Having trouble with comps? You’re not alone.
We had a wonderful surprise at our Submission Strategy Workshop Agent Panel: John Cusick, VP of Folio Literary, shared his formula for finding comp titles.
After many questions about comp titles in the chat (many of the relatable “It’s not working and I’m frustrated!”) variety, John pointed out that most writers go about comps the hardest way possible.
So, if you’ve been researching for ages and can’t seem to find your right comp fit, read on!
The Comp Title Mistake Almost Everyone Makes
Most writers approach comps like this: “Okay, my book has time travel, so I need to find another book with time travel. Oh! And it has a second-chance romance, so I need another book with second-chance romance. Wait, they also have a beach vacation…who’s written about a beach vacation?”
Set down the coffee, and back away from the keyboard.
This is the most exhausting way to find comps. If you’re tired, that’s probably why.
We get it. This method SEEMS logical–break the book into ingredients, then find matching ingredients in existing books.
But you’ll never find the perfect match this way because your book is unique (that’s the whole point) and has so many elements, you’d need WAY more than the two recommended comps of this type to get the whole thing onto the page.
Here’s what John explained during the panel: “It’s less about being concerned with trying to take elements that are in your story and find them in other stories.”
Let’s look at his example: “My time travel is like the time travel in this book, and the second chance romance is like the second chance romance from this other book [one that has no time travel].”
See the problem? You’re Frankensteining together comps based on plot mechanics. That’s not what agents need.
The real question isn’t “What books have my exact plot elements?”
It’s “What books would my readers also love?”
That’s a completely different question. And it’s much easier (and less stressful) to answer.
John Cusick’s Actual Comp Title Process (Yes, He Shared the Whole Thing, And We’re Sharing It With Permission)
So here’s the method John uses. He walked us through this process during the Submission Strategy Workshop Agent Panel, and we’re passing it on to you. (You can also watch this in the video above, if you prefer.)
We hope this takes away some of your stress.
Ready? Here we go:
Step 1: Get Specific About Your Market
“Fiction” isn’t enough information. You’ll get so many search results with “Fiction” that it’d take you years to find what you want.
Instead, think of your work as middle grade fiction, YA fantasy, adult romance, narrative nonfiction, etc.
The more specific, the better your results will be.
Step 2: Google: “Bestselling [Your Market] 2023/2024/2025”
See? You can do this. We believe in you.
Do three searches:
- “Bestselling [your specific market] 2023”
- “Bestselling [your market] 2024”
- “Bestselling [your market] 2025”
You want books from the past three years. (It’s a comp title rule. Is an older book that’s still following other rules still relevant? Of course! Do you have to follow 100% of the rules? You don’t. You could have one comp be a movie or TV show, one older than three years, etc. Still, it’s a good goal.)
Why three years specifically? You want comps that are:
- Recent enough that agents and editors still recognize them
- Successful enough that they’ve proven there’s a market (without being a runaway bestseller everyone’s mom has heard about and refers to–Harry Potter, 50 Shades, etc.)
- Current enough to show you understand today’s publishing landscape
Not five years ago. Not seven years ago. The past. Three. Years. (And, again, if you find a perfect comp that’s a little older, paired with a newer one, you’re probably okay.)
Again, that’s the ideal. You don’t have to follow every rule for every comp.
Step 3: Don’t Stop at Bestsellers—Try These Too
Here’s where you expand your search. Don’t just look for bestsellers.
Also search:
- “Most talked about [your market] 2024”
- “Best reviewed [your market] 2024”
- “Award-winning [your market] 2024”
Why? Because not every successful book hits the New York Times bestseller list.
Some books break through with critical acclaim. Some become huge on BookTok. Some win awards. Some become beloved in specific indie bookstore communities.
Some are so beloved in publishing that they’re brought up at editor lunches all over the city/all over the country on Zoom.
You’re building a list of books that broke through somehow—whether through sales, buzz, critical attention, or cultural conversation.
Step 4: Make Your List
By now, you should have a solid list of notable, recognizable titles from your genre published in the past three years.
These books probably sold well. They got attention. They proved the market exists.
And they tell us, in just a few seconds, what your book is about.
That’s exactly what agents want to see. Because they’re going to have to share the comps with editors, who share them with the acquistions team–and, if they say yes, share them with marketing, sales, distributors, bookstores, and beyond.
Step 5: Match Reader Experience, Not Plot Points
This is the crucial part. Stop matching mechanics and start thinking about feeling.
Pick the books where fans of YOUR book would also enjoy those titles.
Not because the plots match. Not because they share a time travel element. But because the reading experience is similar.
Think about:
- Tone and voice (is it funny? Dark? Heartbreaking? Irreverent?)
- Emotional journey (what does the reader feel while reading?)
- Pacing and structure (fast-paced thriller? Slow-burn romance? Genre-bending?)
- The vibe (cozy? Intense? Healing? Contemplative? Action-packed?)
- Who the core audience is (who buys these books?)
As John put it: “I think again, it’s about picking your market, looking at the bestselling books…and picking the ones that are most similar to your fandom.”
Notice what’s not on that list? Plot elements. Magic systems. Whether it’s first person or third.
You’re thinking about the reader, not the mechanics.
Be Specific About Which PART of The Work You’re Comping
During the panel, Alice Speilburg added something really important: Don’t just list two titles and call it done. Tell agents exactly what element you’re comping.
Instead of writing: “This book is Title X meets Title Y”
Try: “The witty dialogue and romantic banter from Book X meets the atmospheric historical setting of Book Y”
Or: “For fans of Book X’s found family dynamics and Book Y’s twisty plot structure”
See the difference?
The first version makes agents guess. The second version shows you understand:
- Your own book
- The market
- What you’re actually comparing
This creates a real image in their minds.
And here’s the secret: this precision also helps agents pass that “pop quiz” test we talked about.
“But What If Nothing Seems to Match?”
Deep breath. This happens all the time. You won’t necessarily find the right fit the first time you look.
The good news is that there are millions of books published annually. You’ll find something.
One writer in our panel was working on speculative fiction and clearly struggling to find perfect comp matches.
Here’s the thing: Perfect doesn’t exist. And that’s actually fine.
Your book is unique. That’s the point of writing it.
Comps aren’t about finding exact matches that share your premise, your setting, your twist, and your ending. (For those of you writing to us saying it’s insulting to ask you to boil your book down to two similar works, we get it! We’re not trying to imply that everything about your book is contained in your comps.)
Comps are about giving agents three pieces of information:
- Your market position: Where would this sit in a bookstore? Which shelf? Which section?
- Your potential audience: Who already reads books like this? Who’s buying similar titles?
- Your commercial viability: Has this type of book sold recently? Is there a proven market?
And–perhaps most importantly–to spark an image into an agent’s mind.
If you’re writing something genuinely genre-bending (and we mean actually genre-bending, not just “I can’t find comps”), that’s okay. Pick comps that capture different aspects of your book, and explain the connections clearly.
For example: “For readers who loved the magical realism of Book X and the family dynamics of Book Y, even though my book is set in contemporary Seattle rather than historical Peru.”
You’re showing you understand the market and being honest about how your book is different.
“Can I Use Harry Potter?” (Please Don’t)
You’ve definitely seen query advice that says something like: “It’s Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games!”
And look, we get the impulse. Those are huge, successful books. Everyone knows them. Surely that’s helpful, right?
No. Here’s why:
Problem #1: They’re Too Old
John’s three-year rule solves this immediately. Harry Potter was published in 1997. (Yes, we were surprised when we looked that up, too!) That’s almost 30 years ago.
The market has changed. Dramatically.
What sold in 1997 (or even 2008, when Hunger Games came out) doesn’t tell agents anything about what they can sell today. Publishing moves fast. Trends shift. Reader expectations evolve.
You need recent comps to show you understand the current landscape.
Problem #2: They’re Too Big
Harry Potter sold tens of millions of copies. It’s a once-in-a-generation cultural phenomenon.
When you comp to Harry Potter, you’re not actually telling an agent where your book fits in the market. You’re just saying “my book is really good and lots of people will love it.”
Which… okay, sure. But every writer thinks that about their book.
What agents need to know is: “Can I sell your book in today’s market to today’s editors with today’s acquisition budgets?”
Recent success stories from the past three years answer that question.
Harry Potter doesn’t.
(Also, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your book probably isn’t the next Harry Potter. That’s okay! And you probably do a lot of things better than J.K Rowling, like know that trans rights are human rights. There’s still plenty of room for really good books that sell well and find devoted readers.)
Can You Use Books That Aren’t Huge Bestsellers?
Yes! This is another place writers overthink it.
If a book got serious critical attention, won awards, or became a big deal in specific communities (like BookTok or indie bookstores), it works as a comp. Did the NYT books section cover it? Great! Plenty of agents subscribe and read with their coffee.
“Most talked about” and “best reviewed” searches help you find these. Not every successful book hits the New York Times list, but it might have passionate fans and strong reviews.
The key is: Would an agent recognize this title? Does it spark an image?
If not, does the title explain what it is?
If it’s too obscure, it doesn’t help them understand your work.
Genre-Specific Comp Considerations
During the panel, we reviewed queries across multiple genres. Here’s what we noticed:
For Fantasy:
- Make sure your comps match your sub-genre (cozy fantasy vs. epic fantasy vs. urban fantasy)
- One writer compared their work to Wayward and Blood Over Bright Haven—solid recent examples
For Mystery/Thriller:
- The “semi-cozy” trend is hot right now
- Finlay Donovan keeps coming up as a comp (it’s so much fun! Highly recommend)
- Match your level of darkness/coziness carefully
For Romance/Rom-Com:
- Execution matters more than plot, so comp the feeling and tone
- Tropes can help here (enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance, etc.)
- The text message rom-com we reviewed could comp to books with workplace mishaps or social media disasters or cringe comedy
For Narrative Nonfiction:
- Look at structure as much as topic
- Is it essay-driven? Memoir-driven? Reported journalism?
- Platform matters more here, but comps still show market understanding
For Children’s Books:
- Age category precision is crucial—don’t comp middle grade to YA
- Word count guidelines vary significantly by age, so make sure your comps are truly in your category – check out our post on word count here
- Voice similarity matters enormously in children’s publishing
What This Really Means For Your Query
Finding comps isn’t about proving you’ve read widely (though that helps!).
It’s about showing agents that you understand where your book fits in today’s market, and that you have evidence that this type of book is selling right now.
That’s it. That’s the whole purpose.
When you approach it this way, the process becomes less about finding perfect matches and more about demonstrating market awareness.
Quick Troubleshooting
“All the books in my genre are from 2019-2020. Can I use those?”
Those are getting old, but if truly nothing recent exists, you can stretch to 2021-2022, or combine with a newer comp. Just know that agents prefer recent titles. Consider whether this might indicate your genre is out of fashion (which agents will notice).
“What if my comp is getting a movie/TV adaptation?”
Perfect! That’s great news. It shows continued cultural relevance. Mention it: “Similar to Book X (now a Netflix series)…”
And, yes, we think you can stretch the rules to consider the year of the comp to be the year of the Netflix adaptation.
“Can I comp published books and also books that sold at auction?”
If you have industry connections and know what sold big at auction (in a way so big that most agents read about it in industry publications) but hasn’t published yet, you can mention it–and look smart!
But A) This means you haven’t read it, and they probably haven’t either, and B) Most writers should stick to published books agents can actually read.
“What about comping to traditionally published AND indie books?”
If you’re querying agents, stick to traditionally published comps unless the independently published story is so big, it gets picked up by a traditional press or Hollywood. Agents need to know they can sell your book to publishers, and showing that publishers are already buying books like yours makes that case.
The Bottom Line (You Can Stop Stressing Now)
John’s process works because it’s market-focused, not plot-focused.
You’re not looking for books that match your premise beat for beat. You’re looking for books that:
- Sold recently (past 3 years—write this down, Sharpie it on your arm, whatever it takes to remember)
- Succeeded in the marketplace (bestsellers, award-winners, “most talked about”)
- Would appeal to your same readers (think about the experience, not the mechanics)
That’s it.
Here’s your action plan:
- Do the Google searches John recommended
- Make your list of 10-15 possibilities
- Think about reader experience over plot points
- Pick your top 2-3
- Be specific about what you’re comping (“the witty banter of X meets the atmospheric setting of Y”)
- Give your friends a few multiple choice examples and poll them on which ones they like and that spark an image
- Move on with your life
And here’s the thing to remember when you’re spiraling at 2am wondering if your comps are perfect enough:
This doesn’t have to be perfect.
It just has to help agents understand your book’s place in today’s market.
If you’ve followed John’s process—recent books, successful books, similar reader experience—you’re already there.
You’ve got this.
If you’re still worried about your comps and it seems unfixable and you’re determined to send out your query anyway…you can at least put your metadata later in your query (before your bio) rather than at the very top (after the “Dear Agent…”) so they get less emphasis. Yes, we know, agents disagree on where metatags go. Use this disagreement as freedom to do what works best for YOU.
What’s Next?
Now that you understand how to find comps, make sure you’re not undermining your query with the wrong word count. Our next article breaks down manuscript length guidelines by genre and age group—because submitting a 150,000-word contemporary YA will get you rejected before agents even read your comp titles.
About the Panel: This advice comes from our Submission Strategy Agent Panel featuring Alice Speilburg (Speilburg Literary Agency) and John Cusick (Folio Literary Management), moderated by Jessica Sinsheimer and Julie Kingsley of The Manuscript Academy.
Still feeling stuck?
Join our FREE Facebook Group (about 8,000 of your newest writing friends!) and ask the hive mind for suggestions