A Key Ingredient for Successful Communtiy Cookbooks

I had an interesting meeting last week with a very bright young lady who was researching the potential of a community cookbook for her organization. I must say that I was impressed with her efforts. Her attitude was commendable because even though she had some pre-conceived opinions she was willing to discuss important topics and was asking the right questions.

Research is one action item I believe every organization thinking about devleoping a cookbook as a source of income or as a brand builder should certainly do. While the entire project can be a fun, exciting and profitable venture, it can also be a huge flop if not done properly. Of course, the same could be said of almost any business venture.

Amazingly, the individual I met with was a member of an organization that had produced two previous cookbooks and neither had been successful. Did that mean that group could not be successful? Absolutely not; however, it did suggest that they should take a different approach and their commitment level to staffing their committees should be stronger.

It is important for organizations to check out the "lay of the land" regarding other groups that might already have books in their community. What price points do local retailers suggest is the right price range for good volume? One mantra we at FRP express constantly is that a community cookbook must be treated like a business because publishing a book is a business. Anyone who has ever been in business knows that you have to have a good product at a good price that is easy for consumers to find. Putting forth a little work on the front end will pay big dividends on the back end.