7 Tips for Better Book Comps
Finding comps — comparable titles — is an essential part of the book querying process, as they are a shorthand that let agents and publishers know what your manuscript is like. This video highlights key ways you can find attention-getting comps that are a perfect fit.
I’ve written before about why comps aren’t the greatest idea the publishing industry ever has had. The purpose is basically to save time, as outlined above. But the idea is that, if you’ve written something genuinely unique, it’s going to be almost impossible to find a good comparable book for. The practice of comps thus encourages writers to fit trends.
But if we’re going to be forced to work within the comps system, we might as well learn how to do it well. Much of that is being willing to look at the broader availability of titles (not just the ones everybody knows) and taking the time to sort through a variety of information sources. As I suggest in the video, you can support that overall goal by starting to look for comp titles early.
What comp titles are you thinking about using for your own book(s)?