Using comparison titles: an author's perspective

I am interrupting my Finding Happiness as a Writer series to bring you these feelings about comparison titles. Why? Because I want to, and it seems like many of you have strong feelings.

Disclaimer: These are my thoughts. They are in no way the thoughts of my publishers and I have no behind-the-scenes knowledge of book marketing or promotion. TBH, I don't even know the difference between the marketing and promotion and publicity and sales departments and who does what. I might use those terms incorrectly in this post--please feel free to correct me if you know more about any of this. It's all the Department of Mysteries as far as I'm concerned.

I'm writing this partially because I answered a question on GR that was like: "Is Liars, Inc. like Pretty Little Liars because I hate that book and one of the reviews said it was and now, I don't know if I want to read it..." [paraphrased]. In hindsight I realize this probably wasn't a question for me and by answering it I might've come across like a crazy-eyed authorzilla and scared the question-asker even farther away from my book. But I'm the only one who has read the shiny finished copy of Liars, Inc. and sometimes no one answers those questions and *nibbles on nails* *mumbles to self* Anyway, sorry if anyone thinks my response was out of line. I'll try to exercise more self-restraint in the future ;-)

But the whole thing got me thinking about how comparison titles can be helpful or harmful, which got me thinking about how outraged some people get when they find a comparison doesn't work for them. Here's what I think: using comparison titles appropriately is an efficient and effective way to market and promote a book. For the most part, comp titles are used to position a new book in a very crowded market, not to trick you into reading something you don't want to read. Note: I have fallen prey to flap copy fraud and cover fraud, so I'm not saying no publisher ever tries to trick you into reading something you don't want to read. But in general, I give them the benefit of the doubt.

The first thing you should know is there's a difference between catalog copy and flap copy. Catalog copy is usually written by sales/marketing. Flap copy is usually written by editor/author. What ends up on Goodreads, Amazon etc. might be either one or a blend of both. Here's the catalog copy for LIARS:

Here's my flap copy, what many people (including myself every once in a while) incorrectly refer to as a blurb.

Things to note:

• The catalog copy is shorter.
• The catalog copy contains the comparison titles.
• The catalog copy even has a different author bio.

My understanding [again, correct me if I'm wrong] is the catalog copy, which is also what is on Edelweiss/NG/the ARC/in the physical and digital publisher catalog, is geared toward sales reps, corporate buyers, booksellers, and librarians--not bloggers. Reps, buyers, booksellers, and librarians see hundreds of titles every month. They often have to make decisions about buying and promoting books without reading them, so comp titles are invaluable. Bloggers are an important part of the industry, but my understanding is bloggers don't often recommend books they haven't already read.

It makes sense that the catalog copy is shorter, because the people mentioned above have to make decisions about hundreds of books in addition to a lot of other job responsibilities, so publishers try to appeal to them quickly. Also, catalog copy has to fit in a physical catalog where space is limited. Comparison titles are a good way to get across a lot of information in a few words.

But why do publishers insist on using the same famous books and authors over and over? 
The whole idea of a comparison title is: [New book] is for fans of [something most people have read/seen.] Something different like [New book] is for fans of [underperforming midlist title] and [obscure 1990s TV show] helps no one. Neither Harper nor I are trying to say I am every bit as good as Gillian Flynn or that my book deserves a movie, etc. [Although I think a movie would rock :D] But if Harper said "In the same vein as [well-written mystery book that only sold 400 hardcovers nationwide], bookstore buyers might look up those sales numbers and be like "Yeah...we'll take a pass on this one."

So when you see "For fans of The Hunger Games...", please do not assume the author or publisher are delusional narcissists who are shopping for yachts. This is simply a business decision, much like a cover. You can't expect publishers to be like "For fans of The Hunger Games...who don't mind a more confusing plot and not quite as well-developed characters." If they don't sell books, they don't make a profit. When in doubt, remember that publishing is a business, and if you like having lots of books to choose from, publishers need to be able to sell them and make money.

Also, comparison titles are meant to convey that two books are similar in plot, theme, prose style, pacing, etc., and therefore should have overlap in readership. Publishers aren't saying that YA Debut Book #234 is THE SAME as Divergent. Or that YA Debut Book #234 will appeal to EVERY fan of Divergent. Etc. Although, reality check, some people will decide that YA Debut Book #234 is a great readalike for Divergent. Some people will like it even better than Divergent. Just because YOU didn't, doesn't mean that publisher was a no good dirty bad publisher for using it as a comp title.


Comp titles to appeal to readers/bloggers:
Another thing to know: When you go into a big bookstore and see a display table of "For fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell" or similar, that placement is called "co-op" and is often paid for by publishers. Endcaps and table displays move copies, and bookstores are smart enough to know this limited space has financial value. Not always, mind you. If I were a bookseller I'd try to hook up the books I really liked. But again, publishing is a business, and before you clutch your chest at the unfairness of it all, realize that if things were done differently you might have fewer books to choose from.

But maybe you're thinking comp titles totally don't work. Let's do an informal test using my personal comps for my future titles/WIPs:

• VICARIOUS DUOLOGY: for fans of All Our Yesterdays, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and the movie Inception
• BAD LUCK CHARM:  for fans of The Art of Lainey and Since You've Been Gone
• JACK OF HEARTS: for fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
• SECRET PARANORMAL WIP: Before I Fall meets the TV show Dead Like Me
• SECRET NA WIP: For fans of Boomerang and [...I need to read more "fun" NA. Please recommend titles in the comments :D]
• SECRET ADULT WIP: for fans of Tess Gerritsen and Orphan Black

Chances are, one of those descriptions made you go "Ooh." But if not, just because comp titles don't work for YOU doesn't mean they don't work. There are a million "pre-reviews" on GR likes this one:

Ocean's Eleven meets Game of Thrones . . . hmmm, let me think . . .



More thoughts from my muddled brain:

1. Rule Number One of book promotion is to have a solid product. If readers find merit in your story, if they feel your prose was crafted with care, then even if the comparison doesn't work for them, they can still enjoy your book. If your book is a "a rough draft hurriedly revised to capitalize on a hot trend" book that marketing has blinged out with a foil cover and is pimping as for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, John Green, 50 Shades, The Bible, The Anarchist's Cookbook and carne asada fries [did I miss anyone?], readers will see through that.

2. Creating expectations with bestselling comp titles can be dangerous, but not as dangerous as promoting your book in a way where it doesn't get read. Bad reviews don't scare me (too much), but the idea of no reviews is terrifying.

3. But even bestselling comps should be chosen with care. If every contemp is compared to John Green and Rainbow Rowell and Sarah Dessen, and every dystopian to Divergent and The Hunger Games, it becomes totally meaningless.

4. But if Rule Number One is followed, I don't believe any marketing comparison is setting a book up to fail. First of all, those comps aren't usually printed on the finished book so they don't affect in-store sales. Second, the idea is to entice readers to read. And like I said, if the book is solid then even if the comparison is a reach, the reader should still enjoy the book.

5. If you're someone who sharpens up your snark and reads a book with the sheer intent to expose how fraudulent the marketing plan is...um, okay, that's your right. But try to remember books are written by actual people, not marketing departments. And then maybe go look at some kitty pictures or something.

Do you need a snuggle?

6. Then again, I do believe authors have a responsibility to advocate for their books and question uncomfortable comparison titles or flap copy/cover art that is misleading. I have a friend who asked her publisher to remove a reference to The Hunger Games because she felt it wasn't a legit comparison. They complied.

7. "But if your book is good then you shouldn't need to compare it to bigger books." I see this proposed a lot and it's kind of circular logic since no one will know how good your book is if they don't read it. Hundreds of books get published every month. Really awesome books sometimes fail just because not enough people find out about them. It would be great if every book got trailers and print ads and book tours and heavy promotion, but less than 5% of books get those things. And if you think publishers should give every book those things, then what you're saying is you want a lot fewer books to be published. Marketing money doesn't grow on trees.

8. Bloggers are an invaluable but small segment of the reading public. In addition to marketing for booksellers and librarians, marketing departments create promotions for the "average reader." The average reader does not read 250 books a year and they don't write hundreds of critical reviews. They don't care as much about instalove or love triangles because they are not forced to deal with them multiple times a week. They are not as jaded when they see "For fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games" used in marketing materials.

9. "Well does a book NEED to be compared to other books?" a friend asked me earlier on Twitter. I say probably yes, for the aforementioned reasons that have to do with sales reps and librarians and booksellers. Also I asked a sales rep and she said yes too.

10. That said, I do think comp titles that are too broad, way off base, or that spoil the ending of a book are unfortunate. Compare something to We Were Liars and the savvy reader looks for twists. Compare something to The Fault in Our Stars and we look for, well, you know.

On a related note, I think a lot of readers have no idea just how few copies some books sell. This article cites that The Cuckoo's Calling had sold fewer than 500 copies in six months before JK Rowling was outed as the author. Here's Abby McDonald's blog about How Dangerous Girls sold less than 450 hardcovers in its first year. Those kind of sales figures generally don't make your publisher money. You write enough books that don't make your publisher money and you end up out of a job. Marketing books, selling books--these things are tough. If something like a comparison title can help a book/author find an audience, and success, isn't that a good thing?

What are your feelings on comparison titles? Discuss, but try not  to bash individual titles or authors. I'm not going to censor people, but please remember those are my friends and colleagues you're talking about.

Eight great websites for writers

First of all, mad props to anyone who is cranking out 50,000 words this month. I don't ever officially do NaNoWriMo (which I inexplicably pronounced na-no-wree-mo for several years #fail) because I'm more productive if I revise every few chapters. I've definitely churned out 50,000 words in a month before, and although doing so makes me feel like an all-powerful writer goddess, the idea of 50,000 crappy hastily written words to revise makes me want to crawl in a hole and die. So if NaNo is not for you, rest-assured you're in good company...assuming you consider me good company :D

But in the spirit of NaNo (and to give you an excuse to slack off rest your weary fingers), I thought I would share with you some of my favorite writing-related websites. There are a bajillion great blogs and pages for writers, but the following are the ones I frequent heavily for kitten videos advice on craft, motivation, business stuff, and industry news.


1. terribleminds
If you're not comfortable with swear words or occasional frequent gross/graphic metaphors, you should probably stay away from Chuck Wendig's blog. Everyone else should drop by on the regs for hilarious, insightful, and motivational writing advice. Like this, from his NaNo tips post:

Give less of a shit. Relax. Ease off the stress stick, cowpoke. You’re not Superman saving a busload of precious orphans. You’re writing a novel. You can still give a shit — but set aside the baggage and expectations. You’re not Humanity’s Last Chance.

Word. Not only does Chuck provide encouragement in a way that will make you laugh at yourself and then go back to your manuscript energized and hopeful, he also provides such material at an alarming almost-every-day frequency. You scare me a little, Chuck, but I liked to be scared.

2. YA Highway

If you're a writer and you only read one blog post a week, I recommend reading YA Highway's Field Trip Friday. Each Friday, YAH staff (usually the phenomenal Kate Hart) rounds up all of the crucial publishing news, broken down into categories like "Big news", "Writing", "Reading", "Publishing", and "Other stuff." Let's say you spent all week on a deserted island or in a revision cave or even in a freaking coma. FTF will catch you up completely. YA Highway is helmed by an impressive crew of YA writers and also features other great craft and industry-related posts throughout the week.

3. Jennifer Represents

I might be biased since Jennifer Laughran is my fabulous agent-tiger, but her helpful blog makes my list for a couple of reasons. She has a wide knowledge of publishing from multiple angles--she's an agent with an impressive sales record (she sold 4 books this year just for me) and she's also a part-time bookseller. But more importantly, Jenn addresses what she sees are gaps in people's knowledge and she gives it to you straight, often sharing the insider info she's gleaned from years of publishing experience. You might not always like what she's got to say, but you don't have to wonder if she's spinning a nicer version of the truth or just telling you what you want to hear. Jenn = real.

4. Kid Lit

Agent Jenn's former colleague Mary Kole left agenting to be an author and freelance manuscript consultant. Whereas Jennifer generally focuses on the publishing industry, Mary focuses more on writing craft. She's written a fabulous book about writing irresistible kidlit, and her blog is a collection of tips and helpful pointers for writers at all stages of their careers.

5. Intern Spills AKA Hilary T Smith

Before Hilary sold WILD AWAKE, she worked as an editorial intern in NYC. Currently she posts more about her own writing journey, but see those 200 or so archived posts over in the right sidebar? Those are all gold for aspiring authors who want tips for writing and querying or just a bit of inside information on how editors think and do business. I still re-read some of Hilary's craft-related posts like "How Books Work: The Hunger Games" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Conflict Test" when I'm struggling with a revision.

6. Query Shark

I am only going to say this once--EVERYTHING you need to write a solid query can be found on this website. In fact, IMO this is a lot more info than you need. But if you read agent Janet Reid's guidelines and deal-breakers and then read 100 or so queries and her feedback, you will be able to write a decent query. Please keep in mind that the quality of your first 5-10 pages of your manuscript matters more than crafting the world's most perfect query letter. I do query critiques for Manuscript Critique Services and I routinely run across people who think that what is essentially a cover letter for your manuscript matters more than your actual story. No, just no.

7. Writer Unboxed

I honestly just stumbled across Writer Unboxed the other day and what a delightful and informational rabbit hole it is. Sometimes I feel guilty when I get sidetracked while working and sometimes my inability to focus feels like serendipity. Finding WU was one of those latter times. WU includes posts on industry, craft, and inspiration by everyone from pre-published writers to bestsellers.

8. Pub(lishing) Crawl

Pub crawl, despite being alcohol-free, is one of my favorite writerly sites because its contributors are a mix of writers, editors, agents, and sales/marketing people. As you might imagine, people in different corners of the publishing industry have different knowledge and see things a little differently. With Pub Crawl you get the best of all the worlds!

Had enough? If not, here are few more epic writing websites:

The Daily Dahlia

Nathan Bransford

Adventures in YA Publishing

Nelson Agency's Pub Rants

Forever Young Adult (for fun!)

What are your go-to places for writing information and motivation? Share them in the comments :)

How to engage your critics (if you must) in a safe and productive way

Here's a thing about me--I hate hurting people's feelings. I hate it even worse than having my own feelings hurt. This isn't because I'm a super speshul snowflake or anything. It's just how I'm wired--overactive conscience, conflict-avoidant, poor ability to deal with guilt. Because of all that, I'll admit it--I struggle to understand people who write mean-spirited book reviews. What I don't struggle to understand, is that they have the right to do so.

If you have a twitter account, you've seen at least fifty tweets from authors and bloggers in the past couple of days saying that the correct response to a negative review is to just keep rolling, brush it off, write more books. They're right, and this is what I do most of the time. However, I have responded to critics on multiple occasions--four that I can remember--and all of those interactions produced positive outcomes where both parties walked away with a greater respect and understanding for each other. So a friend asked me to blog about how I do it, and I thought I'd give a few tips. NOTE: I still believe the best response is usually to shut the review window and write more books, so please do not take this blog post as a recommendation to engage your critics.

Also, I am paraphrasing review quotes and actual correspondence with reviewers out of respect for privacy, but the people I'm talking about are more than free to elaborate in the comments section and share their links.

Tip #1: Utilize a cooling off period.
I recommend at least three days. You might need longer. You need to wait long enough that you've stopped physically shaking. You need to be able to fall asleep at night without obsessing for hours. A writer-friend once pointed out a blog post about book packagers and work-for-hire writing. This blogger had only just discovered the concept and to her it was kind of suspect. "Why would anyone want to develop someone else's ideas?" she wondered. "Don't these writers have their own ideas?" [paraphrased] This article went on to mention my work-for-hire pseudonym by name, like "How does Fiona Paul feel about [this] or [that?]" My immediate response was rage, because all I could see was someone calling me out in a blog post without bothering to try to contact me, and then presuming that I was a lesser writer because I opted to write for a book development company. After I calmed down a little (okay, a lot) I realized the article wasn't accusing me of anything--it was asking questions. I didn't like what it was asking, but they were legitimate questions from someone who wanted to know. And if she wanted to know then other people wanted to know. And people think all kinds of bad things about book packaging, but a lot of them aren't true. So with the blessings of Paper Lantern Lit, I contacted her and offered an interview. I ended up writing a three-part series about WFH in general and my experiences in particular. And even though my books are probably never going to make this blogger's favorites list, she has made my favorites list as an unflinchingly honest voice in a sometimes all-too-fake world. I like to think she feels similarly about me.

Tip #2: Recognize it's not all about you.
Even if a review calls you racist, sexist, homophobic, intolerant, unintelligent, etc., it's not a review of you because this person does not know you. They are often incorrectly attributing your character's words and actions to you. Even if your villain says something reprehensible and ten characters call him/her out on it, some people will still take offense to particular words or actions, and that's their prerogative. I tend to agree with what Stephen King says in On Writing, [paraphrased] that my characters do and say offensive things because that's who they are and I'm merely transcribing their words and thoughts. But many reviewers have "hot button issues" so if you included violence against women, violence against animals, two much swearing, a love triangle, etc., they are going to hate your book on principle. I am not saying you are "right" or that reviewers who hate your book are "wrong." There is no right and wrong. You can write about anything you want, but unless you write about a glass of water sitting on a table, chances are your work is going to offend some people.

Tip #3: Recognize it might not even be about your book.
It might be 100% about your particular writing and story. Or it might be about the ten love triangle books someone read before yours, and yours just happened to be the one that made them snap. It might be because they're sick or currently suffering and your character is being a whiny baby about problems that pale in comparison. It might be because your main character reminds them of a girl who tormented them in high school. It could be a whole lot of things that they may or may not even realize. We don't read books in vacuums.

Tip #4: Figure out why you want to contact them.
Wrong answers:
--To yell at them.
--To tell them they hurt your sensitive feelings.
--To tell them they have gotten a fact, or plot point, or theme wrong.
--To explain to them how they missed your point and clarify the awesomeness that is your book.

Possible right answers:
--To thank them for spending time reading and reviewing your book, IF you mean it.
--To clarify a point, IF they asked for clarification in their review.
--To apologize if they pointed out something that personally offended them, and after careful consideration you agree with them and wish you hadn't written it. I would tread carefully here though, because as I mentioned, it's really hard to write an authentic book without anything that could be construed as offensive. Books are usually about people. People say and think and do offensive things sometimes. Such is life.

Tip #5: Recognize and strive to reduce the perceived power differential.
This one is hard for me because I feel like I'm about as intimidating as Mary Poppins. I'm just one single chick holed up in a tiny apartment cranking out stories on a kitchen table that is actually patio furniture. But bloggers don't intuitively know who's a well-connected, high-powered NYC writer and who's not. Bloggers might not even know that some writers are paid $250 for their first book and others are paid $250,000, even though when you set the books side-by-side you can't necessarily tell the difference. But even though I'm not a super-successful Manhattan hotshot, I'm still an author with books on shelves and access to publicists/industry insiders. And that means seeing a Goodreads response or email from me in an inbox after a negative review could cause some anxiety. [NOTE: Never engage publicly on twitter or in a comment thread--that will always feel aggressive.] I personally strive to treat reviewers as equals. I'm not a better person because I'm an author. I'm not necessarily even a better writer. And in many cases, I'm less informed about the publishing industry. I'm not embarrassed to admit that and I'm grateful to bloggers and reviewers for what they've taught me.

Tip #6: Make sure both parties can potentially benefit from contact.
You don't know until you do it, but if your desire to reach out is all about you needing closure or answers, stop right there. Reviewers aren't spouses or bosses or family members. They don't owe you an explanation for anything. I reached out to a girl who wrote a somewhat scathing review of VENOM, my first work-for-hire book. Among other things, she detailed a lot of anachronisms, specifically with the dialogue and voice. Now some of this was what I was asked to do to make the book accessible (use contractions, etc.) but some of it was just fail on my part. Even though the book had several editors and a Renaissance expert, this reviewer brought up a lot of very solid points we all missed. My thought process went something like "Waaaaah. Poor me... Holy crap this girl is smart...I wonder if she'd be interested in reading the third book before it goes to the printer..." She was. I couldn't afford to pay her, but I sent her the very first ARC, thanked her for being a "delta-reader", and offered to write her a research reference if she ever needed. It turned out to be a win-win-win. A blogger felt heard and respected by an author. A book became better. And this girl is now my friend, supporter, and publishing colleague.

Tip #7: Recognize the potential for harm to your career.
You can do everything "right" in contacting someone and still manage to piss them off. Back when the internet was just a baby, I worked retail and restaurant work and remember my managers saying something like "A happy customer tells an average of 7 people about their experience. An unsatisfied customer tells approximately 23." Dude, I don't know what the updated figures are, but I can imagine. I still do not believe that a single person can "ruin a career" (except, perhaps, for an author ruining their own career) but there is always a risk in confronting someone, so be sure to weigh the potential costs and benefits before proceeding.

Tip #8: Err on the side of being overly polite and non-argumentative.
The first critic I ever contacted was when I was brand new to Goodreads. It was 2011. The sale of VENOM had recently been announced. And sure enough, someone gave me 2 stars before ARCs had even been printed. I didn't know back then GR permitted people to rate books based on how excited you were for their release. I didn't know anything. I had clicked "I accept the terms and conditions" without bothering to read them (we all need to stop doing this.) If I had it to do over this is one contact I would not have made, because frankly it was none of my business if she chose to rate my book without reading it. But back then my neurotic author brain was like "Who is this hater and why is she trying to sabotage my book?" and then "OMG, what if there are pirated copies of some crappy first or second draft floating around?" Either way, this 2-star rating had me panicked. (Naive, yeah, I know.) So I sent her a message like: "Hi. I'm brand new to GR and saw that you rated my debut novel. I was just wondering how you managed to read it so early. Basically I'm hoping there aren't copies of one of my old drafts floating around on the internet." She responded, very kindly, that she was a reader for a foreign publisher who had access to my latest draft. She went on to tell me her feelings about the book, including both positive and negative feedback. She ended by saying that perhaps it was wrong of her to post her rating almost a year in advance and offered to take it down until closer to publication date. I declined this offer and thanked her for responding. And I felt silly for doubting her. And then I got back to work. Can you imagine how differently that would have played out if I had been aggressive or accusatory? I could have burned a bridge with a major foreign publisher for all eternity. [ETA: a good rule of thumb is not to write anything you wouldn't be okay with the whole world reading.]

Tip #9: No answer is an answer.
If you reach out and get no response, let it go. Again, this isn't your spouse--it's a stranger. It's the equivalent of someone who viewed your profile on a dating site and clicked no thanks. You asked for a conversation and they politely declined. Who cares if that's not how you do things. The reviewer doesn't have to play by your rules. Move on, already. Don't you have a dog to walk or some laundry to catch up on or a hobby or maybe another book to write? Live your life, or seek help from a confidante or mental health professional if you can't.

Tip #10: Know when to say no.
There are some people it does not make sense to ever engage. Some reviewers are building a brand, and their review is more about their internet platform than it is about your book. People who DNF'd your book are not going to pick it back up because you tell them to (though they might pick it back up if a friend tells them to, as long as you don't act like a total psychopath first.) Most of your 1-star reviews will come from readers who either hated your plot (too late to tweak that), hated your writing style (I don't recommend changing that for 1 or 10 or even 200 people), or just deemed your book "not for them." Liking or not liking a book has an emotional component to it and even the most logical or impassioned argument in your book's favor isn't going to change someone's mind. When's the last time Fox News or the liberal media, depending on your leanings, changed your mind about something? I rest my case. Save your breath. Save your time and energy for your next book. Or better yet, why not engage with some of the people who wrote good reviews? You know, your FANS. In the end, aren't they the ones who really matter?