How To Write a Cookbook and Get It Published

By BookBaby author Philip Kinsher
You love cooking and you love writing — so the next step seems obvious, right? But … how do you get your first cookbook or recipe book from a state of initial culinary inspiration to being a published resource for the kitchen? Read on for tips on making your dream a delicious reality and learn how self-publishing with BookBaby can help get you there.

Table of Contents:
• Develop your cookbook concept
• Learn about popular cookbook themes
• Determine the number of recipes to feature
• Outlining and structuring your cookbook
• Food photos and illustrations
• Getting feedback from test readers
• Choosing the right publisher


Develop your cookbook concept
When coming up with the idea for your first cookbook, it’s important to think beyond “here are a bunch of things I like cooking!” Your cookbook theme can be almost anything, as long as it ties your cookbook together and feels cohesive.
Are you a particular fan of basil, oregano, or cayenne pepper? Perhaps your cookbook could be centered around the many amazing ways you can use a single ingredient.
Are you fascinated by the food of a certain culture or geographic area? Go deep into that theme so that like-minded chefs can learn from your examples.
Or, what if you want to create the perfect celebratory meal for Lunar New Year and do copious amounts of research and experimentation to build your expertise? A great cookbook can be written around preparing special meals for special occasions.
Do you or your family members have dietary restrictions — whether they’re for general health, specific medical conditions, ethical concerns, or something else? If you find yourself cooking for a specific diet, chances are you’re far from the only one, so put your wisdom into written words and share what you know in recipe development.
Again, the sky’s the limit when it comes to picking a compelling cookbook concept. Just make sure it’s one that excites you as the writer, has the potential to draw readers in and hold their attention, and helps your recipes tell a story from first page to last.
Learn about popular cookbook themes
Countless types of cookbooks have been written on a huge range of cuisines, ingredients, and techniques — but not all have led to renown or commercial success. According to Food & Wine, here are a few samples from their “ 35 Best Cookbooks of All Time, According to Chefs ” article. You can look at inspiration and see what’s been proven to work:

“Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child — French cuisine is world-famous, and for good reason. If you have something new to add regarding the country’s delicious food culture, your audience is waiting for you.
“The Italian Baker” by Carol Field — Just as per the above, Italian breads are highly celebrated and lovely to eat. Readers have a track record of eating up books that help them cook like Italian master bakers.
“The River Cottage Meat Book” by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall — Beef, pork, fowl, and more — people love meat, and there are countless readers who want to know how to prepare it even better.

Determine the number of recipes to feature
There’s no exact science to this, but here are a few ballpark guidelines to get you started:

Jericho Writers states: “The standard expectation is that a cookbook should have between 70 and 100 recipes, but larger compendiums have at least 200. Think carefully about how many you want to include. You might want to save some for cookbook number two!”
Restaurant Informer says that on average, “a typical cookbook will have around 150 recipes, but that varies as well, from small cookbooks with just 15 recipes to more than 300.”
Family Cookbook Project references cookbooks with recipe numbers ranging from 15 to a rare and whopping 1,200, with 150 being a comfortable average.

Which number works best for you? Try brainstorming an initial list of recipes you want to include, start writing, and don’t be afraid to add or subtract as you go. The right number is the one that makes your cookbook feel substantial, informative, accessible, and not overwhelming.
Outlining and structuring your cookbook
As with any sort of how-to book, organization and structure are key when it comes to educating and inspiring your readers. Make sure that your cookbook outline supports the following goals:

Clarity — You could have the best recipes in the world, but if your book’s structure is confusing or hard to follow, you’ll lose readers before they pick up their first frying pan.
Variety — Even if you have a highly focused theme, make sure that your recipes have a nice variety within that concept.
Storytelling Logic and Creative Arc — You want your readers to feel like they’ve been on a culinary journey with you, and that it’s a journey they will want to revisit, in part or in whole, time and time again. Thinking about your book structure in such terms can help you create a resource that readers will want to hold on to and reference for years.

Food photos and illustrations
Visuals play a huge part in helping your cookbook resonate with readers far and wide. After all, there’s nothing like a lovely photograph, drawing, or illustration of mouth-watering food to grab your reader’s attention and make them say, “I want to learn how to make that, too.”
If you’re going to take the photography route, try to make sure that the food speaks for itself. Don’t go down the rabbit hole of fancy camera techniques or editing tricks that distract from the beauty of the dish you’re writing about, and the process of creating it. Food photography focuses on clear and sharp images with strong, professional-looking lighting, so readers can really get a vibe on the textures and colors involved.
Also, think about the setting — if you’re talking about sushi dinners that can be crafted at home, perhaps your photos should be in a classy dinner-party setting with chopsticks and sake bottles placed nearby. If you’re teaching readers to cook the perfect frittata, a sunny breakfast table with orange juice and muffins could be the setting you’re looking for.
If you’re drawing, illustrating, or photographing various cooking steps, make sure that there’s a strong correlation between what the text says and what’s happening in the picture. The last thing you want to do is create confusion by having the connection between words and pictures be unclear. Also, make sure that your images are properly framed so it’s clear to readers what’s happening in the picture, so they can copy your steps exactly.
Whatever route you take, remember that visual elements are important, but they’re not the whole story. Make sure that every picture you include enhances your culinary storytelling and doesn’t distract from it.
Getting feedback from test readers
Perhaps more so than other types of books, it’s a great idea to have your cookbook manuscript read by trusted third parties before you call it done. Here are a few reasons:

Readability — You want to make sure your cookbook is engaging, clearly structured, and easy to digest (no pun intended).
Accessibility — By having outside readers review your draft, you can hit the sweet spot here. Even if your recipes are intricate, you want your cookbook to provide your target audience with a smooth on-ramp, so they feel empowered rather than intimidated.
Interest and uniqueness — Test readers can help you figure out whether your cookbook is intriguing enough to hold their interest and become a vital kitchen resource. They can also help you figure out whether your cookbook is actually sharing new knowledge, ideas, or perspectives — instead of just rehashing what’s been done before.
Ease or difficulty of the recipes themselves — The biggest key here is to make sure that you’re crystal clear about how difficult or simple your recipes are. Don’t claim that you’re giving people ten-minute healthy recipes when it actually takes the average person half an hour and pounds of butter are included. Similarly, don’t sell your recipes as authentic, labor-intensive traditional Greek recipes when you have shortcuts and substitutions left and right. Outside readers can help you make sure your recipes are what you say they are, and that your book does what you need it to do.

Choosing the right publisher
Your concept is solid, your recipes are written, and your images are refined. But now that you have a finished manuscript, how do you share it with the world? Knowing how to publish a cookbook and what options are available is critical to your book’s success. Whether you plan on working with a traditional publishing house or publishing on your own cookbook , getting the right publishing assistance for your project can help you make the world a tastier place.
If you’re set on working with a traditional publisher, here are a few tips to help you target the right one to work with:

Reach out to cookbook authors you respect and ask who they think the best publishers for your work might be.
See who publishes cookbooks and recipe books that have similar themes, recipes, and overall vibes as the one you’ve crafted.
Look for cookbook publishers who have a proven ability to reach your audience of choice — whether that’s students looking for super-cheap recipes, people trying to lose weight, aspiring gourmet pastry chefs, or anything else.

Pitching your cookbook proposal to a literary agent can be challenging, especially when you’re writing to one that may not align with your goals and interests. If you’re an aspiring cookbook author who’s ready to take the leap, then you should consider self-publishing your cookbook.
Self-publishing through BookBaby will serve you just as well, if not better, than going through a traditional publisher. Self-publishing provides a number of key benefits:

100% control over the words, images, graphic design, and every other creative aspect of your book
Much higher profit margins on every sale you make through BookBaby Bookshop
The freedom to market, license, distribute, adapt, or do literally anything else with your cookbook material that you want to do

To answer the question, “ Is self-publishing worth it? ” we certainly believe so. Maintain your creative autonomy and rely on our experts to help distribute and market your cookbook. We have all of the resources on cookbook publishing to make your next work a success.
This BookBaby blog article How To Write a Cookbook and Get It Published appeared first on and was stolen from BookBaby Blog .