Proposals can daunt just about any writer. But throw in comparative titles into the mix, and we may have made the process ten times harder on ourselves.
Comparative Titles: Recently published titles, in your book’s genre, that share similarities in theme, tone, or style.
It sounds simple enough, but when you have to come up with 3-5 titles, published by B-list authors, within the past five years, it makes the search all the harder. In this article, we’ll explore ways to find your book’s comparative titles, so you can wow publishers and agents.
Follow the Footnotes
You may know that your book shares similarities with another one.
For instance, my spooky MG shares similarities with Kristiana Sfirlea’s Legend of the Storm Sneezer. If I plug the title into Amazon, it shows me results of other books bought that are similar to this. I peruse the blurbs and the first pages of those books. If they seem to match mine, I buy them.
“Wait a minute!” You may say. “Why do I have to buy them?” First of all, you support authors, yay! Second of all, you want to make sure that you didn’t just choose a book simply by the back cover copy alone. As we’ve learned the BCC doesn’t always tell us the truth about the book’s contents. Better safe than sorry.
Goodreads Lists
So you have to find a book published within the last five years.
No problem. Goodreads has lists of books in specific genres, published in specific years. Peruse the lists and find books that seem to match the tones or themes of yours.
You can find plenty of books in Paranormal MG published in 2020. Believe me, once you find these lists, you’ll have no problem finding books that are similar to yours.
Ask Reader’s Groups
Facebook has PLENTY of readers groups. Ask them in threads if they have any recs. of books, that are recently published, like yours.
It will surprise you how many recommendations you’ll receive. I’m part of a Christian readers group, and readers have obscure requests all the time. On average, these requests receive 30-100 responses.
Ask Authors in the Genre
Want to know comp. titles for your books? Ask authors who have published similar books in your genre. Odds are they have plenty of ideas for you to read.
After all, if we want to be good writers, we have to read lots of books in our genre, so we can understand the trends, the vogue voices, and of course, because we have loads of fun doing it.
Finding work for yourself as a freelance writer can feel like a daunting task. There are so many options when looking at potential jobs that range from traditional magazine articles, email newsletters, or even writing and scheduling Facebook posts for clients. Freelance writing jobs are pretty much everywhere nowadays.
Here are Types of Freelance Writing Jobs to help you find an opportunity suited for yourself!
Article and Feature Writing
The side hustle that never goes out of style, article writing, is a great way to make some supplemental money on the side. You can do this in your spare time and still maintain all other responsibilities (school/work/family). You can work individually or in teams, depending upon your needs and preferences- whether you need more articles for print publications or something else entirely different like blog posts about video games!
The income from article and feature writing can help writers supplement their income in between book deals, because the truth is, super big advances are not the norm.
Magazines and Newspapers
While this may be one of the oldest forms of freelance writing, there are still many opportunities out in front. With so much content published every day and new technology making it easier than ever to produce stories on any subject matter even if you’ve never written about it before!
Magazines are an excellent way to get your work seen by a targeted audience. Mag writers have the opportunity of being published in magazines with specific or niche topics, depending on what they’re looking for as far as exposure goes — but it also means that these pieces need thorough research and writing skills!
Web Writing
Magazines and journals now have an online presence in addition to their print counterparts. There are also countless ‘online magazine’ websites that exist entirely through content published on the web, which often includes articles or features about current events from a variety of perspectives.
Websites are everywhere! They cover every topic and type of audience. This makes it easier to find freelance writing work online, especially since there are thousands of websites out there waiting for content like yours.
Freelance writers need to be able to fish where the food is. As far as writing goes, there are many opportunities out in this big ol’ world and here at Serious Writer, we’re your guide! Check back with us to check out Copywriting, Content Writing, and Blogging for Freelance writers.
If you’re struggling to figure how to find content out or what kind of material your audience is consuming and engaging with, find a “mentor influencer,” that is, someone who’s killing it in your field.
Check out their website and look for these things:
Keywords. Look at blog post titles and opt-ins.
Giveaways. What are they giving away as a free opt-in for their newsletter?
Social Media. What platforms are they the most active on?
You’re not looking for content to copy, but instead, you’re looking for the formula or outline. The goal is to research the topics and method that your competition is sharing and how their audience is responding to them.
To be clear, do not steal other people’s work! The purpose of this research is to look for keywords and common topics. Add your unique experience, insights, and voice to the discussion. No plagiarism allowed!
Example:
As an example, Bethany Jett l-o-v-e-s planners. So if she’s going to create a blog post or giveaway for her audience, she might scope out some of the bigger players in the planner space.
During that research, she would find that people are asking questions about the different types of planner layouts to use when getting started. Therefore, a smart blog post for her would be How to Choose Your Best Planner Layout, along with a downloadable PDF handout to collect emails.
Then, Bethany can share a post on her social media platforms about different planner layouts. And if she was intent on getting the most from her marketing efforts, she would film a video to put on YouTube.
Basically, you don’t need to recreate the wheel. If the movers and shakers in your genre are sharing Monday Motivation tips on Tik Tok, by golly, you might want to start doing that, too!
At Serious Writer, we want you to work smarter, not harder. We want you to save time and get a high return on your investment.
Find the winners. Determine the formula. Go create!
In the past few years, we have seen many trends in book cover designs come and go. However, there are some new changes on their way that will be dominating publishing markets by 2022!
In 2020 it was all about matte covers with no shine or gloss to them as they felt more contemporary but now this year’s trend seems like a predecessor of sorts because instead of having vibrant colors inside your pages you’ll see duller shades which give off less attention-grabbing feel due tp overuse perhaps? Who knows what tomorrow might bring so stay tuned.
Typography
Typography is an important aspect of graphic design and will continue to be in the future. The use or lack thereof can make or break a book cover, which means it’s crucial for indie authors who are looking at creating their own unique identity with what they produce as well as how people receive said product from them through media channels such as social networks like Facebook etc.
Bold typography is going to be used to catch the readers’ eye. This will create visibility and draw potential customers into reading more about what they’re looking at, which ultimately could increase revenue for your company!
The way that books look can really capture your attention – so most of the time they have the use of typography in order to make sure you’re drawn into their world right away!
Minimalistic Cover Designs
Minimalistic designs are popular among graphic designers because they want to create a simple design that everyone will understand. For example, you might see the name of your book and an illustration or drawing depicting what’s inside in small letters on one side only – no clutter!
Minimalistic covers are all the rage right now, with one central element being prominent. This is in contrast to the book cover whose entire surface was laden with patterns once upon a time ago when design styles were more complicated than they seem nowadays due to the simplicity that allows you to focus on just 1 central element instead of everything around it.
Minimalistic book covers are often designed to be minimalist in nature, which means they have a lot of white space on the cover. This is done with an intention that draws attention toward one specific element within these designs—usually what provides context or details about its content.
Hand-Drawn Letters
Illustrations have been the go-to design for book covers over recent years, especially those that tell a children’s story or contain mystery. These are often illustrated with handwritten letters on them as well!
Hand-drawn illustrations, calligraphic typefaces, and rough sketches are all trends that we can expect to see more of in 2022. This is because illustration has become so widespread – it’s almost like an obligation! So if you want your book cover design to stand out from the rest then give them some personality by including these elements into their creative process for this next year.
Retro Elements May Come Back
Book cover designers are going back in time to 70s and 80s style. The public is remembering TV shows from that era, so it’s only natural for book covers designed then be projected onto them as well.
The designs in 2022 will be reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s. We can expect fonts from that era as well as colorful graphics to give off an old-fashioned vibe with modern twists that we haven’t been seen before now!
Collage
The use of collages in book covers is a popular trend that we can expect to see more often in 2022. This creative design technique allows for expression and summarization at once, creating an innovative look with unique content!
Collage is an interesting trend that encourages designers to explore creative possibilities. The more combinations of shapes and textures you can get on your design, the better!
Great book themes are fascinating, exciting, and alluring. They have the power to engage readers with their contented topics or stories that keep them on edge until they reach an unexpected ending! The year 2022 will be an interesting one.
Here are some themes we predict that might stick out in the crowd:
Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has and will continue to have an influence on writers for a long time. Fiction and nonfiction books touch upon many aspects of this event, including natural disasters or panic which are portrayed in different ways depending on the author’s perspective.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Robots and artificial intelligence are making waves in the world today. From factories to our homes, robots have taken on many jobs that would otherwise be done by humans – these advancements will only continue! The information is fascinating and readers want to read about new research, not only advances in robotics but also to gain a better understanding of how robots will be used in the future.
Women
The number of female writers in the book world is on fire, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. In 2022 we’ll see even more independent, strong heroines take over popular culture as a whole!
The future of books is sure to be an interesting ride. With e-readers, tablets, and smartphones coming out with new features every day, it’s hard to keep up when we don’t know what will happen next.
One tip is to pay attention to the popular new shows on streaming sites like Netflix, as well as what movies are releasing in the next few years. You’ll start seeing books with similar themes populate the shelves. Yours could be one of them.
