Writers Tricks of the Trade Volume 6 Issue 4 | Page 18

THE MAKING OF A BESTSELLER: ‘THE BOB’S
BURGERS BURGER BOOK’
The fact that The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book debuted as a best seller when it hit
the shelves in March—#5 on the Publisher’s Weekly List—is a great example of
popularity in one form translating to another. That is right in line with what this
issue’s guest author Rekaya Gibson writes in her article “Book to Brand.”
Sometimes a fun idea and
an unexpected strong
partner result in
something like this
phenomenon.
Cole Bowden never
pictured a partnership
with Fox for his fun-filled
cookbook idea.
It was a fluke that Loren
Bouchard, learned about
Bowden’s blog.
The rest is history!

The book has more than 100,000 copies in print, and has sold more than 40,000
print units. That not only zipped past sales of the vast majority of tie-in cookbooks,
often viewed as gimmicky gifts for fans, but it topped cookbooks across the board.
Amazing, right?
The idea for the cookbook was presented to Fox, the animated show’s producer,
by Robb Pearlman, associate publisher at Rizzoli’s Universe. The Bob's Burgers Burger
Book: Real Recipes for Joke Burgers, written by the show’s writers and its creator,
Loren Bouchard, features recipes from Cole Bowden, who, in 2013, began a
blog where he crafted real burgers based on the punny “Burger of the Day” featured
in each episode (“If Looks Could Kale Burger,” “Poutine on the Ritz Burger”).
According to an article in Publishers Weekly, Pearlman said, “I’m no genius, but it
seemed like the right book for the right show.” Apparently the stars were in
alignment, because Bouchard had just learned about Bowden’s blog. Not only that,
but he confessed to secretly hoping the burgers of the day on the show had at least
some ring of reality—something that would sound edible to viewers.
Bouchard had tossed around the idea of a cookbook, but didn’t want it to be
another ill-conceived tie-in. He watched the blog, and when more and more recipes
were posted, the concept began to take shape. “He reasoned that it wouldn’t just be a
show touting itself. This cookbook would be the hard work of a talented fan.
When the blog was launched, Robb Pearlman didn’t have the objective of making
money with it, and he wasn’t trying to open a restaurant. The recipes he posted were
exuberant, wildly creative, and full of the kind of daring that goes into creating a
‘peanut butter and banana sandwich’ —which, by the way, is delicious.
It wasn’t a slam-dunk deal, though. Professional chef Aliza Miner, who worked at
A.O.C. and Canele in Los Angeles, and Paul O’Connell, head chef and owner of Chez
Henri in Cambridge, Mass., combed through the recipes and offered their feedback.
Bouchard said, “Neither of them are burger specialists per se, but they’re both
true, proven hot sandwich geniuses.” They approached the recipes in the book just
like Bob’s Burgers writers were used to add jokes to the descriptions, and their artists
added the art. In other words they edited the recipes using the chefs’ feedback.

JULY-AUGUST 2016

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WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE