You ever read the description of a book, and become convinced it’s a Percy Jackson clone?

Have you ever thought that, and bought it anyways?

Have you cozied up to the book six hours later at home, glad that you bought it?

A lot of people describe books as cliche or copy-cats, but buy them anyways. Today we asked you about this on Instagram, and 25% of you said that those books steal ideas and you hate them. But the fact is, some of those books are not cliche at all- They’re clever uses of plot archetypes, what we call Comps. Here’s how to tell the difference.

1- Comps acknowledge the similarities:

In comps, the author usually readily acknowledges that they took such and such idea from such and such book. Usually, they’re a fan! Meanwhile, when someone steals an idea, they usually pretend it’s original. For example, Patrick Rothfuss regularly explains which ideas he took from which books while writing The Name of The Wind. He loves to give credit.

2- Comps twist the idea slightly

When a book is simply comparable to another, it generally adds a clever twist to the concept of the book. Take for example the Scholomancy books: They take the concept of a magical school, but make it so that the school itself is trying to kill the students! Similarly, صديقي الخيالي by Abdulrahman al Ilyani uses the concept of a magical teenage girl whose family mysteriously dies. However, he makes their death a result of the magic system, and adds a hidden mentor who advises the protagonist by speaking telepathically with her.

In conclusion, comps tend to respect the source material, analyze it, and use it to make an even stronger story while adding their own twist.

Visit our instagram account to see our new books, and find out titles which may be comparable to your favorites!

https://www.instagram.com/fantasy_majlis?igsi=eHQ5c2V3azdwdHF6