian novel that, like See Jane Post, is set partly in the Hollywood. Readers that enjoyed the movie-making settings and authentic faith woven throughout will enjoy See Jane Post. Unlike Fame, See Jane Post has a light and fun tone despite conveying ways a marriage can derail.
Thank you, Janet! That’s both illuminating and reassuring; it makes this particular hill seem a lot less steep.
This is so helpful, Janet. Thanks for sharing this example!
Thank you, Janet, for a very helpful post. I’m off to talk to my librarian about NOVELIST!
Yea! I’m so glad this post was helpful.
So, all I needed was a stack of comp titles that were sorta similar to my “After losing a historic battle, his nation is taken captive. A Navajo silversmith survives a Navajo POW camp from 1864-68, marries an Anglo girl whose father was the camp commander, and then gets captured and sold into slavery because there’s a massive underground slave trade across the Southwest and Lincoln neglected to emancipate Native American slaves” book.
Breathes into a paper bag.
Soooo, yeah. Amazon, Goodreads, Google, and on and on…I went with 12 Years A Slave, Courting Morrow Little, and The Wood’s Edge.
Struggles? There are almost no Native American slave narratives. There may be some in anthropology journals, but the fact that there was a very robust slave trade of Native Americans up until the early 20th century, yes, 20th, meant that acquiring narratives wasn’t exactly a big deal.
But since 12 Years A Slave told the story of a free man sold into slavery, it made it onto the comp titles.
Courting Morrow Little and The Wood’s Edge are both historicals that have two cultures portrayed, and are done so in a manner that elevates the Native culture to the relevance and equality of the Anglo culture.
My very wise agent encouraged me to focus on the unique aspects of my story. I did so without using the shoot me now phrase of “My story is so special publish me now and please have Kevin Costner direct the movie. Thankskaybye.”
I’m ready to add your story to our movie date … Last of the Mohicans, Dances with Wolves … and yours! 🙂 And I’ll be like, “What’s his name?” And you’ll have to tell me his name a thousand times. And I’ll giggle under my breath cause I really remember. 🙂 Your story, uh huh … I’m hooked.
Jennifer, you were very smart to key into the major themes of your story that would be of interest to readers of the novels you listed. If you found a novel that was a near match to yours, why would a publisher want to produce yours? It’s finding that balance between showing your novel isn’t odd but showing that it’s not an orphan.
Boy, this is so where I’m at in my writing journey. I’ve been dissatisfied with the titles to my unfinished books, two full length nonfiction works and some short books too; not good to be struggling with finding the right titles. My titles tend to be too static without an emotional tug. (I lay awake at night thinking about possible titles!) I also need to come up to speed in the marketing angle. It is helpful to have a handle on this as well. Thanks. (I seem to say ‘thanks’ often in this community.) Your suggestions are much needed and timely to say the least. You answer the questions I am shy to ask. This is exciting stuff.
Norma, the good news is you’ve read enough to know where you need to shore up. It will come together in its own good time.
I think something that really helps with this is thinking like a reader. Since I read a lot and often ask friends for book recommendations, this helps me remember what it is like to look for something new. My sister will say, “You’ll like this, the tone is like Ally Carter.” or “The plot is twisty with a lighthearted romance like Joanne Fluke” and if I can remember how I find books then it helps me to find comparables. Is my tone like such and such is my plotting or characterization like such and such. Remembering to be a reader too, can help point out the books and readership that our book should accompany.
Excellent point, Kristen. And it helps you to think about how to talk about the ways your book is like someone else’s and the ways it is different.
Thank you for the reminder of the importance of comparison books. I normally write preteen devotion books and have gotten away with skipping that since the editors know both me and my writing style. HOWEVER, I am writing a teen fiction book about a freerunner (like parkour) who is still dealing with the memories of past abuse when her abuser walks back into her life. So I will start a search for teen books about athletes and abuse.
I’ve struggled a bit with this section of the proposal because I’ve been told not to include smash hits on my list of comparables as it would be arrogant to assume that my book will be the next Harry Potter, for example. The way you describe this makes this section clearer to me. Perhaps the difference is in how you express the comparison. Would you advise that we stay clear of naming poor sellers on our list even if they are recent and in our genre, but also not restrict our list to the ones on the New York Times list?
For those who write historical fiction and are searching for comparables, I suggest visiting the Inspirational Historical Fiction Index site (http://inspirationalhistoricalfiction.com/) run by Bethany House author Melissa Jagears. She has search tools that enable one to find books by time period, historical events, character occupations and more.
This is my main problem. Is it historical fiction, yes. Could it be YA? Maybe. Other authors have written about the same era, but my writing style is vastly different and I would not compare my novel to theirs. Can a comparable come from outside the genre, if a similar style? I have extreme trouble figuring which books are similar to others and that is increased because there is no Amazon to help with an unpublished manuscript and because I read books from many genres my only criteria being excellent writing.
Diana, you’ll want to include some comparisons within your genre. You can write the comparison something like this: “While my story is set in the same time and place as _____________________, my voice is more like that of _________________, who writes in the ___________________ genre.”
I know this article appeared in 2015, so I’m not even sure my response/question will be seen. I’ll give it a shot. The comparables that have either been suggested to me or that I believe apply are classics but quite old (30+ years). The age of the comps causes me concern, but more importantly, I hate the audacity of even considering that my story might share shelf space with great titles. Also, the comparisons come for different reasons–the humor in one, the magical realism in another, and the family dynamics in a different selection. How is that described in a query letter or pitch? Can you help me with these challenges?
Thanks, David, for diving into our archived blog posts. From your comment, I’m assuming you’ve written a novel. Usually the best way to think about fiction comparables is to fill in these blanks: If the reader liked __________[insert book title], the reader would like my book because ___________.
The goal for fiction comparables is to help the publishing team know what kind of writer you are and what your style/voice has in common with novels most people are familiar with. Pinpointing classics shouldn’t be a problem when you think of comparables in this way.
I think that is the most straightforward and practical advice I’ve heard or read thus far. I appreciate you.
You’re welcome. I’m glad the info was helpful.