Comps

by Joan

Way back when Julie’s book was still in her computer, agentless, she wrote a fun post about comps.

She said, “You don’t want to send the agent into hysterical laughter, or worse, tempt him or her to use a trigger finger to delete the query before even reading the rest of it because you came across as arrogant in the comps you chose and how you worded the comparisons. At the same time, you don’t want to use such obscure comps the agent has to look them up on Amazon.”

So yes, it’s a thorny dilemma. The goal is to find titles or authors that might share the same readers, the same shelf in the bookstore. I agree with several commenters on Julie's post; I normally don’t include comp titles in the query unless the agent specifically asks. And it’s always best to use language such as: My story will also appeal to fans of (insert author here) or my story touches on similar themes to those in (insert title here).

The comps I've used when querying for THE LOST LEGACY OF GABRIEL TUCCI are pretty diverse. In some ways my story shares similarities to Alex George’s A Good American with its fish-out-of-water immigrants and ancestral secrets, or novels by Kate Morton and Rebecca Stott with dual timelines and a focus on links to the past. Perhaps even Jennifer Donnelly's novels for themes of betrayal, murder and the seedy side of historic London.

For books with an Italian connection, I actually got a bit of help here. One suggestion came from Julie (thanks for the tip on Pamela Schoenewaldt!), and another, from an agent who passed on an earlier version (i.e. not ready!). “I think the historical Trastevere will find an audience and is very marketable. Have you read anything by Chris Castellani? I think he might be a good comp.”

I loved these books (reviewed them here!) and would be thrilled if mine shared the same shelf. If all goes well, some other writer might use my book as a comp one day.

Majestic Cathedrals

by Joan

I have a confession. I love churches and cathedrals.

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis

Though it's not religion but the artistic and architectural elements that captivate me. I wrote The Lost Legacy of Gabriel Tucci because I had a vision of a nineteenth-century architect standing on scaffolding, hiding plans behind the stone wall of a church and another vision of a present-day conservator discovering those plans (among other treasures!). 

After researching several London churches, I came across St. Peter’s Italian Church in Clerkenwell and soon I knew my architect had immigrated from Trastevere, a suburb of Rome.

Much of my research was gathered online, but I culled from memory and journals detailing visits to cathedrals in D.C., New York, Austria, Athens, and yes, Trastevere. I love hearing tales about sculptures and stained glass, gargoyles and spires, and don’t get me started on bell towers. In Los Angeles, the brilliant conservationist Aleksei Tivetsky shared his insight--and an intriguing detail I borrowed for a mural above my fictional St. Giuseppe’s high altar. (His website is worth the click—right now I have its stunning classical soundtrack playing in the background.)

Weeping Angels at the Cathedral Basilica

Recently my family visited St. Louis for a wedding and Pamela mentioned the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis as a must-see. After several years of fundraising and tragedy (a tornado wiped out the Archdiocesan treasury), the church broke ground in 1907, had its first mass in 1916, and was consecrated in 1926, yet it would take a total 80 years to complete it.

I'll bet there are a few stories to be garnered from that history. Pamela was right--it was one of the most spectacular cathedrals I've ever seen. So enamored with the side chapels and galleries, we missed the mosaic museum by five minutes, but will catch it on our next visit.

Legendary red mosaic tiles at the Cathedral Basilica

The Byzantine and Romanesque architecture is a marvel and the docent who shared the church's history was a gem (despite his refusal to let me upstairs to the watching gallery!). Even though TLLOGT is complete, I managed to sneak in Gabriel Tucci's twist on the legend of the red mosaic tiles.

My mind is dancing around ideas for my next story. So far my settings have taken me from a fictional cemetery in Maryland, to the Bodleian Library in Oxford, to Highgate Cemetery and an Italian Church in Victorian London. My next story might be a wartime foray into my father’s letters from Burma or it might follow a train conductor in Italy. But wherever (and whenever) I place it, you can bet there will be majestic churches, generations of secrets and a headstone or two.