NOTES FROM THE MARGINS

Look at the requirements for any book proposal and you’ll find a request for “comp titles.” These are comparable and competitive books yours will stand next to in bookstores and on sell-sheets with publisher’s sales teams. But what does that really mean? Who really uses them and why is there so much emphasis put on them? We’ll cover all that and more and you’ll quickly understand why so many people (myself included) have a love/hate relationship with comp titles.

WHAT ARE COMP TITLES?

First, note that it’s “comp titles,” not “comp title.” More than one is always required. When I was acquiring books for Writer’s Digest Books, our pub board (which approved new books for nearly a dozen imprints) required that acquisition