I know that some agents ask for comps in queries, but many don't seem to specify. Obviously, I wouldn't want to call a book the next Harry Potter or something ridiculous, but is it helpful for agents to have comps in a query or no?
Comps show the author's familiarly with the genre and possibly the manuscript's marketablility. But I'm a little afraid of adding comps because it seems like one more thing that the agent could say no to. (In my head, I'm picturing agents saying "I hated that book, so I'll hate yours too." or "Where do you see that in this manuscript, this author is way off base.") Am I being paranoid?
Comps show the author's familiarly with the genre and possibly the manuscript's marketablility. But I'm a little afraid of adding comps because it seems like one more thing that the agent could say no to. (In my head, I'm picturing agents saying "I hated that book, so I'll hate yours too." or "Where do you see that in this manuscript, this author is way off base.") Am I being paranoid?
