What is a comp title (comparative title)?
Ask the Author Podcast Transcript
Episode 24, 9th October 2023
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What is a ‘comp title’ or comparitive title in publishing? How do you find yours? Jodi Gibson, author of REINVENTING EMILY BROWN gives her tips.
Intro
In the intro, Jodi welcomes listeners from her recording studio in Victoria and asks how their writing is going. She reminds listeners that creating a plan and showing up–even if it’s just for 30 minutes, three times a week–will really add up.
Show Notes
Understanding Comp Titles in Publishing
Genre & Tone in Book Pitches
Episode Transcript
This week's question comes from someone who'd like to remain anonymous, and the question is:
What do publishers and agents mean when they ask for comp titles and how do I include them in my pitch?
Okay, so that's a great question. Thank you for asking. A comp title simply means a comparative title. So that's what comp title means a comparative title? So books or authors that you can reference in your pitch that are similar in tone, style and genre to the one you are pitching today.
Why do publishers and agents ask for this in your pitch?
Firstly, it helps them understand the type of book you are writing or the type of book you are pitching to them.
For example, if a comp title of yours is Jane Harper's THE DRY, they will expect a certain vibe and tone from your synopsis and the pages that you're submitting to them. They will expect a crime novel with a dramatic atmosphere and a compelling plot.
It's not to say they expect something similar to the actual book THE DRY. In fact, they don't want another Jane Harper. There's already a pretty successful one out there. They want a new crime voice, but it will still give them the feel of what you are aiming to achieve in your writing.
For example, if you had down Emily Henry as your comp author, they would be expecting something totally different. They'd be expecting a romance with depth and also humour. So what your comp titles are actually doing for you is asking the reader, in this case the publisher or agent, to expect a particular style of novel.
They will sit down and they will put on the hat of a crime novel or a romance novel or a sci-fi novel in the tone of whatever author or book you've put down. And they will sit down and they will read with that in mind.
It's not to say your book will be similar in plot or character to the comp title, but rather similar in style, tone and genre.
Comp titles help demonstrate your understanding of your own work
The other thing comp titles do is help your agent or publisher know whether you yourself understand your book, whether you understand it well enough to know where it would actually sit on the shelf of a bookstore.
If you compare your book to a wonderfully successful literary fiction author and your book is clearly fast-paced, flashy and commercial, then chances are you don't really understand your book or what you were trying to achieve in your writing, or perhaps you're not actually achieving what you set out to achieve. This is an important point to make.
As to where your book sits on the shelf, it's super important when it sits alongside other books in the section of the bookstore. It's imperative to the marketing of your book. So your agent and publisher need to know that you understand this and that you are writing what you're setting out to achieve.
How do you go about choosing your comp titles?
Firstly, you want to choose authors and titles who are current, say within the last four, maybe five years, so they're fresh in the mind of the agent or publisher and you want them to be relatively well known. You don't want to choose anything or anyone who has had stratospheric success.
You're best to choose someone on the mid-list, someone, a name they will know. But don't choose anyone such as Colleen Hoover or JK Rowling, even if your book is comparative to their titles, because that's just putting yourself in another universe that's hard to compete with. So keep it on the mid-level.
My suggestion is to really think about what types of books that your book is like in terms of the genre and the feel. It's really important to get that right. By feel, I mean the tone, style, pacing and voice.
Is it a fast and page-turning thriller, like a book by, say, xyz author, or is it more a slow burn mystery crime, like ABC author? It's actually more important to get the style and tone comparison right more than anything else, and you don't always have to just pick books.
You can say something like my book, whatever the title is, is similar in tone to author XYZ and will appeal to readers of author ABC, and then go on to give an example why it's also perfectly acceptable to use a TV show or a Netflix series or something like that as one of your comps, but only if it compares in a specific way and perhaps only use one TV show and the others make sure their books are authors.
It's also important to note that it's a big no-no to write in your pitch “My book is completely unique and doesn't compare to anything else on the market,”.
Firstly, it's simply not true and secondly, if you write this, you will be guaranteed to receive a form rejection at best. So don't do it. It’s important to consider the following things for comp titles (in this order):
Genre (you have to get this right)
Tone
Style.
Those three things are probably the most important things to consider.
So work hard on working out how your book sits. I'd also suggest including at least two, if possible three, comp titles and make sure you explain very briefly and succinctly why they are comparative titles.
Don't just write “My book is like ABC…” Be specific. For example, my book would sit alongside books such as A and B because of this reason. In your pitch email, I'd advise putting your comp titles early on in your pitch, as it will immediately connect the publisher or agent to your pitch and to your book, and so they'll be in the right headspace as they read on.
In summary...
Comp titles are important
Comp titles are really important to include in your pitch and query letters, so make sure you do your research and make sure the books or authors you are using do fit alongside your book.
It's also important to note that comp titles are very helpful for indie authors too. Although you're not pitching to agents and publishers, it's important to know who your ideal reader is, so you know who to market your book to and where it will sit on the shelves. So keep that in mind all you indie authors out there as well.
If you'd like to know more about this week's topic, you can check out my blog at www.jfgibson.com.au or if you have a question about writing or publishing that you'd like answered on the podcast, please reach out and get in touch.
Don't forget, if you have a writing or publishing related question you'd like answered, please reach out to me on Instagram.
Until next time, happy writing.