Comparable titles for query letter

[Tommie Lyn]

I need some help. An editor told me that in my query letter I need to provide a couple of titles of books that are similar to mine. I've been unable to do that -- every book which has been suggested as being comparable turns out not to be similar at all. :(

So I'm asking readers of historical novels -- can you help? Can you point me to novels that are similar to mine? Here are some of the particulars about High on a Mountain:

1) It is set in the Scottish Highlands in 1745 and in the colony of South Carolina in Cherokee Territory.

2) The MC is an ordinary dirt-poor Highland clansman, not a lord, not a politically powerful personage as you find in most historical novels.

3) Ailean MacLachlan lives in a thatched roof cottage with a dirt floor and his living is subsistence-level, not like most Scottish historicals where the MC lives in a castle.

4) And although he falls in love, this is not a romantic novel.

Please, if anyone knows of similar stories, let me know. I'm becoming desperate at this point. The best I've been able to do is to compare it to two movies -- "Braveheart meets Dances with Wolves."

[lynnmosher]

Tommie Lyn, I've never heard of listing comps in a query. I thought they were only listed in a proposal. Hmmm...will have to look into this a little farther. Sorry I'm not any help in your search.

[righter1]

I HAVE heard you should compare who your author influences are or who your writing is most representative of. I've not heard of having a specific book to point to. Were either of those movies books before they were movies?

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Gosh, that's a tough one. It sounds like a Rob Roy/Dances with Wolves combo but still very different from either of the two.
I'm afraid I'm at a loss too.

[Tarin]

I haven't read them (I've heard they're very racy), but perhaps Diane Gabaldone's Outlander series would be comparable in some respects?

[Tamera]

Tommie, from some things I've read, I think you can get away with using books that don't have similar stories but have some of the same elements. For instance, you could say, if it's a panoramic saga, you could say it's simular to a John Jakes or James A. Michner novel. Or if it's a fast paced adventure but set in the highlands, you could say to think of Indiana Jones in the Highlands. I hope this helped. It helped me since I couldn't think of one western or historical novel that was simular to what I wrote.

[Tommie Lyn]

Tommie Lyn, I've never heard of listing comps in a query. I thought they were only listed in a proposal. Hmmm...will have to look into this a little farther. Sorry I'm not any help in your search.

Two acquisitions editors gave me this advice -- and an agent recommends it in his book on how to get an agent.

I HAVE heard you should compare who your author influences are or who your writing is most representative of. I've not heard of having a specific book to point to. Were either of those movies books before they were movies?

Yes, both were books. But I doubt I'll ever get to read "Braveheart" to see if it is comparable -- used copies start at $99 on amazon, IF you can find one. However, from the bits and pieces I've read of the book, "Dances with Wolves," I like the sense of immediacy he created in it.

Gosh, that's a tough one. It sounds like a Rob Roy/Dances with Wolves combo but still very different from either of the two.
I'm afraid I'm at a loss too.

Actually, it's more of a "Braveheart" than "Rob Roy" because I depict war and battles, like "Braveheart."

I haven't read them (I've heard they're very racy), but perhaps Diane Gabaldone's Outlander series would be comparable in some respects?

I read an excerpt of Outlander -- it is a time-travel story, so I don't think it would fit. Plus, she does something many modern authors do which is an irritant for me -- she has a Highlander of 1745 speaking in Scots dialect. Lowlanders spoke Scots or English, Highlanders spoke Gaelic. (In Sir Walter Scott's "Waverly," he has the English MC, Waverly, mention that he couldn't understand the Highlanders who spoke Gaelic -- he doesn't have those Highlanders speaking Scots or English. However, in his "Rob Roy" he has Rob Roy MacGregor, aka Robert Campbell, speaking Scots when he was in the Lowlands -- Rob Roy spent lots of time in the Lowlands, so he could speak the language of the Lowlands.)

[Tommie Lyn]

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. I appreciate so much your willingness to help.

TL

[lynnmosher]

Tommie Lyn, Since this confused me, I've been checking the books and articles I have and the online references for queries. I would say that 95% of them do not mention listing comps. It may be just the preference of certain agents and editors. I'm sorry if I gave you wrong info but I went on what I found.

[Margaret D.]

Providing a list of comparable novels is a great idea, which will help your agent attract a publisher and help your publisher sell your novel. Even if an agent doesn't ask for this, it can be a plus to provide it. It shows you have a professional attitude and are thinking ahead.

You should be able to find some comparable novels on the 18th Century page of my historical novels website at http://www.HistoricalNovels.info.

Good luck!

[Tommie Lyn]

Thanks for posting the link, Margaret. You have a wonderful site!

TL

[lynnmosher]

I agree! Great site, Margaret!

[michaelsnyder]

I think too, like Tamera said, that there are other ways to 'compare' than specific time periods or storylines. You could think thematically. Or maybe frame it in terms of your protagonist's struggle. I'm not well-versed in history (translation: I have a hard time remembering which of the two World Wars came first), but I'll bet from what you mentioned in your question, there are lots and lots of stories about someone rising up from humble beginnings and becoming a hero. Sorry, wish I could whip out a half-dozen titles for you. Heck, even Rocky comes to mind. (But if so, I really hope you drop the "Yo, Adrian!" parts!)

I had a similar struggle with my proposals and basically ended up with a list of my favorite authors. To this day, I cannot do the 30-second elevator pitch thing for my first novel...and it's been completed over a year now! Even when I was pitching it at conferences, I simply said, "Did you see the movie Notting Hill?" If they smiled, I knew I was okay. If they scrunched up their face and shook their head...I said something like, "Gee, your hair smells terrific!" or "Hey, would you like to borrow fifty bucks?"

I can't imagine I've helped much here...

Mike

[michaelsnyder]

Another thought...I would NEVER suggest you not take every part of the query/proposal stuff seriously. Absolutely, you should pray hard and do your darndest. But...

I've heard over and over and over again that the first three pages (give or take) are all that really matters. Again, not suggesting here that you not try hard. But I am strongly recommending (pleading?) that you not stress too hard about individual aspects. If you must obsess (and I do!), funnel most of it into the prose. They really will help you with the other stuff.

[Katharine]

Hmmm... No one has mentioned this, so let me offer one more suggestion. Having worked in a public library for a number of years, I know there's an amazing depth of information available. We've got books, we've got computers... and we've got folks with master's degrees in information science. Their job is to find potential sources of information for their patrons.

A word of warning: librarians are only human, and they don't appreciate being wrung dry with endless requests for help. But, they know their stuff. Could be, they could direct you to a database or a print resource where you could dig up the answer to your question. Be polite, be grateful, be friendly, visit the library when it's not too busy, try out whatever resources they suggest, and you might end up with a lifetime research partner!


DISCLAIMER: Not all library systems are as wonderful as mine. Test the waters before jumping in all the way.

[Tarin]

I'm not well-versed in history (translation: I have a hard time remembering which of the two World Wars came first)

Hint: World War One comes before World War Two.


:D

[Margaret D.]

Glad you guys are enjoying the Historical Novels website. I've had fun putting it together.

I'd like to second Michael's suggestion about thinking thematically. Of course, historical novels will always be better comparisons than contemporary novels, but you don't necessarily need to find something set in the same time and place. Comparing it to novels you've read will probably work better than comparing it to novels you haven't, because it will be easier for you to describe the ways in which the novels are similar. Plus, it makes it clear that you are widely read in the field you're writing in, so agents and editors will start building a sense of confidence in you even before they look at your manuscript.

[ElizabethH]

Ah...querying. So arduous. I feel you.

Instead of comparing your work to other works already out there, you might try researching the titles list for the agent or publisher you're pitching (they might have some on their website). Then, compare your book to a few of these. Doesn't have to be an exact match; it can be as simple as sharing a love of strong lead characters from simple circumstances. Find commonalities that will make the two of you a dream working match. That's how I found my agent, and later, how we found my publisher.

For the record, my favorite historical fiction, set in Europe, about a downtrodden character, is Slammerkin by Emma Donahue.

[Tommie Lyn]

Thanks so much for the help, everyone. I appreciate all the suggestions and am checking each one for possibilities.

One thing finally struck me. I've been going about this the wrong way, probably. I've been looking for books which have a similar storyline or setting -- and I can't find anything.

However, when I began to think of the underlying thread or theme of this novel and the sequels which will follow it (if I live long enough to write them), I did think of a book that is similar on that basis. And someone gave me a second one to consider which has similarities on another basis.

YAY!! I may have my two titles I can list in my query!!