I’m about to query a novel for agent representation, and I need to do some research to find the best comp titles for the querying process. Must fit the following requirements:
1. published in the last 5 years
2. published by a “big 5” commercial publishing house
3. sold well, but not too well (using blockbuster bestsellers or major award winners is a faux pas in this context)
4. is in or adjacent to the literary fiction genre
Nice-to-haves that aren’t requirements:
a. contains family saga elements
b. contains coming-of-age elements
c. covers a recent / contemporary time period
d. is set in Appalachia
by Jared-Macomber
2 Comments
Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting (Booker nominated but undersold) is a good one, but not set in Appalachia. But that’s a great detail for a pitch, you can say it’s like X book but set in Appalachia. That’s a beauty of an elevator pitch. Or use a non-fiction book about the Appalachians and marry it with a fiction book “it’s like Hillbilly Elegy written by Jonathan Franzen”
Also throwing in a blockbuster is not a faux pas. Most agents will have read blockbusters but if you go too obscure they won’t be able to picture your book.