The purpose of the competition analysis section of the book proposal is to compare your title with others that tackle a similar topic to your own.
From a publisher's viewpoint, this section gives them an idea of existing books that are likely to compete for the same reader.
If you are self-publishing, knowing who else has covered your interest can help you to differentiate yourself from other experts in the field. It bodes well on you to know what else is out there, especially if speaking, coaching or training is part of what you do.
For example, say if you’re doing a question and answer session and a fan asks you what you think about the latest thinking around self-leadership – you will be able to answer and show how your book offers something different.
It shows that you know your stuff.
But that doesn’t mean you must know everything!
Also, if there are lots of similar titles (which is likely!) this can be a good thing. It shows there is a constant demand for books on the topic. The more similar titles, the more competitive the market will be but at least this will force you to think carefully about how your book will plug the gap.
So, ask yourself, who else has written about this topic, and what do they say? What’s trending in this field? What’s being published right now (what recent books have you seen or read)? Do you know how well any of these books have sold?
Ultimately, the competition section highlights the other titles your book will be in conversation with and what you will say that's new, different, and/or complementarily. How will it add to or advance the conversation?
Here’s how to do it:
• List the top five books in your category (author, title, publisher, format, length, price, ISBN, year, territory).
• Summarise each book’s approach in comparison to your own.
• Show how and why your book is different.
That’s it!