Whether you’re a home cook documenting your family’s recipes, or you want to help your church collect recipes from the congregation, or you want to create a book to help a non-profit, or you are a restaurant owner who wants to showcase your establishment’s dishes, this seminar will help you learn what makes a good cookbook and how to write one. We will focus on all components of a cookbook writing including: how to collect recipes, how to develop your own recipes, how to write engaging stories about the recipes, how to compile the book and last but not the least how to sell your book!
The workshop will cover:
- The vast world of cookbooks: Understanding the different types of cookbooks: restaurant cookbooks, single-ingredient books, fund-raising cookbooks and personal cookbooks, among others. We will dissect, with examples, the main components of a good cookbook: recipes, stories and history, tips and technique sections.
- The nuts and bolts: We will focus on the art of writing recipes including how to create/gather recipes, writing and testing recipes and why recipe head-notes can make or break a recipe. In addition we will discuss food photography – how to find a photographer, how to take your own photos, understand how and where to find paid and/or free stock photography.
- How to publish your cookbook: This section will focus on understanding how to publish your cookbook. We will focus on the pros and cons of self-publishing versus traditional publishing. We will also discuss how to find cookbook agents, write cookbook proposals and gain an understand of how cookbook editors work (and why all of us need them!)