When I receive proposals from authors new to me, they often omit the “Comparables” segment. I understand that authors may not be aware this section is needed, or that including it may seem like fluff. However, this portion is an essential piece of the proposal puzzle for editors and agents as we consider an author’s work.
What do I need to include in my overall proposal?
First, to be sure your proposal is complete, see our free guidelines on our website for both fiction and nonfiction book proposals. Please do not ignore this step of discovering what elements constitute a complete proposal.
Specifically, what is a Comparables section?
A Comparables section is a list of about three to six books currently available that offer direct and indirect competition for your proposed book.
What information do I include?
Book title
Author
Publisher
Date of Publication
A brief description of the book, followed by why yours is different. Here’s a hypothetical example:
Love Is Mind by Ima Author, Lovely Lady Publishing, October 2025.
While Love Is Mind shows how the state of mind of hypothetical couples affects their life decisions, (Name of your book) follows four real-life couples through their life journeys, showing developments in their internal and external lives.
This section shows why my book is better than theirs, right?
The Comparables section doesn’t claim your book is better than similar ones. Rather, the section reveals what books are currently on the market that might sit alongside yours on a real or virtual bookshelf. The hope is that readers will want to purchase all the books, because each is worthy. But you want to show that if they can buy only one, why they should choose yours. Of course, this section shows what is already published and you have no way of knowing what books have just been contracted. Publishers are aware that authors face this limitation but will still appreciate this section.
How does creating this section help me? You will:
- Understand what you’ve written. Say you’re proposing a series featuring an elderly detective solving murders, but you believe you’ve written a suspense novel. When your research reveals you’ve written cozy mysteries, your proposal will show you understand the market and your genre.
- See where your book will be positioned in the market. This information will help you develop your marketing plan.
- Understand your author group. Perhaps, Christian psychologists? Or how about Christian romance novelists? Read the names in your comparables list and imagine your name being grouped with theirs. This will help you get a handle on where your work belongs.
- Demonstrate professionalism by showing knowledge and preparedness.
I can’t find any books like mine. That’s good, right?
Not if your book is so unusual that comparing it to others doesn’t make sense. If this is your book, there are a couple of remedies:
- Find out why. Then, with nonfiction, show you are writing a book that addresses an identified need. For fiction, show there has been a new and identifiable interest in the type of story you are presenting. I know no one wants to read this, but you can do this by showing you have a platform, with many readers who really want to know and read about your unique topic.
- Adjust your book to meet the market. Research every book that’s remotely relatable and see how you can make yours marketable.
I know I shouldn’t compare my book to Bleak House, but I can go back 25 years, right?
No. A good general rule is to go back no more than five years.
I’m sure I missed a few questions about this section. I’ll be happy to answer them if you leave a comment below.
Happy writing!
When I talk of what I’ve written,
I must right now clear the air
though you might flinch like you’ve been bitten
by snake, my book’s beyond compare!
I do not need to understand
my genre, or the readers
that will eat right from my hand
like hummingbirds from feeders.
And as for the other authors, who
could have attained the heights I reach?
They’d love to do what I can do,
but there’s no way I could teach
the skill and grace and dignity
that found full flower just in me.
***
Why, yes, I was just listening to Franco Nero singing “C’est Moi!” from ‘Camelot’. However did you know?
That’s great!
Comparables were difficult for me in the beginning of my writing journey. I was apprehensive about comparing my book with multi-published authors when I was a newbie. Thank you for this reminder.
After re-reading my own recent proposal to the agency, I wonder if my comparables were complete enough. I showed three as well as my reasons my own writing compared but neglected to show the other author’s writing as an example. I guess I originally assumed the potential agent would either know the author’s work or be compelled to read it and compare themselves. I believe now that I should never ask someone to do their own research when I am fully capable of providing that research myself.
This has been the hardest for me. My two main characters are youthful, however the issues they are dealing with are complex and multilayered. I have been working on this book on and off for 8 years, and am now ready to lay it out there and the timing is good. The revival response to the death of Charlie Kirk has placed this fantasy about courageously pursuing truth at its highest level no matter the cost into an historically right place and time. However, other young adult fantasy novels I see as comparable do not dive so deep nor soar so high. It speaks of deeply Christian values yet not in the language of our world. A Cast of Stones might possibly work, but not really. So I guess my question is, how close does the comparable need to be?
Perhaps the following:
For fans of Patrick Carr, Jill Williamson, and Brandon Sanderson because this work could also be classified as epic fantasy.
Tamela, is it okay to include books that are older, not classics, but still in print because they’re still selling? For example, a children’s Advent book that is so similar to mine in format that I couldn’t ignore it? (That’s just an example. Mine isn’t an Advent book.)
I explained that in the proposal, and I included books that are 5 years and newer.
Sure, that’s fine since you have new books included as well.
Really good explanation, Tamela. Thank you.