HOW TO CREATE A COMPARATIVE BOOKS LIST THAT WILL GET YOU A BOOK DEAL
By Nancy Peske
The comparative books list is a crucial element in a successful book proposal. It is your best tool for convincing an agent or an in-house acquisitions editor that your book will stand out in the marketplace and add something new while appealing to an established book-buying audience. You need to pick the right comparables to maximize your chances of getting a book deal and to be clear on where your book fits in the market.
How do I know this? Because when I was an in-house editorial assistant at HarperCollins Publishers many years ago, it was my job to check out the comparative books lists in book proposals my boss was considering to see if there was any way to strengthen them, which would make it easier for us to convince the rest of the book publishing team that the book would make money for us and be right for our list. I know how to create a comparative books list that will get you a book deal because I’ve done it many times.
Agents, acquisitions editors, and freelance developmental editors and ghostwriters like me know that book publishers buy the rights to books that can be compared to other successful titles. A thoughtfully crafted comp titles list positions your book among all the others available. It makes it easier for agents and editors to understand and pitch your project to their teams. In other words, you’re making their jobs easier, and those book publishing professionals like that a lot.
In-house, the editorial department is less concerned with how many people fit into the broad demographic your book is addressing than the sales figures for books that appeal to that particular audience. If a publisher has never published a certain type of book, for example, one on leadership in the corporate world, it doesn’t matter how many leaders in the corporate world are potential book buyers unless the house has already decided to take the plunge into this area of publishing. The book may simply be wrong for their list and their team.
A comparative books list compares your books to others that have been successfully published. The publisher’s team will research the sales of those other books so they can get a sense of how well your book might sell. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult for an author to discover actual sales figures for any title–more on that in a minute.
Think of your comparative books list this way: If caffeine-free colas with probiotics are selling like crazy, beverage manufacturers are going to hop on the bandwagon with their own version. Similarly, book publishers want to acquire books that possess the elements other successful books have—but that also have a fresh spin or combination of elements that distinguish the project and add something new to the category. A comparative books list is an essential tool for showing industry professionals that your book is like other successful books in the space, only with a twist that makes it a must-have for their list.
So, how is your book fresh, original, and important? Check out the competition and get clear on the answer.
To research other similar books that are already in the marketplace and begin creating your comparative books list, here are some strategies.
- Ask AI for help. You can ask AI (http://www.Claude.ai or http://ChatGPT.com) to give you a list of books from within the last 4 years that aren’t self-published and are similar to your book. AI is a good place to start, but you’ll also want to go to a brick-and-mortar or online bookstore to familiarize yourself with comparable titles. Amazon.com is a great research tool, as it has many categories and subcategories of books (and they’re different for Kindle ebooks than they are for other book formats). You can click through to see what the bestsellers are in any subcategory. Going through this exercise of researching on Amazon can also help you decide what categories you want your book to be listed in.
- Narrow your list to 3-5 recent books. You’ll need to choose 3-5 recent successful books that are similar to yours in some way, yet different. If you can, choose ones that are selling very nicely, that is, they’re highly ranked on Amazon.com or BN.com. As I said, getting actual sales figures is extremely difficult for people outside of the book publishing industry. As for “recent,” keep in mind that times change. A self-help book that sold like crazy seven or eight years ago might not sell so well now. Also, many similar books may have sold since, saturating the market. If there was a terrific book from seven years ago that isn’t out of print but is an evergreen book on a particular topic, chugging along and selling solidly years after it was released, take a closer look. It might be a good comparative, especially if it needs an update and your book will offer a fresh perspective, new information, and an author—you—who is out there talking and writing about the idea. The author of the older book may not be as visible as they once were, and their book may be outdated. If your book complements theirs, and you can make the case that your book is timely and fresh and would appeal to readers of the evergreen book, go ahead and use that older book as a comparative.
- Be realistic and specific. “It’s not a good idea to have a list of mega-bestsellers in your comparative books list,” says developmental editor and ghostwriter Bev West. “Don’t try to position yourself as the next The Four Agreements.” She’s right: Editors and agents can be quite jaded about such comparisons. Now, a pitch describing a combination of books can be intriguing: “It’s Eat, Pray, Love meets What My Bones Know” for example. (I’m thinking that book would be a reflection on overcoming trauma through traveling to places where the author stayed for a while to address certain themes of that trauma). However, saying your spiritual memoir will appeal to fans of Marianne Williamson and Gabrielle Bernstein is a huge leap because they’re known for their prescriptive, transformative nonfiction in the spirituality/wellness realm.
- Consider creating a round-up section of the comparative books list. A round-up section at the beginning of the comparatives list could list categories of books that would appeal to your book’s readers. For example, when my coauthor and I wrote up the comparative books list for our book Raising a Sensory Smart Child, we listed books on sensory processing disorder (or SPD, which was then called sensory integration dysfunction) and special needs parenting books that would appeal to parents with kids who have SPD and thus particular challenges, as there were no parenting books on SPD.
- Hone your hook as a result of having done your research into comparative books. Think about why someone who bought a previous book covering or related to your topic would want your book, too. Maybe she needs more about a specific topic that the other books don’t delve into deeply enough. Maybe the approach of other books isn’t right for your audience. Maybe the other books available are very dated or too long. Maybe your voice is fresh and more playful than the voice used in other books. Maybe it’s more serious and weighty. Maybe you know how to speak to your generation better than the other books out there do.
To create a strong comparables book list, you’re going to compare and contrast. In a few sentences, explain the attraction of the successful books you’ve listed. Explain why your book would appeal to that audience as well while offering something different. If there are hundreds of books on environmentally friendly “green cleaning” that your book Cleaning Your Car Without Hurting the Environment will appeal to, you might choose the top “green cleaning” books for comparison. However, then you must make the case that people who wash their cars care about being “green,” to the point that they’d buy a book on the topic rather than just research it online and read a short article or two. Is yours a book for owners of vintage and collectible cars who are picky about the products they use, and who have shown they will buy books on car care and are interested in protecting the environment? Or do you need to rethink your book’s topic and audience? Do an Internet search for the title of your book and its main topic. What comes up? Will people want more than what they can find through a simple search? For example, parenting books that provide strategies are more likely to sell than books that simply list tips or ideas. You can find ideas all over the Internet, so a book that incorporates them into a larger strategy has value beyond just a collection of tips.
Keep in mind that an in-house acquisitions editor will research books on your topic or in your genre, too. He’ll have some access to information about books that are “in the pipeline,” that is, books that are under contract at other publishing houses and not yet on the bookshelves. You can find these, too, if you subscribe to Publishers Marketplace and research what deals have been made recently and in the past. You may not realize that yours is the fourth book on green cleaning for cars to be submitted to that publishing house in a week. Plus, there may be three similar books coming out six months from now. You can’t come into the game too late. Use your comparative books list to show that you’ve truly got something new to offer book buyers a year or so from now when the book comes out.
In your comparative books list, please don’t say anything negative about other books! You can point out what they’re missing or any weaknesses they have, but if you do, keep it positive. You never know whether an editor and agent is a huge fan of the book you’re criticizing, or even served as its editor! Be proud of your “baby” but recognize the value of the other books in your genre that have paved the way for yours to achieve success. Go ahead and say that the author’s expertise is different from yours, which gives you an advantage with a particular audience, or that the author only devotes a few pages to a topic you have an entire chapter on. If the comparative book is very long or very short compared to yours, your book might have an advantage with some buyers—you can mention that. If a book’s outdated in some way, for example, it doesn’t acknowledge the increasing level of mental illness among adolescents or it doesn’t touch on the influence of AI, you can point that out, making the case for your new book on the topic, which will address a newer trend that’s on reader’s minds.
Finally, even if you’re considering self-publishing or hybrid publishing, the process of creating a solid comparable books list will be invaluable for your planning. Knowing the comparables can help you hone your hook and make your book even more attractive to readers. Comparables can also give you ideas about how to increase your book’s discoverability. Pop over to the website for the author of a comparable book and look to see what sorts of publicity breaks she got. You might want to approach those outlets when your book is about to be published. Mining the media pages of successful authors in your field for interviewers and outlets can help you get to the right people who can publicize your book.
Want to know more about comparable books lists and how to strengthen your book’s hook? See my article 4 Ways to Distinguish Your Book from Comparative Books.
Need help with your book proposal or with writing or shaping your book? You might want to hire me to help you with your vision plan.
Nancy Peske is a ghostwriter, developmental editor, and book publishing consultant who has done editorial work on books including bestsellers and award-winners for over 30 years.