Thursday, August 26, 2010

A Great Product Without Great Service is Useless


Most of my writing has focused on specific cookbook titles, recipes and food. That being said, there is one other HUGE ingredient that every organization should focus on in successfully marketing and selling their cookbooks.

I have had 2 recent “run-ins” with companies where I was the customer and they ran me off. Where is customer service these days? Do companies not understand that they lose revenue when they make a customer mad over some bureaucratic policy?

Experience # 1.)

Last night my wife, youngest daughter and I pulled into Outback Steakhouse for a nice, casual family dinner. I dropped the girls off to get us checked in and drove off to look for a parking spot. The weather was stormy so I wanted to park close by. I circled the lot twice only to discover that the only single parking space (other than handicapped which I would never use) was in the “Take Out” area. I pulled in since there were NO other spots available. As I got up to the front door I was about to explain to the hostess what I had done and to suggest that I would come out in 10-15 minutes and look for another available spot—before I could even begin discussing another employee who had followed me around the building said I couldn’t park there. I explained twice my challenge and suggested solution only to be told I should park at the overflow lot in Rooms to Go 50 yards away. I told her I wasn’t eating at Rooms to Go but rather at Outback and needed a spot to park—she again told me I had to move. What did we do? We went to Logan’s and spent our $100.00 there.

Experience #2.)

Last week I had booked a non-refundable room at a Hampton Inn for 2 nights on a business trip. A new appointment came up that required me to be 3 hours away from that hotel. Logically, I needed to cancel 1 night in that hotel and re-book in another hotel (same chain) in the other city. After making multiple calls to both the hotel and my “diamond” membership service center, the hotel refused. Therefore, I had to reschedule my meeting, thus inconveniencing a prospective client. I will not be spending my usual $3,000--$5,000 in hotel stays with that company going forward.

The point I am making is that we often forget how important customer service is until we experience awful customer service. I encourage you to run your cookbook sales efforts with the customer in mind—put them first. Exceptions can always be made to any rule if legitimate circumstances exist to do so. I am not suggesting that you let someone fleece you, but keeping an open mind and treating others as you expect to be treated should be rule # 1.

Simply to illustrate that this is not just a theory, but what we have practiced since 1982 when we launched the current business model, I would like to share with you a note I received from our good friend and client, Holly Clegg. Unfortunately, when we printed Holly’s latest and greatest cookbook, Too Hot in the Kitchen, there was a small ink spot that should not have appeared on one of the pages—not a huge issue, but nevertheless one that should not have happened. Here is what Holly wrote to me regarding our handling of the situation.

“Dave,

I just wanted to tell you what an excellent and above average job everyone is doing in spite of all the problems. I am so impressed with Powell that he was so conscientious and didn’t let my book be not the best it could be with catching the printing error. Anne is almost a step ahead of me as she is on top of everything that I throw at her….and then extremely helpful and communicative…they have been a pleasure to deal with even under these circumstances. It is important to me as a long standing client that you are behind me with all this. Please know that Anne and Powell really rate in my books and represent FRP in a way you would want it to be recognized.

And, you know I wouldn’t even be there if it wasn’t for Sheila…so you know how much I adore and think of her! Now, here’s to a glass of champagne to celebrate!”
-Holly Clegg



Interestingly, in my meeting with the prospective client I mentioned in Experience # 2, I learned that I had been invited because we had received such excellent recommendations from other clients for quality service. Keep AAA Service as one of your top goals in any business dealings, and you will be rewarded.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A Church Community

When one thinks of the south, many different images come to mind—a slower pace of life, an enjoyment of simple things and good food. Having grown up and lived in the south all of my 60 years, I can attest to these great southern traits plus many more. One little known fact about the south is how strong church communities are.

This fact was recently showcased in Wetumpka, AL when The Church Ladies of Trinity Episcopal Church decided to publish a cookbook to raise money for renovations to the church sanctuary. Armed with a “can-do” attitude, pride for their church, and beloved, time-tested recipes this small Episcopal Church in a community of less than 10,000 have sold 5,300 copies of Shall We Gather, Recipes and Remembrances of a River Town.


This book is not your typical “church” cookbook of mimeographed pages and spiral binding. Shall we Gather is a 192-page, hardcover book with a beautiful interior design and offers a collection of traditional southern favorite recipes written for 21st century cooks. It contains remembrances of life, lore and legend along the Coosa River and features a foreword by the author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt.

This is one of those cookbooks that, as you read it, you feel the love from the contributors. With dishes such as She Crab Soup, Garlic Cheese Biscuits, Shrimp and Grits and Country Ham Sour Crème Biscuits, you know it is southern food at its best. You know the desserts are to die for because what southern meal is complete without a delicious dessert?

While this book raised a nice and tidy sum of money, it also touched lives in ways one would never think of—read Phyllis Kennedy’s story of their cookbook from Trinity Episcopal members’ perspectives:

The idea of a cookbook was conceived to keep us focused on building a new worship space when we were between rectors. The idea soon took on a life of its own and became a significant source of funding for the new church.

We now have a spectacular new church with beautiful furnishings, a refurbished pipe organ and stunning stained glass windows. We have cleared over $53,000 on our Shall We Gather cookbook and we’re still making sales!

As marvelous as those accomplishments are, they are the least of what Shall We Gather has meant to Trinity Episcopal Church, our community and especially to members of our committee.

The first and greatest gift may have been Virginia Waddle Lott who visited at Trinity about the time we started working on our cookbook. She was quickly recruited to work with the committee and became the “most valuable player” by inputting all our recipes into FRP software. Virginia died at UAB hospital in 2008 while awaiting a heart and lung transplant. She is lovingly remembered with a beautiful rose window over our altar.

Another loyal member of the committee was Carol Holland who lost her sight as an adult but retained all her spunk. Carol didn’t miss many meetings for fear she wouldn’t be on hand to defend her recipes and assure their inclusion in the book. One of Carol’s recipes included in the dessert section bears the caption “so easy a blind person can make it.

Carol died unexpectedly a few months after the cookbook was published. She is remembered in our new church building with a Trinity window on the front of the church.

Our finest accomplishment may be the two couples that came to be active members of our congregation by way of the cookbook. When we did our first “Gathering at the River Cookbook Fair and Tasting” they were impressed enough to come and visit. We take great pride in the Davis’ and the Sibley’s.

Other “side effects” have been the outstanding public relations that we’ve enjoyed as a result of our book. We have had numerous articles and pictures in our hometown paper, as well as articles in papers and magazines throughout Alabama, and several spots on local television. We’ve found that opportunities to sell Shall We Gather are also opportunities to talk about the unique beauty and history of our church and Wetumpka.

There were many times when a groan would go up when yet another cookbook meeting was announced, but our small band of volunteers became a wonderful and dedicated team. Now that we are on the downhill side of the project, Shall We Gather is a powerful bond and great source of pride for The Church Ladies of Trinity Episcopal Church!


Saturday, August 21, 2010

Great Idea for Busy Moms with Picky Eaters

Every day there seems to be a major article on childhood obesity and improper nutrition in children’s eating habits. A huge part of our culture involves “fast food”. Everyone is on the go to soccer, cub scouts, girl scouts, PTA, Little League baseball and softball, swimming, cheering, and on, and on, an on! Yes, it is tough to cram it all in.

However, eating healthy and nutritious meals is important. This is where the Meal Makeover Mom’s new cookbook No Whine with Dinner comes into play. You will love it.
Janice Newell Bissex and Liz Weiss are registered dietitians and the Meal Makeover Moms. As two of the nation’s top experts on family nutrition, they’re on a mission to help busy families eat better.



Their simple food philosophy is that kids – even picky ones — will eat nutritious food without complaint as long as it looks and tastes great. To do that, The Moms give family-favorite recipes a healthy makeover by “weaving in” fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy oils and more.
Their website provides a virtual smorgasbord of helpful tools including recipes, cooking & mealtime tips videos, a bi-monthly newsletter, 7-day meal planner, shopping list, along with their blog and the weekly radio podcast. Here's a sample recipe on a classic dinnertime favorite:

Mom's Makeover Meatloaf

Ingredients
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound lean ground beef (90% or higher)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons ketchup
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil or coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Mash the beans in a large bowl using the back of a large fork or spoon until smooth but still a bit chunky. Add the beef, eggs, carrot, bread crumbs, ground flaxseed, 1/4 cup ketchup, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste and mix until well combined.
3. Place the meat mixture in the middle of the baking dish. Shape into a 6×8-inch rectangle, about 1 1/2 inches high. Spread the 2 tablespoons of ketchup evenly on the top and sides.
4. Bake until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 160°F, 50 to 60 minutes. Let stand for a couple of minutes before serving.


Their second cookbook, No Whine with Dinner, is scheduled to be released in October.
Be sure to check this title out along with In the Kitchen with Kids to arm your kitchen with two “can’t miss” cookbooks that are both healthy and delicious-your kids will love you for it.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

More on Successful Community Cookbooks...

In the previous post regarding what makes a successful community cookbook, I talked about pricing the book properly (this is a bit trickier than it seems), differentiating the book from others in the area, and incorporating interesting content for the reader.

With so many high-end trade books on the market coupled with high end magazines (many of which do not have a sustainable business model), there is a tendency by community based groups to feel their books must contain full-color food photography and glitzy production values. The truth of the matter is that many of the best-selling community cookbooks today are simple 1 or 2 color books.

I am certainly not suggesting that beautiful food photography cannot enhance a community cookbook. However this is one area where price gets tricky because great food photography is expensive and requires more front-end work by the designer thus driving up the cost per book. One huge reason I harp on cost is because most community cookbooks are being sold to raise profits for a worthy cause. In order to get the books in the market, discounts are required. It is critical that book costs are lower than the deepest discount sales price. A great community cookbook is about value, rather than glitz.

It is also critical to understand that community cookbooks offer a great fund raising opportunity because the organization’s members must do some of the work that trade houses pay professionals to do. It has been said that a community cookbook has a better chance of success than a typical trade title because the marketing is done by people who CARE! I have a blog post coming out next week discussing the efforts by Trinity Episcopal Church in Wetumpka, AL who made $53,000 and are still raising more money through sales of their cookbook which demonstrates this point very well.

You must also remember that while you aren’t trying to be something you are not, consumers still expect a professional product—in a cookbook this means having a good index, consistently written recipes, copy free of errors combined in a quality manufactured book. I am not too hung up on which binding style to use other than to state it is important to pick a style where the spine can be printed with the book title on it. You should also have an ISBN number and a $ readable bar code on the back cover.

Developing quality content is critical but developing a marketing plan prior to printing is also critical. An organization that simply aims to create a great cookbook could end up with a huge inventory in their garage if they aren’t careful—a better goal is to create a great title and sell through 5 printings. It is critical that the marketing begin before the book is started, rather than after—for example, the marketing team should be involved in big decisions such as the price, front cover, title, theme, and book size. All of these ingredients are relative to the marketing plan.

I would like to close with the invitation to all readers to check out Cookbook University hosted by FRP, Inc. each spring. This two day seminar covers all aspects of self-publishing and is a great value for anyone involved with or considering publishing a cookbook.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

What does it take to publish a great community cookbook?

One of the most commonly asked questions I am often asked is “What does it take to make a successful community cookbook?” It is a very complex question. If the answer were simple, my job would be much easier. Over the years, I’ve found there are a few necessary key ingredients for a successful project.

Let’s start with the easy part of the equation. Just like any product one buys, there must be a good value associated with the purchase. For example, even for a good cause, many people are unlikely to “overpay” simply to support a charity. Even if they are OK doing so once as a donation, they are not going to purchase multiple copies. Therefore, it is important for some research to be initiated to determine a vision for the cookbook. This will include finding out what other community cookbooks exist in the area, what are their themes, which are popular, price points. Another good technique is to ask members of the organization what their favorite cookbooks are and WHY?

If there are well known community cookbooks in the area, it will be critical to make sure that you differentiate your title, as well as the book’s content, price and format.

When it comes to content my own personal opinion is that too many organizations try to out-do the trade publishing houses rather than concentrate on who they are. In other words, pretty pictures do not make a successful community cookbook—great recipes and great information about the recipes make a great community cookbook. While I love great food photography, I am much more interested in the recipes. As great a chef as Mario Batali is, I’ve never had success with his recipes. (This is probably due more to my lack of professional culinary skills) I’m certainly only interested in recipes I can follow with good results.

I also like to know who submitted the recipe—if someone is kind enough to sign their name to a recipe, I am reasonably certain that it has received compliments in the past and tastes good. I would also like to know how many servings it makes, any known history of the recipe, variation ideas, or serving suggestions and tips. To most of us, this extraneous information is almost as important as the recipe itself.

Another item consumers tell me they like in local cookbooks is information on the culture of the community through their food. How do they celebrate various holidays, events, etc.? Are there local products that are popular? What can be substituted for these local products if not available where I live? Are there any humorous stories associated with the recipes? What can you tell me about this dish, these ingredients, the preparation and cookbook process that will allow me to know you a little bit better?

Later this week I will talk about some other features that contribute to a great community cookbook.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A sneak peek...

This time of year is always exciting in our offices as the new fall titles will be rolling off the presses soon. As usual, we have an array of unique titles, formats and themes in the pipeline that are close to being sent off for the manufacturing phase.

Of course, in addition to new titles, we are constantly restocking inventory of titles that are either out of print or very low on inventory. A good example of this is Dip Into Something Different which will be going to press for the 4th time in either September or early October, as well as The Bells are Ringing--A Call to Table from Mission San Juan Capistrano which is in its 3rd printing.

Here's a "sneak preview" of what’s on tap for a few of our new titles to be released this fall.

Junior League of San Francisco: San Francisco Entertains celebrates 100 years of the San Francisco Junior League with glorious food from the Bay Area, gorgeous food photography, incomparable scenic photography, historical vignettes, wine pairings, food tips and much more. It is this year's must have book, whether you are remembering or hope to visit one of the world's greatest cities.

Junior League of Wilmington, North Carolina: The sequel to the highly successful Seaboard to Sideboard cookbook, Seaboard to Sideboard Entertains invites the reader to enjoy the beauty of the North Carolina coast throughout the year with great party invitations and ideas, menus, easy recipes, and entertaining tips for every month of the year.

Betty Sims, popular cooking teacher and unparalleled party giver,, is back by consumer demand with the third in her Scrumptious series, Southern Scrumptious Favorites. Betty's ability to take you successfully through the preparation of her delicious recipes, creative menus, and party ideas along with her entertaining stories and beautiful original art make the book a great read as well as an indispensible resource.

After 100 years of serving Galveston's best seafood to thousands, Gaido's is celebrating its centennial with a great new cookbook by Chef Casey Gaido, the 4th generation of the founding Gaido's. Secret recipes, a chef's way with care in preparation, and the delicious results along with beautiful food photography and years of restaurant "family" photographs and stories make this elegant cookbook one of this year's best.

Each of these titles will serve a different community and need. Whether building a brand, raising funds for a non-profit or simply creating a fun project for staff, team and volunteers, a community cookbook is one sure way to succeed.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Community Cookbooks and the Good People Behind Them

Since I started writing this blog even I have been astounded to realize what community cookbooks have meant to our nation. As I write these stories and discuss how much money these books raise and couple that with the historic preservation of the communities, I wonder why every community in the USA doesn’t have at least one local community cookbook.

Community cookbooks began during the Civil War when ladies groups from both sides began raising money to support their local armies through the efforts of collecting local recipes and publishing them. The tradition has carried on through such varied organizations as Junior Leagues, Junior Service Leagues, Church organizations, Historical Societies, Garden Clubs, and youth organizations such as 4-H and Girl Scouts. Money has been raised for museums, children’s hospitals, community gardens, preservation of historic buildings, and the list goes on and on.

Who in your community could stand to have an asset that creates an annual source of revenue for itself and generate pride in the food and people of your town, organization or community? What is holding you back from getting started on a project that will be fun and meaningful for years to come?

I was recently asked to endorse the autobiography of my good friend and founder of Habitat for Humanity, Millard Fuller, (we produced 6 books together for that community) who died suddenly last year. Millard was also co-founder of Favorite Recipes Press along with a gentleman named Morris Dees. Their earliest business success was in publishing community cookbooks—the tradition of these two great men continues today through the various imprints of FRP, Inc. In reading the manuscript for Millard’s autobiography, I learned of organizations who had successfully published cookbooks and some of the causes they championed that I never knew existed. There are so many wonderful people and stories surrounding community cookbooks.

Do you have a favorite community cookbook? I’d love to hear your story.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Calling all Fondue Lovers!

Never did I imagine when my oldest daughter began working for the Melting Pot Fondue Restaurant in Kendall, FL while enrolled at University of Miami that I would be hiring her to write non-recipe copy for a Melting Pot cookbook a few years later. With several clients in the area, I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about Tampa, FL. However, I was surprised to find out through one of my associates that Melting Pot Restaurant’s corporate offices are located Tampa.

Having found that news out, I quickly did a little homework and found that the VP of Brand Development was Kendra Sartor (now Shier—congratulations, Kendra). I called Kendra to introduce myself and she indicated that the company was currently talking about publishing a cookbook as their consumer base had requested it. I flew down to meet with her and quickly learned that her parents had lived in the same neighborhood as Robin and I for several years—what a small world.

The decision was made for them to publish the book on their own rather than work through a trade publisher and off we went. What a great decision that turned out to be for them (as well as us) because they got to control the look and feel of the book plus have made 10 times the profit than if they had trade published.
If you have ever eaten at a Melting Pot restaurant, you know the quality—with that in mind we felt that the quality of the cookbook had to be equal to or greater. Everyone who has purchased or seen the finished product will attest to its quality, down to the use of recycled paper and agri-inks. Consumers also love the coupons bound into the back of the book which, when redeemed, covers the cost of the book--Kendra knows how to market a brand!

The props were assembled and flown into Nashville along with the recipes and we held the photo shoot for the book in Mike Rutherford’s studio. The shoot itself took several days, and along the way we discovered that some of the recipes needed to be added to for volume—the Melting Pot Executive Chef Shane Schaibly quickly fixed those and Dip Into Something Different was finalized. The amazing thing about this book is not only how great the recipes are and how beautiful it is, but how popular it is. The first 15,000 copies sold out in only a few months and there have been 3 additional printings since and a 4th is scheduled for later this fall—the total number of books sold so far is approximately 35,000 copies!

Along the way Kendra Shier has become a good friend, and it is always good to catch up when I visit Tampa. Here is what Kendra had to say about the project.

Dave,

Wanted to just take a moment to share with your blog followers how incredible this process has been for our organization. When the COO of my company came to me with the dream of having a Melting Pot cookbook, I had NO idea how to proceed. FRP was such a Godsend…the beauty of this relationship is that after we decided to work together, your team guided me step by step through the process. I am amazed at how simple this process was and how much help your team offered. Having just received another royalty check, I can tell you also that this project exceeded our financial expectations as well. Aside from the business side of things, we have formed some lasting friendships and look so forward to our next project with FRP. I encourage anyone even considering this path to ensure their success by partnering with your team. It was the best retail decision we have ever made. Looking forward to the next project!

Fonduely,

Kendra Shier
Vice President of Branding
The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc.


If you want to try a fun meal or just a desert that gets all of your guests “into it” try Dip into Something Different. Here's one of my personal favorite recipes:

The Flaming Turtle

12 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1 tablespoon 151 rum
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

Combine the chocolate and cream in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Heat until the chocolate is melted, stirring constantly; or combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring every 30 to 45 seconds. Be careful not to let the chocolate burn. Pour into a warm fondue pot. Pour the caramel into the center of the chocolate mixture. Do not stir. Add the run to the pot and ignite carefully, using a long wooden match o lighter. Allow the flame to burn out and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with the pecans. Keep fondue warm over low heat.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

These Bells Are Ringing - The Community of the Mission San Juan Capistrano

When we think of a community we often think in geographic terms. For example, I was raised in the community of Mayfield, KY and now live in the community of Brentwood, TN. However, communities are much more diverse than this simplistic view—we are all members of a variety of communities. We exist in church communities, neighborhood communities, activity communities such as tennis, golf, dance, etc.

One community that Favorite Recipes Press was honored to work with over the past few years has been the community of the Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Many of us only know of Mission San Juan Capistrano through the story of the swallows. In reality, the 234 year old Mission was at one time an active Catholic Mission and a working farm. The Mission of San Juan Capistrano is considered the “birthplace” of Orange County, CA and is now known as the premiere historic and religious site and in the County.

The Mission is now a historic museum with permanent and traveling exhibits and award winning audio tour. Visitors flock there daily to see the beautiful 10-acre grounds of gardens, fountains and adobe preserved architecture. One of the keys to maintaining a museum of this magnitude is money to ensure the art, artifacts, structure and site are maintained beyond the public’s expectations. The Foundation which is responsible for the museum’s funding has a stated goal of having each guest feel awestruck when they visit the grounds, the gardens and the museum. A new source of income was established in 2007 when the Women’s Guild published The Bells are Ringing—A Call to Table. To date this cookbook has raised over $250,000 for the preservation of the Mission.

This beautiful 208-page hardcover cookbook is now in its 3rd printing and contains kitchen tested recipes contributed by long-time members of the San Juan Capistrano community. Popular local restaurants, including Cedar Creek Inn, El Adobe and Sarducci´s at the Depot contributed recipes as well. The book is filled with impressionist, early California artwork from the Irvine Museum, beautiful photographs, and sidebars that tell of history relevant to the Capistrano Mission, the Jewel of the Missions. The Bells are Ringing is a perfect souvenir for Mission visitors and a great gift item as well.

The Bells are Ringing-A Call to Tabl
e was named National 1st Place Winner of the 18th Annual Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards. To learn more about the Mission you can visit www.missionsjc.com.


TESTIMONIALS
Thanks so much! I LOVE this cookbook - the artwork and photography are lovely, and I’m already enjoying the recipes after having owned my own copy for just a week now. -D. Hutch

The Bells are Ringing cookbook is beautiful. I am enjoying the stories and photographs as much as the recipes - a perfect gift. - Noreen

Want a sample recipe? Here you go!


Artichoke Chicken Capistrano

2 (6-ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (28-ounce) can diced Italian-style tomatoes
1 pound sliced cremini or white mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the artichokes, reserving the artichokes and the marinade. Combine half the reserved marinade with the olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Coat the chicken with the flour and add to the skillet. Cook until brown on both sides. Remove to a baking dish.

Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano and wine to the skillet, stirring up any browned bits. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Pour over the chicken.

Bake for 30 minutes. Adjust the seasonings to taste and stir in the reserved artichokes. Bake for 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with spaghetti or fettuccine.

NOTE: Take care not to overcook the chicken. Because boneless chicken breasts vary in size, test them for doneness and adjust the baking time accordingly.

Serves 6 to 8