Author: Sharla Yates

Learn why the industry relies on comps, where to find the best ones, and how to use them to strengthen your pitch.

Comp titles are one of the most powerful tools for helping agents and publishers quickly understand where your book fits in the market. These comparable books—similar to yours in key ways—can make or break your pitch. In a logline or query, comp titles serve as “shorthand” for your book’s tone, theme and story, making it easier for editors and agents to determine if a manuscript is a good fit. In a proposal, strong comp titles also prove that books like yours are selling now.

Yet, finding and using comp titles is one of the most challenging parts of querying.

This webinar will demystify the process of identifying and effectively using comp titles. Learn why the industry relies on comps, where to find the best ones, and how to use them to strengthen your pitch. Discover tools, databases, and research methods to uncover comps with strong sales numbers—all with step-by-step guidance and one-on-one assistance. Learn a structured, 7-step process to streamline the search, giving you everything needed to research and find your titles.

As an added resource, a 30-minute video will be provided, detailing how to use your newly found comps to improve your chances of securing the right agent or publishing house.

---

In this webinar, you will:

• ✅ Discover effective strategies for finding strong comp titles
• ✅ Learn how to use comp titles to strengthen queries and pitches
• ✅ Understand how comps demonstrate market viability and attract agents
• ✅ Overcome the frustration of searching for and selecting the right comps
• ✅ Avoid common mistakes that can weaken a book’s positioning
• ✅ Gain tools to maximize success in securing an agent or publisher

This webinar is ideal for ….

• Aspiring and Querying Authors – Writers preparing to pitch their book to agents and publishers who need strong comp titles to strengthen their query.
• Self-Publishing Authors – Writers looking to position their book in the market and attract the right audience using comp titles.
• Literary Agents & Editors – Publishing professionals who want to refine their ability to identify and evaluate comp titles for submissions.
• Book Coaches & Writing Instructors – Professionals who guide writers through the querying and publishing process and need effective strategies for teaching comp title research.

Closed captioning is available. ✔
All registrants receive the recording. ✔

ABOUT YOUR PRESENTER

AMY COLLINS, Agent with Talcott Notch Literary Services, has over 30 years of experience matching books with readers. As a former book buyer, publisher, and sales director, Amy focuses on the marketplace and sales potential for authors. As an agent, she represents many authors who have signed deals with major publishers and is currently negotiating book to film as well. Amy is the author of several non-fiction books and is currently traveling the country with her two dogs meeting with editors and authors. She can be found on Instagram, Threads, and BluSky at @askamycollins.

Questions? Please email Info@craft-talks.com

---

Registration Info

---

Event Organizer

---

Location

At their best, personal narratives about “taboo” topics speak to our darkest truths and teach us what it means to be vulnerable.

Topics like mental illness, sex, and violence are often branded “taboo” and can be some of the most difficult material to write about. But at their best, these narratives speak to our darkest truths and teach us what it means to be vulnerable. Even the most stigmatized topics can be made approachable if you know how to pull the reader in and give your story universal resonance. No matter how difficult the subject matter, memoirists can keep readers engaged by using craft techniques like worldbuilding, identifying universal truths, and exercising narrative control.

This webinar will explore the challenges and opportunities of writing honestly about taboo topics. We’ll discuss why it’s so important to give voice to unsayable truths, and how to use craft tools to create unforgettable memoirs and essays. We’ll also address self-care strategies, how to know when material is “too” explicit, and how and when to exercise narrative restraint.

---

In this webinar, you will:

• EXPLORE why certain topics are “taboo” in personal narratives–and why you should write about them anyway.
• LEARN craft tools for making such stories feel resonant to readers, including worldbuilding, identifying universal truths, and exercising narrative control.
• ADDRESS the practical challenges of writing about taboo topics, including self-care strategies, knowing when material is “too” explicit, and how to use narrative restraint.

This webinar is ideal for ….

A memoirist or personal essayist who is tackling topics often considered taboo or stigmatized in society. Examples of these kinds of topics include mental illness, sex, and violence.

Closed captioning is available. ✔
All registrants receive the recording. ✔

ABOUT YOUR PRESENTER

KATIE BANNON is a writer, editor, and educator whose work has appeared in The Rumpus, ELLE Magazine, Narratively, and more. Her memoir manuscript, which charts her journey as a compulsive hair puller, was a finalist for the Permafrost Nonfiction Book Prize. A graduate of GrubStreet’s Memoir Incubator, she holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from Emerson College. She is a developmental editor who loves working with memoirists and essayists on how to write and revise their most vulnerable, taboo stories. She teaches at GrubStreet and lives in Central Massachusetts with her partner and two cats.

Questions? Please email Info@craft-talks.com

---

Registration Info

---

Event Organizer

---

Location