The 4 C's of Romance Novels
Get your mind out of the gutter! It's based on a marketing framework.
In a previous life, I was an adjunct marketing professor and boy, do I love a good framework.
My favorite is the 4 C’s of Marketing1, which I prefer to its more popular relative, the 4 P’s of Marketing2. They describe the “marketing mix,” which are the range of activities a company uses to “market” a product or service to a target audience.
One day, I will literally talk about these frameworks in the context of romance novel marketing, but today I’d like to propose, in riff form3:
The 4 C’s of Romance Novels: a framework to describe the core elements of a satisfying romance novel.
Eagle-eyed readers (iykyk) will discover marketing-isms sprinkled throughout.
The Romance Novel Mix: Elements of a satisfying romance novel
Four critical elements of a satisfying romance are4:
Character
Who is this story about and what’s in it for me as the reader to care about them? Why should the reader invest in this story?
Conflict
What is the cost of this relationship to the character(s)? What do they stand to lose if it fails, or fear they’ll lose if it succeeds?
Also: what is the return on investment, aka the value of the relationship to the character(s)?
Communication
How does the author communicate to the reader? Can they make me feel all the feelings with their prose, and transport me into the story and the perspective of the characters? Can they persuade me that this fantasy is reality, even though I know I’m reading fiction?
How do the characters communicate their feelings to each other? Show me how they feel: don’t just tell me.
Closeness
If I didn’t need to find a “C” word, I’d call this proximity, and the marketing C I was connecting to is “convenience,” but that sounds a bit…transactional.
Put the people in the same room together or at least in communication with each other, for the love of god.
The 5th C: Capitalism. I mean, Conclusion
Have you ever come up with a random framework just for fun, because everything is better when it’s in list form? (I want to call this an acronym, but is it really alliteration?)
What do you think? Would you find it useful to apply this framework in your everyday romance reading life?
Coming soon on Shelf Love Podcast, the Podcast
As mentioned in a footnote, Dame Jodie Slaughter is at my house RIGHT NOW, and I gave her my copy of Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas to read. We will record an episode about it soon because I need to revisit my complicated thoughts about this book.
Kleypas had the honor of being the focus of Shelf Love #1: 001. Lisa Kleypas Wallflowers Quartet with Amanda Diehl. When I listen to this now, I am instantly transported back into the extreme discomfort and cringe mountain of trying to figure out how to podcast. I know I’m really selling it: I don’t think the episode is objectively cringey, but I also know I’ve grown A LOT as a podcaster and my style has evolved.
Memories.
Speaking of memories: When I was a freshman in college, I actually wrote a 20 page research paper in which Dreaming of You was the primary text and I made the case for why romance novels are feminist (this is a rite of passage for people who want to think about romance novels).
In case you’re wondering, yes, I do still have the paper, and yes, I will share the cringiest parts from it and roast my own dang self.
Stay tuned!
The 4 C’s is more customer-centric, which is why I prefer it. The 4 C’s are:
Customer, Cost, Communication, Convenience
(No citation needed because I just pulled this from my brain.)
The 4 P’s is more product-centric: in other words, it starts from the perspective of the company’s needs, versus thinking about who wants it or needs it. The 4 P’s are:
Product, Price, Promotion, Place
Dame Jodie Slaughter is at my house RIGHT NOW and I asked her if it was weird if I just riffed a bit on a topic without overthinking it. She gave me her blessing. Check out the last time the Dame joined the podcast and she indulged me by reading about winged wolves and toxic masculinity: When Your Lover Rips Your Father’s Heart Out
Scientifically proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Don’t at me, bro.