A comp title (short for comparative or competitive title) is an existing book that shares a similar tone, genre, plot, or target audience with your book. When pulling a list of comp titles together, Simon & Schuster's Audience Insights Senior Manager Anna Hall suggests authors focus on current books that are finding success. They are often in the same genre as your book, but they don't have to be. Comp titles can benefit authors in many ways, she says, including identifying the profile of your target readers.