Finding Comps

In the olden days of publishing, did every agent expect a writer to list their comps? Why do we now have to write like someone else? When I was querying agents, something I'll never do again, one of the requirements was a list of comp titles. Obviously, I struggled with this, because I don't read in my genre. I resorted to reading blurbs of books on Amazon to try to find one or two that sort of sounded like it could maybe, possibly, be similar to mine. That was a fail. (To top it off, comps can't be more than three years old.)

But it's not just agents who "need" that info. The bigger advertising platforms want it, too. BookBub, for example, while not requiring it, urges an author to list five or six similar writers in order to enhance the ad's success. That task was even more difficult for me than reading book blurbs. I used Goodreads to view different authors' bodies of work to find something similar to mine. That was a really long process, and not at all interesting. Now, according to David Gaughran's Facebook ad video, which I'm struggling to watch all the way through, he talks about comp authors, too. "Fans of Hattie McHatless will enjoy this book." Will they, though? Because I'm just making this up. I have no idea who Hattie McHatless is.

Easier for me was Voracious Readers Only, because its guidelines allowed television shows to be used as comps. At least I was somewhat familiar with TV. 

I understand that comps don't necessarily mean a similar plot, but a similar vibe. Still. This article spells it out. I'm not about to go on a journey of reading a slew of women's fiction novels just so I can possibly find one or two comps. And if I'm ready to buy an ad, I want to do it now, not six months down the road, after I finish all my required reading.

Here is another article from a writer who went on a search for comps. But again, having to read a bunch of books isn't going to work for me.

Just from scanning a few blurbs, none of the books in my genre are ones I'd ever read. I'm not into social justice and all that bullshit. Yes, in my current novel, the protagonist's A&R guy is stymieing her career, but not because "the man is keeping her down". He's stymied lots of other artists' careers, too; not just women's. Maybe I'm categorizing my novel wrong, but I don't have any other options.

I'm also pretty sure I don't write like anybody else, and almost certain my themes don't match anyone else's. I'm a stickler for not misleading a potential reader, so why would I tout my book as comparable to another author's when it's not? 

A writer is constantly being judged, which is fine if she's being judged for her work, but aggravating when that happens before the book has even been opened to Page One. If you're querying an agent (again, I'm not) and you fail to include comp titles, that agent will either assume you're not a reader or that you're lazy or stupid or both. It seems to me that the agent is the lazy one. She wants the writer to do her work for her.

The thing that sets me up for failure is that I just write stories. I don't strive to write like someone else. I've never said to myself, I want to write a book just like ____. And I wouldn't mimic another writer's style, even if I could. I thought we were supposed to be unique. Isn't that where being creative comes in? 

Honestly, the prospect of having to find comp authors or comp titles makes me want to forego marketing all together. Would my sales really hinge on that? On comparisons? Years ago, when my only option for reading books was my local library, I'd pull a few off the shelf and read the back matter to see if the book sounded interesting. That was it. I took a chance. 

Apparently readers refuse to leave anything up to chance anymore.