It's often advised, as part of a query letter to agents or publishers, to list a few contemporary books that you can liken your own to - mostly to show that you have researched the market and know that your own work will fit in. My problem is that I have no access to English bookshops or libraries (I live in France) and so I can't browse the shelves to keep an eye on what's out there. Can anyone recommend a way of doing this online? A sort of virtual bookshelf of current popular works, adults and children?
As a France-dweller myself, I know your difficulty, Susan - in fact, I gave up a course on indexing because I simply couldn't access the right sort of books readily. (French books don't use the index as we do, assuming they use one at all.)
Take a look at:
http://www.booktrust.org.uk/Books/Children
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/childrens-book-awards-kids-books/379003872
Thank you everyone - excellent advice as usual! Some publishers/agents seem to virtually ask for a dissertation on why your book is the next best thing - very daunting.
Dammit, I can't find the blog from an agent who talked about this very problem. (If I do, I'll post it up here.) On the one hand some agents think it's arrogant of a writer to compare themselves to bestsellers and on the other I've had agents ask me that precise question: who do you think your work is most likely to be compared favourably to? The answers above are good advice, but I'd say if the agent doesn't ask that question, don't advance an answer. Googling '[*insert here your type of book*] books' should give you days of computer-bound research to go with.