# Current market for comedy



## bdcharles (Mar 5, 2018)

Does anyone know what the current market is like for comedy writing? Specifically I am asking regarding a MS that is, I suppose, best described as a historical comedy memoir, and is pretty lewd, concerning a young member of the upper classes who gallivants about getting into all sorts of scrapes, usually (but not always) with women. Basically the sort of person that some modern readers might find hard to take, while others might giggle away in secret over. It is also, imo, very funny and beautifully-written. I am wondering, in the current moral climate (or whatever the term is) what the likelihood of publication is? I am, quite literally, asking for a friend, but the author is a little reticent about submitting it. Would that sit in a comedy market, do people think? It's the sort of thing that might appeal to fans of Blackadder, if Blackadder were shown after 9PM/on a sweary channel. Thoughts? 

if it helps, the author is female. I also know of several women who have read it and enjoyed it.


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## Bayview (Mar 5, 2018)

I recently read _A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue_ which sounds pretty similar to what you're describing. So, yes, there's a market for it, although the _Gentleman's Guide _did have a sort of action-plot overlaid on it.


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## Pete_C (Mar 5, 2018)

What's the current moral climate? I'm kind of immoral so often I don't get the bulletins about what's the offence of the day.

Every few years a collective of bleeding hearts swarm together and get all hysterical because the world isn't always nice and someone did something that offended them. Whilst some of things they're kicking back against need kicking back against, the reality is that much of what is considered offensive isn't. A world without lewdity and obscenity is a world not worth living in. A world without bad people is a world not worth living in. A world with tit and knob gags ... you get my drift.

If a lewd and crude tale is no longer acceptable, I better drop my WIP right now. However, I'm not concerned and neither should your friend (i.e. you in a dress, but there's nothing funny about that and it's your right to choose to be offended by my puerile mind) be concerned.

Comedy pretty much needs a victim, and the more that victim is hurt, the funnier it can be.


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## Ralph Rotten (Mar 5, 2018)

Considering that Robot Chicken has been renewed for another year, I'd say that crass & crude are still selling well. According to Donald O'Connor, making 'em laugh is the way to go. 
The real hindrance would more likely be the era/genre itself.  But after having found great amusement in Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, I could see you plausibly selling this work, assuming you write a solid-gold *treatment* to send around to publishers.


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## bdcharles (Mar 6, 2018)

Pete_C said:


> What's the current moral climate? I'm kind of immoral so often I don't get the bulletins about what's the offence of the day.



In this case, the protagonist is a wealthy aristocrat who gallivants about, umm, spending obscene amouts of money, getting absolutely napled on ludicrously expensive wine that he probably had carried in from France on the back of a dwarf, stopping for the occasional duel (with swords) and shagging just about anything that moves and some things that don't. I (and the author) just don't know if that is a popular archetype now, given things like sex scandals of the rich and famous and general one-percenterism. Personally, I love it. I love a sordid tale of some former Etonian rip-roaring about the place, stealing shit from the Royal Court when he's not "inappropriately touching" the Monarch, and generally smiting the lower orders. It's not "right", I know, but there it is. I too would be surely smote if I came upon this gentleman, for what it's worth. So: that, basically.



Bayview said:


> I recently read _A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue_ which sounds pretty similar to what you're describing. So, yes, there's a market for it, although the _Gentleman's Guide _did have a sort of action-plot overlaid on it.



I had a look at that. It's not so dissimilar. I mean, I think _GGVV _is more YA, whereas this is for adults. There's a jolly good whack of swearing and nudity in it, but there's a lot of humour too. The protagonist is the sort of rich young louche that you just love to hate to love. He's like a Lord Freddie Windsor for the Jacobean times, all bashed up on reviving salts before effing off on his tenth Grand Tour.



Ralph Rotten said:


> Considering that Robot Chicken has been renewed for another year, I'd say that crass & crude are still selling well. According to Donald O'Connor, making 'em laugh is the way to go.
> The real hindrance would more likely be the era/genre itself.  But after having found great amusement in Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, I could see you plausibly selling this work, assuming you write a solid-gold *treatment* to send around to publishers.



OK cool, thanks all


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