Comp titles haunting you? Let's fix it 👻

Setting the record straight on how to find good comps (they're not that bad, I promise!)

I’m not sure anything gives querying authors the heebie-jeebies quite like comparable titles (also knows as comp titles or comps). So, on this Halloween eve, I’ve made it my mission to make them a little less scary.

There’s been a lot of discussion on X and Threads recently about the dos and don’ts of comps, so let’s dig into all your burning questions:

• Where can I find good comps?

• Can I use major bestsellers as comps?

• Can I use classics as comps?

• Can I use TV shows or movies as comps?

• How similar do my comps have to be to my book?

• Can my comps be a different genre than my book?

• Do I have to like a comp to include it?

• Will I automatically be rejected if I don’t include comps?

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Where can I find good comps?

Start by looking at your bookshelf, or simply strolling through a bookstore! Comps should be books that would sit on the same shelf as yours and appeal to the same readers. Which book would your reader pick up right after yours?

My favorite online method for finding strong comps recently has been to look through the the Goodreads Choice Awards Lists for your genre for the past 5 years (since that’s the general recency benchmark you want to stick within).

Don’t just look at the winners — explore all the finalists as well. Do any of them speak to your target audience as well?

Bonus tip: Goodreads has a separate category for “Debut Novel,” so don’t skip that one!

I’ve heard of some authors using a prompt in ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to brainstorm comps. If you want to give it a go, you might try something like:

Give me a list of 10 [historical] novels published in the past five years by major publishing houses that center on [a mother-daughter relationship in a wartime setting]. Prioritize novels that had significant sales.

Adjust the bracketed sections to describe genre and the core elements of your book.

Keep in mind that the data may not be up-to-date (making it harder to find more recent comps) and that these tools can provide false information, so you always want to do thorough research on your own outside the chat.

Can I use major bestsellers as comps?

This is the hot question that’s been circulating around online writing communities over the past week. An agent advised authors not to comp to “mega sellers,” but why is that considered bad?