tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post3546260357399197913..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Comp titles: mine is a bestseller, can I still use it?Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-42993035457342242582016-02-03T05:50:26.658-05:002016-02-03T05:50:26.658-05:00The protagonist could be represented as a synergy ...<i>The protagonist could be represented as a synergy between Harry Potter and Jack Ryan, with the narrative exploiting the symbolic range of Moby Dick while encapsulating the relevance of To Kill a Mockingbird.</i><br /><br />Uh yeah, comparisons should be used to demonstrate an author's market savvy, that's my opinion anyway. So titles should be selected with that in mind, titles likely to be understood in reference to a market, even if the person you're addressing hasn't read that particular title. Of course that notion puts less emphasis on stylistic comparisons but think about that for a second, should an author really be telling an agent that they write like someone else?DeadSpiderEyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07687178085803686186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-14652563007735455862016-02-03T01:40:41.516-05:002016-02-03T01:40:41.516-05:00AJ,
I understand where you're coming from. Th...AJ,<br /><br />I understand where you're coming from. There is a risk that an agent won't read pages. But, I think, for the most part, writers will eliminate an agent that doesn't like the comp. titles if they do sufficient research when developing their query list. There's no surefire way to ensure that the agent will like a MS, but research is a good place to start. Many agents list titles and authors that they LOVE. And don't forget their client list! If MS is comparable to a client's novel or an author that the agent likes, then comps are a great way for us to show we've done our homework. Sending an MS that doesn't match what the agent represents or is seeking is a quick way to sink the query ship, whether or not comps are used. And if it's JUST the comps that cause an agent to reject an MS, then it's likely that the agent isn't the right champion for that MS, whether or not . <br /><br />I.E. The QOTKU has expressed her...aversion?...to the horror genre more than once. Thus, even if my DmE MS were not YA, I would not query her for it. But, say I send MS to a lover of the Horror Genre. If my comp titles are actual, and accurate comps, and Horror Loving Agent doesn't like those comps, then in all likelihood, HL Agent probably won't like my MS even if I skip the comps altogether.<br /><br />I think sometimes we get so caught up in our desire to catch a shark that we forget that hooking a hammerhead is not the same as garnering the attention of a great-white. Neither shark is 'better' than the other, but only one of them will have a bite that best fits the chunk missing from the boat. (is that confusing? I tend to talk myself in circles).<br /><br />Since this is comment three for me, I'll cut myself off here. Whew. :)Megan Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00752842865397799428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-830815307057726992016-02-03T00:11:53.145-05:002016-02-03T00:11:53.145-05:00Megan, I guess I was thinking more in terms of wha...Megan, I guess I was thinking more in terms of what would happen if you sent to an agent who (in this case) felt the same way about Dexter as I do. They may not bother reading any pages. Now, the similarity between Dexter and the ms might not have anything to do with committing evil to correct evil but the agent won't read on to find out.<br /><br />I would hate to do anything in my query that might deter an agent from reading/requesting my pages.<br /><br />AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-379508837096296842016-02-02T23:57:51.796-05:002016-02-02T23:57:51.796-05:00AJ
I wouldn't say that the comps went wrong, ...AJ<br /><br />I wouldn't say that the comps went wrong, in fact, I think quite the opposite happened. You don't like DEXTER and the comps told you that the MS is intended for/will appeal to an audience that does. :) Comps are about market placement as much as enticement.<br /><br />Remember, not everyone is the right audience for every book. Goodness knows if someone asked me to read an MS that's THE NOTEBOOK meets TWILIGHT I'd beg the QOTKU to send me to Carkoon post-haste. I am definitely not the audience for that MS, but I know people who are...and might recommend said MS to them.Megan Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00752842865397799428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-1821647885719827592016-02-02T23:27:01.367-05:002016-02-02T23:27:01.367-05:00Thanks for the explanation, Jennifer.
I've ju...Thanks for the explanation, Jennifer.<br /><br />I've just realised how comp titles can go badly wrong, no matter how good the comp is. I really didn't like Dexter (found it morally wrong - committing evil to correct evil - and couldn't get passed that), so if I saw the comp DEXTER meets EMMA I wouldn't pick it up.AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-60295807051935610762016-02-02T23:17:01.898-05:002016-02-02T23:17:01.898-05:00AJ Blythe: In this context, R&R means "re...AJ Blythe: In this context, R&R means "revise and resubmit".<br /><br />Funny that it came up, because I got that kind of rejection on my other full today. A "not like how it is, but send it back if you revise." Which does somewhat soften the blow. Somewhat. The comments certainly made good sense.Jennifer R. Donohuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363886899308588391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86001673244640153282016-02-02T23:13:15.295-05:002016-02-02T23:13:15.295-05:00Are comps necessary? I say no. No comp is better t...Are comps necessary? I say no. No comp is better than a bad comp.<br /><br />Can they help? If done right, and for the right reason. I find them useful for illustrating a theme or a mood that might not be readily apparent in the pitch.<br /><br />Megan V had me at:<br /><br /><i>DEXTER meets EMMA.</i><br /><br />Yep. I'm hooked. This did an excellent job of illustrating mood.<br /><br />I'm tempted to desc one of my books as "for fans of Twilight who wish Bella had more backbone." However, dunno if that would work as well as I want. My book isn't contemporary nor does it have a single vampire. My heroine, on the other hand, is not going to throw herself off a cliff into an ocean at the sign of love gone wrong.<br /><br />2Ns: plucked is a fun word. Reminds me of a song one of our performers used to sing at the Tivoli: "I'm not the pheasant plucker, I'm the pheasant plucker's wife. And we'll be plucking pheasants all our pheasant plucking life..." Not once in years of performances did Dorothy accidentally spooner the lyrics. She was that good.Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Knealehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17818060864422019573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-67026693398375190742016-02-02T22:38:43.435-05:002016-02-02T22:38:43.435-05:00Correction: I think I used "housekeeping"...Correction: I think I used "housekeeping" wrong in there! I was referring to the stuff AFTER the salutation, BEFORE the pitch. The sort of "I like your client _____ and thus thought you'd be great," or whatever that junk is supposed to be. That's the stuff I want to do away with. Not the "housekeeping" I realize you were referring to. The "My book is this long and comps with this, so please ask me for more of it so I'll feel validated" part. I think that's the housekeeping you meant. I was asking if we can do away with the post-salutation, pre-actualquery crap about why you're choosing THIS agent. <br /><br />I can't even write a clear comment response in a blog. Coffee needed. <br /><br />Tony Clavellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16567479168804189982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-15617471682044742002016-02-02T22:27:55.643-05:002016-02-02T22:27:55.643-05:00EM and Lucie - what do you mean by R&R? Down U...EM and Lucie - what do you mean by R&R? Down Under it translates to "Rest & Relaxation" but that doesn't seem to substitute. Although, trying to think of comp titles might be rest & relaxation for you? If that's the case I think you need to lay off the kale smoothies for a while =)AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28541448866545637492016-02-02T21:50:18.366-05:002016-02-02T21:50:18.366-05:00Lennon--That's a good point. If I don't li...Lennon--That's a good point. If I don't like the book it might not be smart to comp it--it's just a book that's been well-received and has a similar future outcome. My complaints for <i>The Water Knife</i>are that the dialogue all sounds like bad cop dramas on TV, and I'm 30% into the book and it seems content to show us "the world" very nicely but doesn't have much of a plot. The title is pretty sweet though, and the non-dialogue sentences are pretty. I will have to think. <br /><br />Colin--thanks for the clarity! sort of. (the clarity, not thanks.) I still don't know if you were saying if there was a consensus whether or not to ditch the "housekeeping." In my first round of (failed) querying, I only have a few requests for full/partials, and all came without the housekeeping, but also with different queries entirely from my housekept ones. It's a point that causes worry. My plan for the new book was only to include housekeeping for the agents who rejected my full manuscript but specifically said "Send me your next book," where I'd remind them about that. Tony Clavellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16567479168804189982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-47570833342926233202016-02-02T19:44:49.552-05:002016-02-02T19:44:49.552-05:00I went for the more generic 'this will appeal ...I went for the more generic 'this will appeal to fans of X' in my query and, rather than clarifying things, the comp caused confusion. Thank goodness the agent liked the rest. When we spoke, she told me the comparison confused her and I was like, 'Doh!' I was thinking of the first two books by the author in question -- which were 'cozier' than her later, more hard-edge work. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06611656982367077903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-11932552699987454152016-02-02T18:46:57.574-05:002016-02-02T18:46:57.574-05:00An additional question might be: is it a success o...An additional question might be: is it a success or a phenomenon?<br /><br />If it's a success--comp your heart out!<br /><br />If it's a phenomenon (like some of the series Janet listed)--steer clear!Karen McCoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02640324898284007337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-70459318945368280112016-02-02T16:29:06.069-05:002016-02-02T16:29:06.069-05:00Panda,
Due to limited distribution channels, THE ...Panda,<br /><br />Due to limited distribution channels, THE KALE CHRONICLES is only available in (on?) Carkoon. I were you, I'd wait to read it as long as you can. Your current TBR pile looks too nice already.John Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01702305890462479118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-30318935121265319672016-02-02T16:09:33.804-05:002016-02-02T16:09:33.804-05:00My unsuccessful query for Pandamorphosis (everyone...My unsuccessful query for Pandamorphosis (everyone loved the art, but didn't quite get the story concept), a wordless picture book, was Cat in the Hat meets Metamorphosis, but with pandas.<br /><br />I don't know. I found it accurate as well as entertaining.<br /><br />Go figure.<br /><br />Can't wait to read THE KALE CHRONICLES!Panda in Chiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160375490647791433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-53344945021517920872016-02-02T14:03:20.756-05:002016-02-02T14:03:20.756-05:00EM: Have some kale smoothie. Everything looks less...EM: Have some kale smoothie. Everything looks less confusing after a kale smoothie. 8-DColin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-27940399853578137782016-02-02T14:00:01.066-05:002016-02-02T14:00:01.066-05:00Colin, I'm confused :/Colin, I'm confused :/E.M. Goldsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18387494005655553037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-40724985436623891352016-02-02T13:58:03.188-05:002016-02-02T13:58:03.188-05:00LucIE!! Sorry!! :\LucIE!! Sorry!! :\Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-13525408043962087342016-02-02T13:55:01.298-05:002016-02-02T13:55:01.298-05:00Lucy: If I recall correctly, the last book that ap...Lucy: If I recall correctly, the last book that appealed to fans of Felix Buttonweezer was THE KALE CHRONICLES: The story of a lima bean farmer who struck out into the wild frontiers of Carkoon to seek adventure, only to find love among the kale leaves. Yup, our hero fell in love with a kale plant.<br /><br />Sorry to say, Felix doesn't have a very wide fandom... ;)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-9475720339556893992016-02-02T13:52:44.179-05:002016-02-02T13:52:44.179-05:00I pulled babysitting duty this morning and now we&...I pulled babysitting duty this morning and now we're getting snowed in. I spent the babysitting time starting a new book, <i>Stealing Secrets, How A Few Daring Women Deceived Generals, Impacted Battles, And Altered The Course Of The Civil War.</i> It's very well researched and well written, so it's proving to be a good read. He's glossing over some spies that kind of surprised me, but I've already read numerous books about them. Anyway, that's the book report from Weathers and the weather report from Weathers.<br /><br />Today is the second day of the second month. You're going to exchange a day that you will never be able to recover for what you do in this 24 hours. Will you find time to write? Six months from now you'll still be six months older whether you're close to finishing a book or still thinking about starting one.<br /><br />At Surrey, there was a panel of agent who discussed comp titles in query letters and they were split smooth down the middle about whether they like them or not. Many do because you can give them in a few words an idea of what your book is like IF you get the comp right. If you don't, they are disappointed.<br /><br />The risk you take when you say, "My book is just like the Hunger Games only set in space" is the agent may have detested <i>Hunger Games</i>.<br /><br />With the panel being totally split on whether they like comps or not, I figure unless I have a very clear and honest comp, I'm not going to use them.<br /><br />One hint they did pass along. Go to Amazon. Look up a book that is like yours. Then look at the other books Amazon recommends. Are those books good comps to your book? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-83578848657952734022016-02-02T13:48:51.427-05:002016-02-02T13:48:51.427-05:00Tony: I thought the same thing after I wrote that:...Tony: I thought the same thing after I wrote that: "What do you mean <i>in the middle, idiot??</i> OK, you didn't say idiot. That was me... to myself... ummm... oookay...<br /><br />Depending on how you compose your query, "the bit in the middle" or "the pitch" <b>as I am using the term here today</b>--i.e., this is not an industry standard definition, like anyone in any industry cares how I define anything, it's either<br /><br />a) the bit after the salutation and before the "housekeeping" stuff (The QOTKU Method, which ought to be the industry standard)<br /><br />OR<br /><br />b) the bit after the "housekeeping" stuff and before the valediction (the sign-off: "Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you enjoy the cookies and whiskey, and if you don't like this query, let me tell you about another book I'm working on...") :D<br /><br />In other words, the "pitch" as I'm using the term here is the part of the query where you tell the agent what the book's about. IOW, The Most Important Part.<br /><br />Sorry if I've caused confusion. Again...Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-75133806088547924882016-02-02T13:15:55.244-05:002016-02-02T13:15:55.244-05:00I've also done the "comp light" thin...I've also done the "comp light" thing, aka "should appeal to fans of Felix Buttonweezer" (that's his name, right?)<br /><br />I'm been trying to think of comps for my R&R all morning. It's now confirmed - I'm really bad at this. "It's like if Judy Blume's Forever was about a feminist teenage Lorelei Gilmore - oh, wow, I've never gotten a form rejection this fast."Lucie Witthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08521285162656949602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68404861953945906882016-02-02T13:05:55.701-05:002016-02-02T13:05:55.701-05:00John, I think 3 is just fine. Write a great query ...John, I think 3 is just fine. Write a great query (treat it like FF- you're great at that), and as long as agent does not specifically ask for comps, let it fly. I have now found 5 examples of agents annoyed by comps. Not that I am ignoring my day job or anything. <br /><br />And Lennon, welcome to the trenches. Wear a cup and keep the whiskey handy. You'll do fine. <br /><br />Sorry, I am bang out of order today. Seems I have comment diarrhea. E.M. Goldsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18387494005655553037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-9818556684388477742016-02-02T12:58:08.621-05:002016-02-02T12:58:08.621-05:00Colin, I hope you are right because I am sending o...Colin, I hope you are right because I am sending out my first query letter this afternoon and I'm not using comps! <br /><br />I do think comps can be great tools if they are accurate, though. Short, informative, sometimes entertaining (Joss Whedon does Gone with the Wind? sounds amazing), AND it can show that you are well-read and understand your own market. If you compare to HP or Twilight, that doesn't show anything, since everyone's read them and even people who haven't know the general stories. <br /><br />Tony Clavelli - I wouldn't use a title of a book I hate, even if it's perfect otherwise. Your agent will (hopefully) love your book, and if they have the same taste as you, they might have hated that other one, too. <br /><br />OK, off to proof-read the letter and first ten pages (printed and with a ruler under every line like Janet suggested somewhere...) Looking forward to joining those in the agent-searching trenches!Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-50768547361807332042016-02-02T12:44:55.626-05:002016-02-02T12:44:55.626-05:00All this comp talk makes me wonder. If writers so ...All this comp talk makes me wonder. If writers so often fail at classifying the correct genre for their manuscript, we must be downright miserable at getting the right comps.<br /><br />I suck at it, so I cheated in my query. I comp a couple authors instead of specific books. I've sent out less than a handful of queries so far, so I could change my thinking if someone smarter than me (hint: everybody in this neighborhood) were to sway me.<br /><br />A) Titles? B) Authors? C) No comps at all. <br /><br />Clearly C is preferred because it's easiest. But is it what's best?John Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01702305890462479118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-77211383012676332272016-02-02T12:43:15.049-05:002016-02-02T12:43:15.049-05:00I've found comps to be useful shorthand—both f...I've found comps to be useful shorthand—both for understanding my own work and where it fits, and for understanding others'. When doing critiques, there are times I've been on the fence about something, but a good comp will tip me over to wanting to read more.<br /><br />I believe there are agents that feel the same way about them.<br /><br />Peggy: I didn't realize you were at MWW as well! I wonder if we ever crossed paths.Adib Khorramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03836332867898941638noreply@blogger.com