Comparative titles, or “comp titles,” are other books (or movies, shows, etc.) that tell an agent where your book sits in the market. Ideally, your query letter will include two to three comp titles in your age category and genre published within the last five years.
- Author Allison Alexander’s blog post on finding and using comp titles. https://www.aealexander.com/post/how-to-find-perfect-comp-titles-a-guide-for-querying-writers
- Agent Kate McKean discusses finding comp titles and how agents vs. querying writers use comp titles. https://katemckean.substack.com/p/dont-be-dr-frankenstein
- The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing podcast has a monthly comp titles section. Listeners can submit a one minute pitch ahead of time and listen to the show to hear a bookseller suggest comp titles. https://www.theshitaboutwriting.com/submit-a-question.html
- The Literature Map allows you to input an author’s name and find similar authors. https://www.literature-map.com/
- Allison Alexander’s Comp Finder databases: database of fantasy, sci fi, and horror titles published in the last five years that allows you to filter by age category and subgenere. https://www.aealexander.com/comp-finder-databases
The Querying Hub 