You had me at hello. I’ll have what she’s having.
Whether it’s a movie, like Jerry Maguire and When Harry Met Sally, or a book, romantic comedies have a way of resonating with their audiences. We know from the very beginning that our two protagonists are eventually going to get together and have their happily-ever-after ending, but we want to see how it’s going to happen. We want to watch that unfold and go on that journey with the characters, with plenty of laughs along the way.
In addition to being a beloved genre, they’re also a lucrative one. According to Alex Newton, founder of the K-lytics book market data platform, romance is top genre sold on Amazon Kindle and has been for years, staying ahead of mystery, thriller and suspense, and science fiction and fantasy. The top 20 bestselling books in the romantic comedy genre all place in the top 100 titles sold in the Kindle store, which currently has more than seven million titles. That means romance is popular, but it is a very competitive market.
So what elements go into writing a memorable rom-com that readers will enjoy?
Alethea Spiridon, a senior editor at Entangled Publishing, says you need likable characters who are relatable in some way. But you also need a good solid plot that readers will find engaging, with great dialogue and witty banter to provide the comedy – but don’t overdo it. Instead of writing an over-the-top comic novel, think more about punctuating dialogue and scenes with bits of comedy that feel right for the story and setting.
Three ingredients for a successful rom-com plot
In his book, Billy Mernit
