Q&A Friday

Landlubber Edition

Hi friends,

I’m writing you from an airport because I just got off a cruise! (West coast, so I am not storm-impacted, luckily. Stay safe, those in Hurricane Helene’s path!) I went on the Writing Excuses retreat to teach and meet with a group of about 75 writers, mostly working in science fiction and fantasy, and it was honestly the best writing event I have ever taken part in. I’m going to write all about it soon, but if you’re curious, check out their podcast and more. Now that I’m back on dry land, let’s answer some questions!

W asks: I am about to go out with a submission and my comps are “The Day of the Jackal” meets “Prime Suspect.” I realize these are ancient, but they perfectly describe my novel. I can’t come up with another pairing that comes as close. Will agents write me off because of this? I add that my novel will appeal to fans of Karin Slaughter, Patricia Cornwell, and Tana French to let me know where I think my book fits into the current market.

On the cruise last week, I talked to many writers about comps. I’ve come up with a revolutionary new way to think about comps for query letters. Here it is: in queries, COMPS ARE VIBES.