Comparison titles are an easy shortcut to convey what your story is about in the query letter. But how do you find the right comps to include? This month’s Writer’s League Agent Symposium presentation taught us where to start, how to think about comps, and why finding the right comps for our novel is so important.

Presentation 4: “Comparison Titles” with Marin Takikawa, The Friedrich Agency

Besides offering tips for finding and choosing comparison titles, Marin gave us an incredible inside look into her process. She shared a query letter that she wrote on behalf of her client to help sell the book to an editor and then walked us through her technique for coming up with comp titles.

Here are my ten takeaways, along with the exercise example from Marin.

1. A comp doesn’t need to be a bestseller (and it shouldn’t be a mega-hit like Harry Potter), but it should be known. Goodreads and Amazon are good places to find current, popular books.
2. Ask yourself: What books would be next to yours on the bookshelf?
3. Make sure the comp is in the same genre as yours.
4. Look at the authors that have blurbed the bestsellers that you think are similar to yours.
5. Generally, the comp titles should be published within 5 years. If you do have an older one, make sure your others are current.
6. The comp doesn’t have to be a 1-to-1 plot match. It should instead be about tone, setting, or other similar elements.
7. Marin likes the comps to be listed after the plot summary in the query letter.
8. Two to three comps are the norm in a query letter.
9. An agent might change the comps when pitching your novel to editors.
10. Don’t just say: My novel is The Martian meets Emily Henry. That doesn’t tell the agent enough. Go into more detail: “My book incorporates the [insert element] of [insert comp] with the [insert element] of [insert comp]. Here is the example Marin shared: “My novel incorporates the secluded outer space setting of The Martian with the enemies-to-lovers tension of Emily Henry’s Book Lovers.”

Bonus Mindblower: Here is Marin’s process for coming up with the comp titles:

• Write a list of threads (themes, elements, and tropes) that run throughout the book.
• Research current books and movies that have similar threads or that reflect the story’s vibe in other ways.

While I signed up for the 10-month-long package, you can sign up for an individual class. Learn more about the upcoming WLT 2025 Agent Symposium sessions to get an agent’s perspective on traditional publishing.