Comparing Apples to Oranges: All Books Are Not Equal

Earlier today on Twitter, I brought up a common theme in publishing that I dislike tremendously: comparing a “bestselling” novel to another book with only minimal similarities.  This has been evidenced by the constant “For fans of the Twilight saga…” or “For fans of the Stieg Larsson trilogy…” blurbs I’ve seen all over book covers.

I’m not going to pretend that I don’t understand the author/publisher’s motives with these comparisons. Linking a bestseller to an unknown book/author can be quite the sales-generator. 

Conversely, what about that debut author, whose work has been compared to a bestselling author?  They have taken the time to write a novel that they feel is unique, novel, deserving of it’s own attention & fame. Once they are compared to a bestselling author, are they forever hidden under this fame?

So, what say you? What is your opinion of this frequent and unequal comparison of one book to another?  Do you think that, in the long run, it benefits the “unknown” author, or is it more of a hindrance to their success?

I’d love to get all viewpoints on this one: authors, publicists, readers, bloggers. If you have a book that has been unjustly compared to another, speak up!  Are you happy for the attention (and sales) or would you like to bask in your own glory? If you’ve read an “unknown” book compared to popular author, I want to hear from you as well!