Space opera authors

[Jeivar]

I'm a struggling indie author (so... an indie author), and I've just released my first space opera novel. I'm going to try to run some Goodreads ads, but I need to target the readers of some notable authors for it to have any effect.

So... any suggestions? For the sake of comparisons my own novel is fast-paced, rich in action and backstory, has no aliens, is about a war of succession between space royalty, and has a general "high fantasy in space" feel, with mysticism coexisting with high-tech.

Thanks.

[Lethologica]

Comp novels, huh? Well, based on that description, you could hardly do better than Frank Herbert, but he might be too notable--how many people who only know Dune will take a flyer on a first-time indie novel? Ditto Asimov, albeit with somewhat less high fantasy and space royalty.

I'll throw some other names out, with varying degrees of fit: Vernor Vinge, Iain Banks, Lois McMaster Bujold, Alastair Reynolds, Dan Simmons, CJ Cherryh, Peter F. Hamilton.

[Sermil]

Ann Leckie (Ancillary Justice) seems like another possible choice.

Maybe Kevin J. Anderson, but I've only read descriptions, not his actual novels.

[Knaight]

Alan Dean Foster, John Scalzi, and Octavia Butler come to mind.

[Cheesegear]

Simon R. Green

[cobaltstarfire]

Anne McCaffrey, Margaret Ball, and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

I don't believe I've read anything by the latter two, but they each Collaborated with McCaffrey on the Acorna series of books.

According to Ball's wikipedia entry she writes Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Historical Fiction. Scarborough also has a bunch of Sci-Fi and Fantasy on her Stories/Novels lists.

I've only read McCaffrey's Pern and Acorna series, the two cover a pretty wide range of Sci-Fi, Pern is fairly low on the tech/fantasy level but crepes upwards as the folks on Pern learn of their history, with Acorna being on the higher end, with a bit more magic thrown in. I'd describe Acorna as a strange mix of Dune, Enders Game, with a bit of a YA Fantasy flare (Like Tamora Pierce, Patricia C. Wrede, or Mercedes Lackey).

Other's I would suggest have already been mentioned.

[Hopeless]

Linnea Sinclair?