Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Lesson from Meat Loaf

When you read the headline of this post you are probably thinking how could I possibly learn anything from a food dish. But you see, I'm speaking of Meat Loaf, the singer. Please bear with me as there is a relevant point about marketing cookbooks in this blog.

Today most people under the age of 35 never buy a full album. It's not like the old days when we bought vinyl albums or even CDs. No, they go to iTunes and simply download songs. This is sad because some really great songs that don't get air play on the radio are never heard. Even more importantly, they never get written because the songwriters know that they are limited by this buying culture.

Recently I heard one of my favorite songs of all time by Meat Loaf, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." I didn't have this song on my iPod, so I decided to buy it. Instead of just downloading the song, which would have been easy, I bought "The Very Best of Meat Loaf" album. Now what is the lesson in this story?

Buying the complete album gave me the song I wanted, but also many other great songs that I hadn't even remembered—"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," "A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste," "Bat Out of Hell," and others.

The same thing is true of recipes. We can find any recipe we want on the internet, and they are usually free. However, when you buy a cookbook, even if it's just for one great recipe, you will likely find a dozen or more equally as good recipes to enjoy. For my money, the fun of reading the recipes in a cookbook is a value in itself. Do yourself a favor and pick up a cookbook with a tried-and-true favorite recipe in it. Now begin to skim through and see how many other deliciously sounding recipes you come across. Try one this week, and see if you don't keep going back to that book again and again.

Yes, one signature recipe is a bargain, but in my opinion the value is even greater because there are always other gems to be found if you just dig deep enough.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Real Books VS E-Books

In today's technological society we are witnessing change faster than the speed of light. One huge area of change has been brought about by the advances in e-readers. The Kindle, the Nook and the IPad are revolutionizing the way that avid readers enjoy their books.

Being in the community cookbook business I am often asked, "should I also sell my cookbook via e-reader devices?" The answer to this question is a bit trickier than it might seem. Sure there are now millions of e-readers out in the hands of consumers, but when you think about why people buy community cookbooks and how they use them, the proclivity for offering them in electronic format diminishes.

Personally, I am a messy cook. I would hate to think that I just splashed an expensive e-reader with olive oil or salt--not to mention flour, raw eggs or Worcestershire sauce. It's bad enough keeping my laptop keyboard free of dust and other normal atmospheric junk but to take it or a similar device into the kitchen is a scary thought.

In addition, most of us don't purchase a community cookbook simply to cook out of. We want the stories and the memories all together in a printed volume to recall our visit to a place and a culture where we enjoyed the people and their food. Somehow this just doesn't translate into electronic files.

The other obvious drawback for community cookbook publishers is the business end of the equation. Where will readers buy my electronic version? How will they find it? Will I make any money from the sale? The business end of this industry has a long way to go before any of us understand exactly how the model works.

Am I putting e-readers and their fans down? Absolutely not. Both my wife and one of my daughters enjoy their Kindles. I am planning on buying an IPad when the next generation comes out later this year. Most likely I will download trade biographies or non-fiction to my reader to use when traveling. That said, I never foresee using an IPad in the kitchen--for my money, a community cookbook should be the printed volume.

Of course my thoughts are exactly that, mine. However, read the attached article by Nichole Aksamit of The Omaha World-Herald and you will see that others agree.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Another Signature Recipe

In my last post I discussed how one great recipe in a book was usually worth the value of the price paid. After posting that piece, a sample copy of the latest printing of Saint Louis Days Saint Louis Nights was brought into my office. This book was first released in 1994 and is now in its 8th printing.

This book is another example of how a "Signature" recipe makes the purchase seem like a bargain. On page 43 is the recipe for "St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake". This recipe originated in the 1930's when a thrifty German baker added the wrong proportions of ingredients into his cake batter. The finished cake was a gooey but delicious mess that is now titled, "St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake". It is only found in St Louis and is well worth the price of the book.

In fact, it is so good that I think I will make one of these this weekend to enjoy during the football games.

Monday, January 17, 2011

It's True--One Great Recipe is Worth the Price of a Book

What a treat I had last week. I was in Tampa for a meeting with the Junior League of Tampa cookbook committee members and we were working on some promotional ideas for their upcoming 50th Anniversary of Gasparilla. Prior to the trip I suggested that since our meeting was starting at 11:00 a.m. we end with lunch. Lisl Unterholzner, who is my primary contact, suggested several spots we could go for lunch, but when she mentioned the Columbia Restaurant I said, "that's the one". As many times as I have been to Tampa I had never had occasion to visit the original Columbia Restaurant.

Four of us drove over and immediately began discussing the menu and the fact that the Columbia Restaurant had generously contributed several recipes to the League's latest cookbook, Capture the Coast. One of the contributed recipes was the "1905 Salad" which they prepare table side in a wooden bowl. WOW! It was terrific. On my way back to the hotel I decided to try it at home over the weekend.

Robin was making the grocery list on Sunday and we made sure to pick up a few of the ingredients we didn't have. I made the salad using similar techniques as I do with a Caesar--hand crushing the garlic and whisking by hand to emulsify the dressing. It turned out as good or better than the salad I had in Tampa.

As we were cleaning up the kitchen the thought passed through my mind that any price I had paid for Capture the Coast was worth it because this recipe will now be made many times a year and will become a tradition in our home. On top of this, we have now selected several other recipes from this book to try and the value proposition grows as we use this book more and more.

If you have a community cookbook don't underestimate the value of getting someone to try a signature dish that you know they will use over and over, as well as motivate them to try other recipes from your book.

Monday, January 10, 2011

New Publicity

One key feature we push to our Publishers each year is the ongoing need for media and publicity. If you remember the 4 P’s of marketing from college this will not be a surprise to you. You must have a good product at a good price and be available in easy-to-find places. But you must also have great promotion.

Here are a few quick questions to stimulate your planning for publicity.
  • Do you have an updated press kit?

  • Did you book receive any awards?

  • Do you have a current general press release?

  • Are there any special events or promotions that your book could tie in with that would merit a special press release?

  • Is your book celebrating a milestone anniversary? A birthday?

  • Have you funded a special community need with the proceeds of your book?

  • Are there TV or radio opportunities for your book?

  • What local magazines exist that you could partner with?

  • What are you doing with social media?

  • Do you have a Facebook page? A dedicated cookbook web site?
Publicity seldom just occurs out of nowhere—it is generated by a publicist or if you don’t have a publicist by someone on your team.

Do you have some creative publicity tips you could share with our readers?

Monday, January 3, 2011

A Fresh Start

The beginning of a New Year usually marks a new beginning for most of us. Resolutions are made that, if kept, will make our lives healthier, happier, wiser, more patient and the list goes on. Here's an idea that can be fun and increase your choice of foods on your everyday menu.

Try one new recipe each week from your community cookbook collection. To keep things fresh, choose a dish each week that you have never tried before and choose a different food category weekly, as well as a different cookbook. If you have fewer than 52 community cookbooks go through the ones you have before starting over OR simply add to your collection each week until you have accumulated the full 52 total books needed.

Just think about this idea - at the end of the year you will have developed seven to eight new food favorites in appetizers, soups, salads, side dishes, entrees, desserts, etc.. In addition, you will have become familiar with a local communities' traditions and food styles.

I will wager that this idea is a lot more fun than keeping some of your other resolutions. Enjoy!