How can I determine good comparative titles to include in my query letter?

Question

Typically, a writer includes one or two recent titles that are similar in some fashion to the story they are telling, in their query letter.

I'd like any advice for finding good comparative titles.

Specifically: Is it best to focus on theme, or story structure, or character types, some other item? Would it be all right (or a bad idea) to reference an old title 'brought up to the 21st century' sort of thing?

(a) I've browsed titles at the book store but it seems hard to really know if the books are good comps without reading them cover to cover. (b) I've not been trying to emulate popular works. (c) I've heard that critique groups may be able to provide ideas about comparative titles.

Imagine comping The Martian. What does that mean? Will the agent expect something like Castaway? Or something like Lost in Space? Or something like MacGyver? Castaway and MacGyver are very different, both are similar to The Martian, and neither is set on a another planet.

To ask another way: What is the key feature of story that one should hold in mind, when identifying comparative titles?

Any suggestions appreciated, I believe this is on topic, because finding an agent is part of the path between writing and publishing.

Edit: I found my comparative titles by literally picking up every new title in the genre at the library and identifying aspects of new stories that are present in my own. I recommend this approach to anyone struggling with comps. It takes less than an hour.

Answer 1

The idea is that you show that you know the "field" you are working in. That you understand the market you are writing for and the context in which your work will be read.

Publishers don't simply publish well-written books. They publish books for which they believe there is a market. Many well-written books get rejected because there currently is no market for them. Publishers (and agents) like authors to show that they understand this and to show where in the market their work fits.

Publishers (and agents) also expect authors to not randomly submit their work, but only to publishing houses (and agencies) where they fit in. For that, you have to understand the "profile" they have, and that profile lies in the authors they have under contract and the market segment these authors belong to. Not every fantasy novel is the same, and many, especially smaller publishing houses, have a certain "taste". It is this taste that your choice of comparative titles must reflect.

So if you want to include comparative titles in your query letter, there is no way around familiarizing yourself with the current "state of your genre" in general and with the publishing line of the agency or publisher you sumit to.

Begin with their authors and expand from there. You don't have to read each and every book, but you have to understand why the publisher has chosen the books he has – and once you sit in their office and talk to them, you will want to have read at least some of the more important works.

In short, show that you are a writer. A writer is someone who reads