 Comp (comparative) titles are books you can point to as an example of what an agent or editor can expect when reading your manuscript. Listing two or three comp titles in your query letter or during your pitch gives an agent a quick idea of where your book fits in the marketplace. When you want to convince an agent to take a chance on your novel, the immediate temptation is to compare your book to whatever's at the top of the bestseller list, but this could hurt your chance with an agent more than helping it. You should use... The Three R's of Picking a Comp Title: Recent: The publishing industry has a lot in common with the fashion industry. Trends and styles come and go. In the immortal words of Heidi Klum on Project Runway, "One day you're in, and the next day, you're out." You should pick a comp title published in the last three to five years. This shows an agent that your book is, for want of better words, in style. It has a place in the current market, as opposed to the market from ten years ago. Reasonable: If you are a debut romance author, don't compare your book to anything by Nora Roberts. Same for comparing yourself to James Patterson if you write thrillers, or George R.R. Martin if you write fantasy. You don't have an established career like they do (yet!). While your agent hopes that one day you will be an 800-pound gorilla in your genre, at the beginning of your career you should compare yourself to other beginners. Relevant: Compare apples to apples in terms of genre and audience. When I worked as a literary agent representing YA, I got a lot of queries that used adult books as comp titles, which didn't help make an author's case for the commercial viability of their book. A book can only go in one place in a bookstore or library, so a good way to figure out what books are relevant is to complete the sentence My book would be next to (title of book) on a bookstore shelf. Another sentence you can complete that will help you determine your comp titles is Readers of books by (author's name) will like my book. The publisher is a factor in choosing comp titles, too. Try to choose books from established publishers rather than self-published titles, because an agent will want to sell your book to a publisher that pays an advance. As an literary agent, I would always ask people for at least one comp title when they pitched their books to me at a conference. Almost without fail, at least one person at every conference said something like, "My book isn't like anything else out there." This statement from an author is a major red flag to an agent. Why? It tells an agent that there is no current market for your book. It could also be a sign you're not very well-read in your genre. If you really can't find a recent, reasonable, relevant comp title, your book may not be a good fit for the current market. Can you compare your book to a TV show or movie? Generally, yes, but with great power to choose comes great responsibility. First, don't compare your book to a TV show or movie that was adapted from a book, because this breaks the "reasonable" rule mentioned above. Books that get made into successful TV shows or movies are the 1 percent. Second, don't use more than one movie or TV show for comparison purposes, because your agent is ultimately trying to sell a book, not a movie or TV show. Attend a writers conference in 2025:
 This post composed by Carlie Webber, a certified professional editor and former literary agent currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Pepperdine University. Her favorite genres to read and edit include MG, YA, mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, and contemporary fiction. Carlie is part of the social media staff at Writing Day Workshops.
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