9: Finding Author Comps (Audiences)

Find authors who write in the same sub-genre as you; this, however doesn’t have to be a 1:1 stylistic match. Often your best comps on Facebook and BookBub won’t be 1:1 comparisons.

If you’ve exhausted testing authors in your sub-genre, branch out to tangential sub-genres. E.g. if you’re an urban fantasy author, try paranormal romance authors. If you write steamy contemporary romance, try milder authors.

You can find your comp authors in the following places (I use Amazon for 99% of this research):

•  Amazon
  •  Also boughts
  • Sponsored Product ads
  •  Amazon Author profiles
  •  Top 100 Bestseller lists
• Google (e.g. “best indie urban fantasy books”)
• BookBub
• Audience Insights on Facebook