What’s the Recipe?
Everything I’ve read about successfully writing in today’s market strongly suggests having a detailed picture of the person you’re writing for. They say it’s imperative to laser-target your audience so you can pick the right genre for your book. I’ve tried to be a good scout and do what I’m told. I’ve sketched out my imaginary reader several times, down to her preference of shoe style and love of French fries. Surprisingly, she looks an awful lot like me. In a business where I’m supposed to cater to a specific audience, to reap maximum financial rewards, I’ve failed. Inevitably, I write for myself.
I classify my genre as romantic comedy because, in the true 90’s sense of the word, that’s what I write. My books are heavy on humor and light on the mattress mambo. Yet, when I go to Amazon and look up romcoms, the titles that rule the category sport covers with half-naked men and suggestive titles like Drumstick and Man Whore written across their low-riding jeans.
I’ve optimistically purchased a couple of these books hoping to discover humor, but that’s not what I find. There’s copious hardcore horizonal (vertical, bent over the couch, thrown up against a wall) hokey pokey, but little to no romance or humor. I don’t disparage these titles or authors who write them— but classifying their books as romantic comedy leaves me scratching my head.
This is a problem a lot of us are faced with, whether we’re traditionally published or self-published. If you’ve gone the traditional route, you need to be true to your genre, so your agent and subsequent publisher know how to sell you. They’re not too keen on genre-bending. If you’re independently published, you get the pleasure of figuring it out for yourself. In either case it can be a struggle.
To help us prepare the consumer for our book and to reach new readers, I’ve invented a helpful little tool I call, “What’s the Book Recipe?”
Let me give you an example. My most recent title, Relatively Normal, has spent a good amount of time at #1 in Comedy on Amazon. It hit #48 in the paid store, so I know it has an audience. Sadly, some of my new readers were expecting straight humor, with no romance, and others were expecting a lot of steamy goings-on. Here is the book’s recipe to help the reader know what kind of book they’re getting.
Recipe for Relatively Normal
40% Folksy small-town humor ala Fannie Flagg
30% Chicklit ala Helen Fielding
18 % Romantic ponderations
12% Innuendo with no actual body fluids exchanged
Tossed with a pinch of mild-language (a handful of hells and damns) and a healthy dose of optimism. Best enjoyed with a mocha or gin and tonic (2 limes) depending on the time of day and your refreshment preference.
*If this book were a 90’s romcom it would be: Sweet Home Alabama meets Hope Floats.
Sure, it’s subjective, but it’s a lot clearer than buying My Triplet Roommate Harem—classified as humor—and discovering it’s nothing of the sort.
I’m considering doing this with all my books, so there’s more accurate expectation. I can’t think of a better tool for those of us inclined to genre-bend, or those whose category is not accurately portrayed in book stores. What do you say? Are you in?
#WhatstheBookRecipe
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Dineen is a multi-award-winning author of romantic comedies, nonfiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Her latest offering, Relatively Normal, is taking critics by storm. Whitney and Bernadette are currently in negotiations over what’s next.
Find out more about her on her website https://whitneydineen.com/
RELATIVELY NORMAL
Successful New York City event planner, Catriona Masterton, has been on a mission to keep her new fiancé from meeting her family. This Thanksgiving, she’s flat out of luck when orderly and regimented Ethan Crenshaw declares he will meet the Masterton Clan.
It’s not that Cat’s ashamed of her eccentric family, but how does one explain a mother with a kitchen gadget fetish, a father whose best friends are taxidermied field mice, and a super stoner man-child brother who lives in the basement? That doesn’t even include the fiercely-proud Scottish grandmother with a proclivity for profanity.
Just when the visit couldn’t get much worse, Cat is thrown a large curve ball when her ex-boyfriend and his family show up for Thanksgiving dinner. She’s torn between the order and predictability Ethan and her life in New York City represent, while her family and the Midwest pull her in a different direction. Will Cat make it out of her hometown in one piece or is she willing to embrace the chaos? Mishaps, mayhem, and confusion ensue in this laugh-out-loud tale of familial pandemonium.
Early Praise for Relatively Normal
“Relatively Normal by Whitney Dineen is among the best chick lit novels that I have read so far. Not only did it give me a long hearty laugh on many occasions, but the story also comes together splendidly. The unpredictable turns of the plot are adeptly created to grip the attention of any reader. Paired with the humor, the book makes for a must-read for anyone with an appreciation of romantic comedies.” — 5/5 Stars, Readers Favorite
“Relatively Normal is a piss yourself, hold on to your belly, catch your breath, and spill your pint tale. This story is hilarious, off the wall, daft, and you can picture each and every event as its being unfolded in your mind’s eye. This was my first read by Whitney Dineen but will not be my last thinking we should be bancharaids.” — A.J. Book Remarks
“You’ll laugh, cry, and scream (in a good way), at the utter hilarious pandemonium this lovable family can cause. Meeting the Mastersons this Holiday season will make you laugh, cry, and swoon with happiness at the wild, outrageous parties this lovable, kooky Scottish clan can deliver. Bring on the haggis! Whitney Dineen does it again! 5 Humongous Stars!!!” — Ms. Birdlady Book Blog
“Dineen has a talent for spinning a tale that is both hilarious and heartwarming. I loved this book!” — Bestselling Author Becky Monson
“Whitney Dineen continues to delight and surprise with her latest collection of quirky characters in Relatively Normal. You’ll laugh, groan, and get all the feels along with heroine Cat when she spends the holidays with her wacky family and finds herself in the center of a very complicated and compelling love triangle. This book is a must-read for fans of Marian Keyes and Kristan Higgins.” — Tracie Banister, Author of Izzy As Is
“Relatively Normal is Whitney Dineen’s best book to date. It will have you laughing out loud one moment and swooning the next. Above all it will make you grateful for all the weirdos in your own life that make life worth living.” — Jennifer Peel, Author of The Sidelined Wife
“Whitney Dineen knocks it out the park with a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy full of family weirdness and personal revelations. I loved it!” — USA Today Bestselling Author Sheryl Babin
“I loved Relatively Normal so much! It’s rare a book makes me laugh out loud but this one did…. repeatedly! I will be adding it to the top of my list of favorites for 2018!” — Annabella Costa, Author of My Perfect Ex-Boyfriend
“I’ve reviewed a number of Dineen’s books, so I expected to have a grand time reading this offering. If anything, it exceeded my expectations. Relatively Normal is definitely not your normal story about in-laws and holidays!” — Jack Magnus, Readers’ Favorite, 5/5-Stars
“So many LOL moments! I loved reading about a family that may just may be zanier than my own! Don’t miss out on this feel-good funny by Whitney Dineen.” — Kathryn Biel, Author of Made for Me
Buy the Book Here
Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips
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