Not knowing the jargon can make a query letter feel like a test. A comp, short for comparable title, is a published book similar enough to yours that an agent or editor can picture where yours belongs. Authors also use comps to choose whose readers to target with ads. Agents and editors tend to like comps that are recent and recognizable, and they can read a runaway bestseller as a stretch.

If you are not sure which you need, ask who will read the list. Choose Book Proposal when an agent or editor will read the comps, such as in a query letter or a proposal. Choose Advertising when you want authors whose readers you can reach with ads or newsletter swaps. If you need both, search once with each choice.

Naming a book that does not exist in a query letter is a fear worth taking seriously, so check every title before it goes anywhere. The research behind a list can be wrong or out of date. Look each comp up on Goodreads or Amazon, read enough of it to know the comparison holds, and keep only the ones you would stand behind.

A book on a different shelf can still share your readers or your premise, and that can be useful when you choose it on purpose. You see where it differs from yours, and you decide whether the difference matters for your purpose, because an agent and an ad platform will judge it differently.

Few close matches is not a verdict on your book. It can mean your book offers something the current shelf does not, which is worth saying in a pitch. It can also mean the search found little, so try another search with a different angle.

A short list is normal, and you can build it up. The list can come back short, and you can ask for another search. No set number is promised. Reply in the chat to search again, and name an angle such as newer releases, your target reader’s niche, or a theme the first list missed.

Nonfiction authors can use it, though it was designed with fiction in mind, so the matches may be looser. Describe your reader and the problem your book solves clearly, and check that each comp serves the same reader.

No, you can start while the book is still in progress. The form asks for a file, and sample chapters work. Your back cover copy and reader description are worth the most care. If you do not have back cover copy yet, Book to Blurb can help you draft it from your manuscript.

Yes. Author Media does not store, track, or view anything you post to this tool. The tools reach each AI through its business API with privacy set to the maximum, so the AI companies do not train on your words.

Comp Finder is included with any Novel Marketing Patreon membership of $10 per month or more. That membership also unlocks more than 80 other author tools in the Patron Toolbox. AI tool use draws from your membership’s credit balance, and the amount used varies with the request.