That is my fear each time I search for comparative titles (comp titles) for a book proposal or query letter. Having written and rewritten and critiqued and labored over these precious words, someone out there has had the same idea and already published it!
Most of the time my fears are unfounded, but it is disheartening to hear an editor say, “Oh I love your story, but we just did a book on dressing dinosaurs last year!” At the very least I could have sent it to another publisher. It pays to look at comp titles!
The point of comp titles is to answer for yourself and the potential publisher: if my book sits next to this one on the bookstore shelf (or comes up in a similar online search), why would the potential buyer choose mine?
And even a teeny 181-word book needs comp titles!
Preparing the proposal for How to Dress a Dinosaur required 10 comp titles. A glance at Amazon told me nobody else had written a board book about dinosaurs getting dressed! So where do you get the comp title if you have such an original idea no one has written it before?
Search online
I did an Amazon search for “dinosaurs” and “board books” there are pages and pages of them! How do I know which are comp titles for How to Dress a Dinosaur?
Publication date
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton, 1994. Rejected: relevant titles must be published in the last five years, better the last two years, or forthcoming.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? Board Book. Blue Sky Press, 2020. Rejected: This is a reprint of a picture book originally published in 2000.
The Hugasaurus. Orchard, 2022. Accepted: note it is about colorful pretend dinos.
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, It’s Christmas. Tiger Tales, 2023. Accepted: note this is a seasonal book.
Author/Publisher
I’m a Hungry Dinosaur: Rhyming, picture book about Dinosaurs/bedtime reading/dressing up / early readers. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018. Rejected: relevant title must be published by a traditional publisher (or an imprint of one).
ABCs of Dinosaur: A Powerfully Prehistoric Alphabet. Cottage Door Press, 2022. Rejected: written by staff writers at a publisher rather than authored.
Triceratops (Hello Dinosaur) Board book – Campbell Books, 2023. Accepted: I did not recognize this publisher but found Campbell Books is a division of Pan Macmillan, the UK base of Macmillan.
Alternative subject: Getting dressed
Let’s Get Dressed. White Star Kids, 2022. Accepted: White Star is a new imprint of National Geographic.
Squirrel’s Sweater. Beaming Books, 2021. Accepted: noted this is hardback rather than a board book.
Alternative subject: Mother/child relationships
Elmo’s Mommy Day. Sesame Street Board Books, 2023. Rejected: books based on TV shows or cartoons draw their own audience and are not in competition.
God Sent You With Love: A Story of Unconditional Love. Cottage Door Press, 2022. Accepted: noted it was a quiet bedtime book
Final Comps
Once I had a list of books that may appear on the same shelf, I provide the editor with every reason to see how mine was unique. That means full details on the comp title and how my book is different.
Hello, Dino! Kevin’s Big Book of Dinosaurs by Liesbet Slegers.
Clavis Press, 2023. ISBN: 978-1605378350 Kevin loves dinosaurs. Today, he’s going to visit the dinosaur museum with Mommy and Daddy. Soon, Kevin is even dreaming about these creatures!
Similarities: Both are about toddlers fascinated with dinosaurs.
Differences: How to Dress a Dinosaur shows a mother taking advantage of this dino fascination to dress her child.
For a query letter, the three very best titles are enough and for a full proposal, eight to ten are needed. It is a lot of work, but in the end, you and the publisher will see how unique your book is!
Multi-award-winning author Robin Currie learned story sharing by sitting on the floor, during library story times. She has sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks and writes stories to read and read again! Robin is happy to note How to Dress a Dinosaur found its unique spot on the publisher’s list!
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