Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
“To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever been written. Ever. It is utterly fresh, mine, and complete.”
This was a line in a query I received a few years back. I have always remembered it because of how confident it sounded. The author didn’t realize that agents and editors get pitched everything under the sun, are typically well-read, and are aware of what’s going on in the publishing marketplace. To us, a book might be unique (and we are always looking for unique!) but it’s unlikely that nothing similar has ever been written.
When pitching your work, you have to walk a fine line: Be confident, but don’t come off as grandiose. Stress your original and fresh voice, yet don’t be afraid to acknowledge there have been other books similar to yours, whether in plot, style, topic, or theme. You want to be unique, but you can’t make wild claims that just aren’t true. Every book published has some similarities to something that came before; yet yours must also have something fresh and different about it.
In non-fiction book proposals, we always have to provide comparable titles (the “Competition” section) and increasingly, editors are asking us for comps even for fiction. Many authors write something like, “There are no books similar to mine.” What it says is, “I haven’t taken the time to properly research the market and I have no idea what other books could be compared to mine.”
Contrary to what some writers think, it’s not bad to be able to compare your book to others. It’s good. It helps people begin to capture a vision for the type of book you’ve written. If you can point out the ways your book is similar and different, and why you think yours is a good complement to the other, you can help a publisher understand what your book is all about. Don’t ever claim “There are no books like mine.” If that’s your impression, go back to the bookstore and find some.
You don’t have to give comp titles in your query, but when you are in a meeting or writing a proposal, you may need to know what books are similar to yours, so it’s a good idea to be ready.
Of course, if the book in question really was amazingly fresh and original, my response to the query would not be quite so negative. Alas, it was not the case. Often when people try so hard to tell me their book is awesome, rather than just showing me their book and letting me figure it out for myself… it’s not awesome.
Unsurprisingly, the same writer who told me their book was utterly fresh responded to my pass letter with the observation: “This is probably one of the most spectacular works of fiction ever written.”
Maybe so. My loss then.
Can you compare your book to others? What have you learned by going through the process of finding comparable books?
TWEETABLES
When pitching your work: be confident, but don’t come off as grandiose. Click to Tweet.
Stress your original and fresh voice, while also acknowledging books similar to yours. Click to Tweet.
Contrary to what some think, it’s not bad to compare your book to others. It’s good. Click to Tweet.
Good morning, Rachelle, I would be bold enough to say that one could find similarity in my books and the storylines and emotional impact of Courting Morrow Little(by that sweet up-and-coming Laura Frantz…she’s not bad…AND she’s out of internet range and won’t see this 😉 ) and Walks Alone by Sandi Rog. As in CML, the emotional engagement takes the reader to some fairly painful places, my research and grasp of the culture is very tight and there’s a HEA. But I have a bit more comic relief in my work, which is much needed and carefully placed to both give the reader a respite from the pain and suffering of the MCs and to show the dichotomy in the lives of two sisters.
I don’t understand how writers can see their work as 100% unique. A fresh voice? Yes, but as soon as the “once upon a time” kicks in, the reader is either consciously or subconsciously plucking visuals from other stories until the writer has the storyworld built and set.
In finding and enjoying comparable books, I often think “I’d have done it this way…”, which is perhaps both arrogant and an innate desire to re-tell someone else’s work through my own eyes.
Unless that person is Laura Frantz, then I’d just offer her the deed to my house and back out of the room while bowing and curtsying.
Indeed, Jennifer, you approach this topic similarly to how I approach it:
There is nothing wrong with comparing our work to others, especially if we feel that it is worthy comparison!
Isn’t it an honor, for example, to be compared to the best of the genre one writes in?
Indeed, what is strange is how often writers are also told to not compare our writing to other literary works.
Don’t we need to know where our writing measures up? Isn’t it better to know how high we can reach towards, instead of being comfortable with ourselves by being ignorant of the best possible writing to try to achieve?
If Rachelle is correct, and much of writing is derivative of preceding literary products, then shouldn’t we compare our writing all the more to know what about our work is original, so that we may work to strengthen it, and have our work be more reflective of that which is original?
I would say it isn’t only from a business perspective one should be aware of where their book stands: but from the perspective of the craft and art itself.
Great point, Larry. It’s not just about business! As artists, we learn from those who came before us.
I like your perspectives, Jennifer. You bring to mind the idea that comparing our work to writers we admire is not only a compliment to them, but a way of stretching ourselves to be as good.
Hi, I’m a new writer. Well, I shouldn’t say new but new to publishing. I have started to write my first book in a series of books I hope to get published. I can say that I have not compared my to other books or should I say looked for books similar to mine but I can say I have used ideas from from movies, anime, real life, and fantasy readings. I wouldn’t say my book is 100% original but I do think it is close. I imagine there are books out there about dragons who live in a realm different than the human realm but connected in future settings.
I appreciate your balanced and straightforward perspective, Rachelle. As I begin work on my next story, I’m already looking for books that are similar in storyline or emotional aspects. This is helping me to see what’s already been done and consider how to bring in some unique facets to my story.
In making comparisons for my first story, I found definite comparisons, and I saw the many differences in writing style, how the emotions were written into the stories, the different ages and issues the characters dealt with and more. It also gave me a glimpse of how much is out there already with overall similarities to my story. This was a bit disappointing. 🙂 But, I’m working on that too.
Okay, I’ve rambled enough. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, again.
Yes, there may be some similar to yours, but not one of them will be ‘by Jeanne Takenaka’ right?
Thanks, Jennifer. 🙂
Jeanne, that’s great to be looking at the market as you are beginning your book, to avoid doing something too similar to published books. Of course, you will never avoid similarities, but it’s good to be aware of what’s out there so you don’t inadvertently write something that so similar to a published book that you have a hard time getting it published.
That’s my goal. 🙂 Thanks, Rachelle.
I really think that consciously—or unconsciously— writers who are voracious readers are informed by the books they have read. I consider us to be strips of velcro: picking up things we like, stylistic traits that speak to us, words and phrases that stand out when we begin writing on our own. Obviously the periods and personages we most love to read about may influence our decision to write a certain work; but I think the authorial voice is also inspired. Whether or not a writer is conscious, and certainly adhering to the fact that no two writing styles can wholly emulate each other in fiction, they may indeed be reminding the reader of another book or style. I remember when I first read Laura Frantz’s Frontiersman’s Daughter I was really really struck by how closely Ian reminded me of Neil MacNeill from Catherine Marshall’s Christy. Of course, that was not Frantz’s immediate intent and our conversations after spoke to that. But, she admitted that since that was a favourite read of hers, bits and pieces might have flowed through her pen. I think that it is a wonderful asset to the writing community to be able to draw on similar periods and times and styles and be conscious that you are contributing to a book world that thrives and that obviously impresses people the way it has impressed you–by urging you to write. But, I still think that most authors, if held side by side anonymously would have variances of voice and tone and a certain way of saying things. It is the beauty of this unique and wonderful craft 🙂
and …because I am particularly loquacious today— I think writers should look at this as an asset. If you can compare the tone or style of your work to another popular author how can that be anything but good 🙂 I mean, as a reader, if I finish a book I love I am DYING to read more similar and will search to the high heavens. If the author who inspired such a search won’t be published for awhile, I am more than eager to pick up any books of the same ilk– and give authors who may not have crossed my radar before a fresh chance. This should be incredibly encouraging for publishers 🙂
That is exactly what we are talking about, when we ask writers for comparable titles or authors. It helps us immensely if you say “I write in a style similar to Laura Frantz,” or you might say, “…a style similar to Ted Dekker.” You can see that it’s a shorthand to quickly convey something about the feeling, style or tone of your book.
Being one who has the perspective of being told (repeatedly) that his work would be hard to market because it is not mainstream and a bit original, I would offer up that perhaps agents and editors espouse the love for originality….a bit too loosely to be backed up by their actual practices and business choices. 😉
Larry,
Wouldn’t it be better if you started off being mainstream (till you get a following and proven sales) then a little less each time you publish a book? Maybe by the time your fourth or fifth book is printed it could then be considered totally original.
That is indeed a valid course for publishing for some writers, Lori, but for myself as a writer, I feel that with everything that the modern publishing landscape requires (and this applies to what the world of both self-pub and traditional publishing), that doing anything less than creating the work I want to create isn’t for me.
OK Larry, how are you going to get me to even look at your book let alone buy your book? I look at a lot of books before I buy one. If you are a mainstream author or a best selling author you have a better chance of me looking at your book. If you write similar to an author I like, I may look at your book. If you have a great review, I may look at your book. How are you going to prove to me that your book is very well written if it not similar to something I am used to. As a consumer, I want to see a track record.
I think, Larry, that a trend you’ll see on most agency blogs is an affinity for voice. Taking things that are perhaps of a marketable and tried, tested and true ilk told in a fresh and compelling voice. Voice seems to stick out a lot in these instances. As for your comment about mainstream, I think you are right that traditional Christian publishers seek out several of the same common types; but there are some lovely exceptions. Ginger Garrett, Jonathan Rogers and Geoff Wood are three CBA authors who come to mind who have broken some major grand and infused the market with their vastly different and fresh voices 🙂
Indeed, I don’t mean to say that there is no measure of different quality or originality between authors, even amongst what traditional publishers offer:
Merely that I don’t think the industry is quite frank enough with telling authors that, to borrow the words of Robert Frost, that the way to traditional publishing is to definitely avoid taking the “road less taken.”
I feel that the industry knows it discourages potential clients (and thus potential earnings) enough as it already does: and so it knowingly avoids being as forthcoming as it probably should regarding what exactly it deems “publishable” writing.
It’s a conundrum we often bemoan in this industry, Larry. In fact, I think it’s a challenge in every industry. How do you get people to try something new when they usually are more comfortable sticking with the tried and true?
It’s not just “agents and editors.” It’s everyone in business, right on down to the consumer.
……Except for when the consumer doesn’t have the choice to choose something else, that is.
I do agree though, that other industries are in the similar position as the publishing industry. The music industry years ago started getting rid of the their mid-tier earning clients, for example. The videogame industry is going through a more recent process, closing many mid-tier studios.
What all these industries have in common, though, is a new market where the creative ideas can be heard, and where the public has a choice of what to choose from. It is very interesting to watch how the traditional markets approach these new markets (or, what could be described as the markets that always existed….), for example Sony is eagerly partnering with many independent developers, whereas the music industry seems to just move its business strategy into the new market, and hasn’t be quite able to truly enter the new market.
When any industry gets to the point where it has to literally blame the consumer for not buying what they are selling, instead of looking at its own performance and choices given to the consumer, and accepting accountability, it is always interesting to see the non-mainstream suddenly become model for standard practices, becoming the new market itself.
Rachelle, another comment I’ve heard many times is don’t compare your book to a bestseller or a book that didn’t sell–which makes it seem like the only books a writer should compare theirs to is the middle of the road books. What are your thoughts on that? Or anyone else’s?
Good question. But why not compare yours to a best seller and back up that comparison with well thought out points that show your work has a similarity but is not a mirror of the other book?
Like “The Hungry Events-A post-apocryphal sporting event in which the winners get pie and the losers have to do the dishes.”
The winners get pie and losers have to do dishes. Eh. Make it double fudge chocolate cake, and I’m there!
Really Sally? Oh boy!
I can see it making sense not to compare to something that didn’t sell but…um Rachelle, can you confirm the bestseller one?
Thanks!
I think your right Sally.
Jennifer, I think it would depend of the best seller. Would you want to compare yourself to Dan Brown and any of the books in his Robert Langdon series? I know I wouldn’t. I may aspire but I would openly compare myself. It would be the kiss of death I think to any book that I am trying to get publish.
I meant never openly compare.
Sally, it’s true, when you’re trying to SELL a publisher (or agent) on your book, you have to find the middle ground. Your book may have similarities to Hunger Games, but by the time you get to me, 27 people have already told me their book is similar to Hunger Games and it just makes me sigh. So that’s why it doesn’t work to use the giant bestsellers.
Okay, that makes sense–like people submitting queries and proposals for a series about the Tribulation. Yeah, that would get a pass quick. Thanks, Rachelle.
Ok…your question will lead me to venting so let me apologize if this long and for any CAPS.
Rachelle, NO LIE this exact topic went through my mind as I was washing dishes this morning. When I first approached my brother with my plot, he said he hadn’t read any story like mine out yet. Although I was flattered, I didn’t take it to heart bc I know it’s written somewhere in Ecc that there’s nothing new under the sun. What exists now has happened before – we just may not be aware of it yet. With all the books out there, how can one confidently say their work is unique in that sense?
To answer your question, yes, after I wrote part one of my trilogy, I found that it was similar to Silver Linings Playbook. I watched that movie for the first time last month and was extremely upset at the similarities. My fear was that no one would believe mine was original even though I finished my book months before I even heard of such a movie (I heard of it from the Oscars). I purposefully didn’t read or watch any movie during the time I wrote the book for fear that I may use an idea from someone else’s work. Where did that lead me? Check this out…my 2nd protagonist is ‘Isabella Marie’ (AND I NEVER EVEN WATCHED TWILIGHT until my cousin told me about the name), Her Love interest is an Italian with the Spanish middle name, ‘Eduardo’ (get it? The foreign version of Edward?) etc. Then check this out Rachelle, (and this really hurts) my main protagonist is CHRISTIAN!! And he is a wealthy Entrepreneur (AS IN 50 SHADES – I NEVER EVEN KNEW OF THIS BOOK and yes, I must live under a rock. It was the same cousin (ugh) who told me about the similar name but thank God my Christian is older! But then there he has intense chemistry with innocent/unsuspecting Isa – yada yada…(Thank God my Isa is a confident accountant with her own firm!) This and more often cause me to wonder whether my brain is wired like those two authors. How in the world could I pick the same protagonist names as those in these two big novels? (I won’t get into details of how I tried to change Isabella’s name several times and almost ended up with Anabella to be referred to as “Ana” to replace her nickname of “Isa.” Can you imagine the horror when I finally read fifty shades review and saw that the 2nd protagonist was ‘ANAstasia?’ Needless to say, my find and replace feature suffered so many changes and it caused problems (long story) so it’s up to the publishers to change the character names to whatever they want bc I’m so done. In all, I would say, SLP resembles DF the most.
(exhaling)
So am I glad when you say that it’s actually a good thing to find something comparable? OH YEAH! You made my day lady…I tell you – God has a way of putting our minds at ease.
DONE..hehehehe
Ugochi, I could write a whole treatise on the “collective consciousness” but I don’t have space here! Suffice to say, we all live in the same world, we are influenced by our world and the media around us, and it’s completely normal for many, many people to come up with similar ideas, storylines, character names, etc. — totally independently. It doesn’t matter that you never heard of Silver Linings Playbook — you and the author of that story are both part of the collective consciousness, so you both came up with similar stories. Happens all the time!
Thanks Rachelle. I feel even better. Even when you don’t try, you give me something else to research bout about. Well, I am now a believer in this CC.
Ah, yes, the comp dilemma. One of my readers told me my book reminded her of “The Weird Sisters” by Eleanor Brown. I deliberately didn’t read it until I was finished with my manuscript so I wouldn’t be influenced. Wow. When I did read it, it was weird. There was even a reference to Sears and Roebuck kit houses. But yet so many differences. When I’m listing comps to an agent I’m hesitant to list the negatives in a comp, i.e. comparable to “The Weird Sisters” without all the family dysfunction. (OK, now you’ve heard it here.) So instead, for a comp I picked a bestseller by a top author, knowing the agent would know exactly what I was talking about. And even in that comp, “Her Daughter’s Dream” there were weird similarities, such as the same unusual nickname for a character—and I promise, I didn’t read Rivers’s book till after I finished mine. But my work is mine, coming from me; from the character and experiences the Lord has given me—and that’s going to make something about it unique—I hope. I’ll let the Lord use it how He will.
I have that same question about comparing my book to a high-profile book. I’m working on an education memoir, my Teach For America experience in fact. I have a a book in mind called The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy, which was a great read and similar thematically to what I’m trying to do. But is it too arrogant and grandiose to mention a book like that in a query?
No, I think it would be okay, especially if you were specific about how your book is similar.
Thanks for this info, Rachelle. I tell people my MC is a funny Kinsey Milhone crossed with a smart Stephanie Plum. Is that a bad thing to do?
Sounds good!
Thanks, Rachelle. I am in the process of polishing it.
A huge benefit of honing in on comparable titles is nudging up against the readers of those comps. Then you can invite them over to the party in your pages. 🙂
My ms has a tone similar to Jane Eyre or Rebecca in the exploration of dark emotions, setting as character, delicious terror, and first person POV. What I’m excluding is back-story dump and endless narrative. The most challenging and rewarding part has been to inject faith into the storyline in a way that the reader can relate to.
Hitting send very soon…
My daughter had interviewed an unpleasant woman for a position and emailed her to let her know they’d decided to hire someone else.
The woman responded, “It’s your lost.”
Still makes me laugh.
This is an interesting discussion. I write contemporary romance. In an effort to better educate myself about the market, I read over 200 contemporary and historical romance novels in 2012. Having read so many books in such a short time span, I can say with some confidence that every romance novel relies on a tried and tru trope or two at its core. Thus, there are usually several “comp” books out there for any one story.
What makes each book different/unique seems to turn on two key things: author’s voice and the hero or heroine.
We can improve craft all the time, but our writing voice is sort of like a fingerprint (at least, it seems that way to me). As for heroes and heroines, there are basic types (alpha, beta, spunky, etc.)…but the little details an author chooses to include can really make a character memorable above other similar characters.
I think, in terms of ‘selling’ a query, if you focus on those two distinctions (writing the query in your ‘voice’ and showing a particular unique aspect of the protag) while making a decent comparison, it will probably make an agent at least consider asking for some pages.
My current “comparison” problem now comes from reading books that agents who’ve rejected me chose to represent. Most of the time those books are great, but once in a while I read a book that seems to break all the rules (info dumping, telling not showing, flat voice) and I scratch my head in frustration. But, I bite my tongue and keep working, trying to keep the faith that eventually I will find an agent who likes my voice and my characters.
Thanks, as always, for these thought-provoking posts. I’ve found so much helpful information here this past year.
Writers should be readers and read a lot. We can’t possibly remember every word in every book so it’s not surprising that we can be influenced by them without realizing it.
Janet, you are so right. You know, I realized how true that was when I tried to write a love scene for part 3 and was completely lost. Why? I stopped reading romance novels as a teenager and back then I was an avid Mills & Boon Harlequin reader. However since undergrad – then grad sch, my interest in romance novels waned as I buried my head in text books. This has come back to haunt me. I’m just grateful that I’m good at describing chemistry bc there’s a lot of that in part one.
The more I read these comments the better I feel (Thanks everyone.) I think I’m just being hard on myself because my editors are giving me good feedback in terms of originality. Come to think of it, it may be one of those situations where one wouldn’t notice unless brought to their attention.
Is it helpful for new non-fiction author to compare themselves to other well-known authors or personalities…such as “A perfect combo of The Nanny meets Erma Bombeck”?
My novella Sixteen could probably be compared to a Melody Carlson novel, particularly Anything But Normal. (One of her older, lesser known books, but I loved it and hated it at the same time. Mostly because I was a bit jealous and how well she wrote the story, since it was a similar concept to mine.) I can’t think of any others at the moment.
For the novel I’m working on, Beila and the Griffin, I think Beauty by Robin McKinley would be one comparison. However, the book starts out contemporary and the main character finds herself in a magical Renaissance world, so it could probably be compared in that way to the River of Time series by Lisa T. Bergren (that series I haven’t read, but I’ve heard a good deal about it). Fans of Once Upon a Time would definitely enjoy it. (Side note: great show with amazing characters and very unique twists, even if the storytelling gets a bit bogged down or confusing at times.)
I’ve heard that Beauty is a good book. Fairytale stories are the genre that never gets old, no matter how many books or shows are written! As evidenced in Once Upon a Time, Beauty and the Beast, Grim, etc. You will have your work cut out for you, though, researching all the competition. 🙂 Sounds like a good read. Good luck!
It’s not possible to write 300 unique pages. But it’s possible to have a book with a unique concept. While my YA fiction follows elements from “The Hunger Games” and “The Da Vince Code”, it’s unique by being written mainly for the 90 million German speaking in Europe and 50 million Americans with German Heritage. Respectfully, with Bertelsmann AG from Germany dominating the book publishing industry, with its subsidiaries like Random House and now Penguin, it’s not clear why editors/agent shy away from this large group of readers.
Hi Rachelle,
I’m so glad I read your article today. There’s a trio of books that carry a similar theme to mine that I’ve been meaning to re-read to be sure I’m not too closely connected to it. Thanks to your encouraging words to seek out books similar to what you write in order to see where my books would fit in, I’m putting them on my summer reading list.
I’m an avid reader but have trouble finding more than just a few titles that deal with the core issues mine do. Do you have any suggestions that would help me read with fresh eyes, focused on the right things?
Thanks for any tips you offer!
Blessings,
Andrea
I’m currently working on the comp section for my proposal — and not enjoying it. Thanks for the insight.
I’m writing an historical fiction novel set in Ancient Rome, which has a host of possibilities. But I would never presume that mine is the most original, fresh, or unique! Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion series was inspirational in my development of the idea. Mine is similar in its Christian themes, but different in its use of many historical characters and smaller cast. Thanks for an agent/editor’s perspective on comparisons!