Reflecting on the Comps.
I’ve learned a new word in the publishing world – COMPS.
To me as a theatre and performance maker – comps (complementary tickets) means free tickets you allow for family, friends, potential programmers and reviewers. Comps can cost an arm and a leg if you are on a box office split. The meaning in publishing however doesn’t cost anything if you use the library.
Comps in publishing means comparable titles with similar themes – in this case …. here it comes again – comps for Pink Granite.
I probably sound like I am making an apology here but if you are reading this it’s because you know I am trying to get my books more traction, so I am not apologising just doing the necessary work that is required in terms of marketing and publicity. I get most of my publishing tips from The Alliance of Independent Authors. It has been my go to place since I began this particular journey back in 2021. On their watch I found out about Manuscript.com. It was there I learned the term. They produced a long list of comparable titles for me and I have started to read them. It’s proved to be a really useful exercise as I try to improve my skills in marketing and publicity.
Before I go on let me tell you what I have learned about these two terms from Orna Ross on the SelfPubConnect conference run each year by ALLi:
Marketing is about brand – you as the writer. It’s ongoing.
Publicity is about is about promotions – an individual book. It’s short and seasonal.
As a theatre maker and producer, I didn’t know that, I admit. I am wondering if those who did the marketing and publicity for me in those days did. I often think how different it might have been had I ‘known then what I know now’.
Anyway, back to the COMPS.
This exercise has given me a big reading job and I have amazed myself with the reading I have actually achieved recently. Normally my preference is for non-fiction and I read for research and to create. But learning about COMPS has renewed an interest in fiction reading. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton was the first to reel me in, probably because I made an extensive project with the same title between 2010 and 2019, probing the multiple meanings the Scottish play offers.
Here’s what the report said:
“Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton is a contemporary eco-thriller set in New Zealand, focusing on activism and suspense, while Pink Granite weaves historical and speculative elements with ritual and myth. Both books feature strong female leads, environmental themes, and conflicts between tradition and modernity. They interrogate power structures and the impact of exploitation on communities.” I agree having read Birnam Wood, except that story features more naturalistic characters. The storyline is contemporary and compelling, whilst mine is historical fantasy, the character might have lived but they have fantastic qualities and aren’t particularly protesting issues. They are living the environmental issues in an almost unconscious way yet conscious of a magic beyond them that intervenes almost supernaturally with the status quo of the issue.
“The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff is a survival narrative set in colonial America, while Pink Granite alternates between a futuristic city and a mythic village shaped by ritual and collective memory. Both novels feature young women confronting harsh environments, spiritual questions, and the legacy of colonization. They use lyrical prose and mythic undertones.” Again I would agree and perhaps The Vaster Wilds because of its 18th century setting feels more like the world of Pink Granite though I have resisted putting dates on my story so that I can preserve the anonymity of place and character.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese was slightly more challenging in resonance though I adored the story. “The Covenant of Water is set in South India and traces a family’s relationship with water over a century, while Pink Granite is set in a fictional coastal world with a focus on quarrying and sea mythology. Both novels span generations, feature matriarchal figures, and explore the interplay of tradition, ritual, and the forces of nature.” Pink Granite is nothing like the length of the 700+ pages of The Covenant of Water, but its Grandmother is strong and mysterious like my Great Great Old Granny Pink. Also the water element and the mineral elements in both are strong drivers.
Finally, (for this post but more to come)
And here is how it appears in the report:
I don’t think I can argue with any of the suggested comparisons here except that it feels strange to take such successful books and actually make the comparison. It’s a tall order and doesn’t do much for my imposter syndrome sensitivities. Hence I am putting it here for the time being.
If you are reading this, have you read any of these very popular novels? Have you read Pink Granite? Do you agree?
Here’s a link to some of the reviews I have had for Pink Granite so far.
Thanks for reading.