The Comp Title Formula That Actually Works (with Hannah Robinson)

Comp titles are second only to platform as the most feared part of a writer's journey--but they don't have to be scary.

In this episode, editor and author coach Hannah Robinson breaks comp titles down into something writers already do instinctively every day: describing an unfamiliar thing by connecting it to something familiar.

Hannah walks through her "Magic Madlib" formula — [Your Title] meets [Comp A] meets [Comp B], perfect for readers who love [detail] of [Comp C] — and explains the concept of triangulation, why your comps don't need to be exact matches to your book, and how to balance a big "category killer" comp (think Harry Potter or The Body Keeps the Score) with something more realistic to your own platform and sales track.

You'll walk away with a repeatable framework for finding comps that make agents, editors, and readers lean in — plus real examples pulled straight from published book descriptions and jacket copy.

Hannah is a freelance editor, collaborator, and author coach specializing in practical nonfiction. Before going independent, she worked in-house at HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette Book Group.

IN THIS EPISODE:

— Why comp titles feel so intimidating (and why they shouldn't)

— The Magic Madlib formula for building your comp title

— Real comp examples from published books and jacket copy

— Triangulation: using comps as a known baseline, not an exact match

— The 4 basics every strong comp should hit: genre, format, sales track, and recency

— How to responsibly use a "category killer" comp