The Self-Published Cook: How to Write, Publish and Sell Your Own Cookbook [Paperback]

Marilyn M. Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1995

The Self-Published Cook is a well-organized, easy-to-read, jam-packed little book full of wisdom about how to write a cookbook.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

When the International Association of Culinary Professionals issued their call for presentation proposals for the Annual Spring Conference in San Francisco, April, 1994, I decided to see if I could put together a panel on the subject of self-publishing cookbooks. I quickly Igathered six people eager to speak, and the presentation became a double-barreled workshop, with one panel covering the basics of self-publishing and another covering the marketing and promotion of a self-published Ccookbook. Everyone who came to the workshop gave it high marks for excellence. I have gone on to develop my own one-person workshop on self-publishing and promoting your own cookbook. This book began as a transcript of that workshop, but as I worked on it I kept adding things that I felt could not be left out. It has grown to the book offered here. It remains the best easy-to-use guide to writing your own cookbook available today.

From the Back Cover

There is a classic catch-22 in the cookbook publishing field. It is impossible for a cookbook author to get the ear of an editor without the aid of an agent, and it is difficult to get the attention of an agent unless the author has been previously published. In response to this dilemma, more and more cookbook authors are turning to self-publishing to present their books to the public. These authors need help, and until now the perfect book was not available to help them. To fill this gap, veteran cookbook author Marilyn Moore shares her self-publishing expertise in The Self-Published Cook, a complete manual of how to write, publish, and sell your own cookbook. The material is presented in short chapters with the text organized in highlighted paragraphs, making the material extremely easy to read and use.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Wooden Spoon Kitchen Inc; 1st edition (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0960378812
• ISBN-13: 978-0960378814
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #729,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A needed reprint!, September 24, 2000

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Self-Published Cook: How to Write, Publish and Sell Your Own Cookbook (Paperback)

If I had to choose two main books which discuss publishing a cookbook, this would be one of them. The Recipe Writer's Handbook by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann would be the second book. While these books will cover most of the details, you will also need about 10 reference books. I have reviewed most of them.

Barbara focuses on the technical details of writing the actual recipes, while Marilyn focuses on the publishing and marketing aspects. Writing AND publishing a cookbook could be compared to surviving Mr. Everest, but I think it can be done!

Marilyn explains how you should first decide who you are writing for. Then you can focus on your audience and provide what they want. She warns her readers of all the hard work, yet she also knows cooks would not take the time unless they believed it was a worthwhile project.

Throughout this book, Marilyn is right on target. The resource section is your door to the publishing world. You can choose which doors you want to open and how far you want to pursue your dream. The list of newspaper and magazine book review editors will make you wish your book was published and ready to ship out the door.

You truly won't find all this information anywhere else. There is a complete section on book design, list of publishers, copyright and ISBN information and even sources for obtaining a bar code. She also explains promotion, advertising, sending out review copies and filling orders. Her information goes way beyond simply writing the book. This takes you to the next level.

I also found it helpful to select a cookbook that you absolutely love! That way you have a reference for spellings and can back up your use of "chile" instead of "chilie." "The Best Recipe" by Christopher Kimball is an excellent choice. Any of the cookbooks I have reviewed are also the best resources I have found for the technical details of recipe writing. You will develop your own style and then your editor will have fun making you change everything! Keep your voice! Don't let anyone take that away from you.

Choose one of the most recent cookbooks and check current cooking magazines and food dictionaries for the best spellings and word usage. Don't rely on a spell checker on your computer. Most of the time it won't recognize words like Fleur de Sel or Tellicherry peppercorns.

So, think of writing a cookbook as a journey. It may take you a few years to complete your project. There are certain things you may never experience if you don't write your own book. It is magical, mind expanding, fun, and finally exhilarating when you realize it is almost ready to publish. Just keep on working and soon you will have a document that is ready to publish.

As Irena Chalmers once said: "The next best thing to publishing your own book, is to imply that you are just about to."

Print more or allow this book to be reprinted in a POD format at iuniverse or booksurge! This is an excellent resource!

~The Rebecca Review

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative and easy reading, May 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Vero Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Self-Published Cook: How to Write, Publish and Sell Your Own Cookbook (Paperback)

For a first time writer, I did not know that you could self-publish your work. This book showed me exactly what I have to do in order to write my cookbook and market it. I though it was extremely informative.