How to Create Comp Titles

If you’ve ever been in a reading slump and dragged yourself to the library or bookstore to find THE PERFECT BOOK to raise the zombie reader within, chances are you have played the comp game.

Say, you last read an amazing atmospheric horror, and now you’re hungering for that setting, but make it less scary. Maybe a gothic romance, maybe a moody mystery.
Say, you loved the passion of a character as they righted the wrongs of the world, but you wish it had a love interest. Maybe an adult literary novel, maybe a women’s detective series.
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The point is, you comp books all the time to your reading interests in the moment. You can do that with your book.

Sometimes, I start with comp titles that pair up a book I would love to read. Once I tried writing Charlotte’s Web x Stand By Me. I wanted a kid who cared about animals but got caught up in a murder mystery. (Spoiler: I wrote the book and revised it so much, those comp titles don’t work anymore.)

For most writers, you create comp titles AFTER you’ve finished your story and when you’re ready to query it to agents or editors. So here are a few tips/formulas for finding the ones that fit your story.

If you like (TITLE or BOOKS BY [AUTHOR]}, you will love (YOUR BOOK TITLE).
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A setting with all the vibes of (TITLE) but with more (WHATEVER YOUR STORY HAS THAT'S DIFFERENT).

(TITLE/POPULAR OR KNOWN CHARACTER) meets (CONCEPT or ANOTHER TITLE?CHARACTER) in (YOUR BOOK TITLE).

Try one or all of these. If you are looking for the books to fill in those parentheses, start with your own past reading list. That’s likely where you got the seed for your ideas. Another great place to find comp titles is your local library or bookstore. Just go up to an employee and say: “Hey, I’m writing a mystery for teens but the main character is a total mess. Plus there is lots of ‘almost’ kissing and gender identity questioning. Oh, and a super annoying dog that won’t stop barking.”

At one point, the person will hold up their hand. Then they’ll lead you to a shelf or two and pull out some books. Librarians and book store clerks are magic!

Good luck. Think of the adventure for comps like Sherlock Holmes x Serendipity. If you’re meant to find it, it’s destiny. If you find it, it’s because of your skills at deduction.

Write on!