If you've been querying agents for more than five minutes, you've likely heard of comps.
"Comp" or comparative titles are exactly that: books—and in some cases TV shows and movies!—that your book's plot, characters, and/or theme can draw a direct line of comparison to.
These comps are encouraged in query letters because they help agents quickly understand the cultural touch points your manuscript is in conversation with and therefore what sort of audience might be interested in it. This helps the agents craft their own pitch letters to editors, the editors persuade their bosses to let them buy your manuscript in sales meetings, and so on.
Suffice it to say, it pays to be thoughtful when it comes to comp titles! Here are six tips to get you started:
1. You’re the Meaning in My Life; You’re the Inspiration.
Not sure how to get the ball rolling? First, think of the books that you kept close at hand when you were drafting your manuscript. Which ones were your biggest inspirations? Which ones were practically self-taught craft classes?
2. Keep It Current.
Ideally you'll use at least one comp title that was published in the last two to five years to demonstrate your hip and happening knowledge of the market.
3. Now That You’ve Picked Them, How Do You Use Them?
A helpful construction to use in your query letter is "X meets Y." In fact, you might even hear “X meets Y” uses as a synonym for comp titles! This construction when used in a sentence might look like: "The Kiss Quotient meets New Girl, [Name of Your Book] is a love letter to all the quirky best friends who deserve love too." You might also say, "[Name of Your Book] is perfect for readers of Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient and viewers of early New Girl."
4. Ditch the Classics.
Keep your references to the classics to a minimum, unless your novel is a modern retelling of, say, The Decameron.
5. Is That a Chip on Your Shoulder, or Are You Happy to See Me?
Avoid seeming too cocky by NOT referencing the biggest bestsellers in your genre. If you comp your witchy novel to Harry Potter and A Discovery of Witches, you might come off seeming delusional ("My book is the next best thing!") or like you don't have a strong working knowledge of midlist titles in your category.
6. You Mentioned TV and Film Are Okay?
Yes! Given how often the publishing and film industries overlap these days, only the stodgiest, most elbow-pad-wearing of agents is likely to turn their nose up at a TV show or film as a comp title. In fact, using one as such can help your book feel in greater conversation with the zeitgeist. With that said, I do recommend that you use TV/film comp titles sparingly, with the majority of works referenced in your query letter or proposal being other books on the market today.