Writers Tricks of the Trade Volume 6 Issue 4 | Page 19

THE MAKING OF A BESTSELLER: ‘THE BOB’S BURGERS BURGER B OOK’ (CONT’D)

added the art. In other words they edited the recipes using the chefs’ feedback.
“Would Bob Belcher actually have a cookbook published?,” asked Pearlman.
“Maybe, and I’m still hoping a certain New York book editor of my approximate
height and wit makes it onto an episode, but we all felt that the book would carry
more weight and authenticity, if it came from Loren and Cole.”
Promotion for the book included a five-part video series with Delish.com. The
popularity was unmistakable—about 300,000 views each. There were also
interviews with America’s Test Kitchen and NPR. And, then there were the show’s
fans. Ah, the power of celebrity and solid connections!
“There are people making the burgers and sharing their experiences and that’s
incredibly gratifying,” said Bouchard. “Making a burger can be an almost primal,
creative thing. Getting involved with the fans in this way is great, because making
cartoons can be a primal, creative thing, too. We’re all getting our hands greasy
together.”
Well, you might not have the power of a hit TV show, but cross-promotion is
always interesting. Don’t overlook opportunities to branch out either by writing a
book based upon something else, or vice versa—spinning off a product or products
based upon your book.

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

PAGE
11

"With colorful
character
illustrations,
easy to follow
directions and
recipes like
'Bleu is the
Warmest Cheese
Burger,'
'BruschettaBout-It Burger'
and 'I Know Why
the Cajun
Burger Sings,'
[The Bob's
Burgers Burger
Book] is half
cookbook, half
memorabilia and
100 percent bad
dad joke."
-ANIMATION
MAGAZINE

JULY-AUGUST 2016