The agent’s answer
Here too the answer turns on the agent's own guidelines, though Donovan owns that he is more permissive than most. Because he has a background in film, he is happy to accept a movie comp such as a speculative thriller compared to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, since it establishes genre and niche aesthetic with little explanation and can be enticing. Still, he advises most writers to play safe and stick with books, ideally released within the last five years, since many agents prefer that. He allows that a popular series, like Heated Rivalry comped as either TV or literature, can be worth using if it gained enough traction or a devoted fanbase and genuinely fits, but again counsels leaning toward something recent and checking the agent's guidelines.