Wednesday, October 24, 2012

What Makes Your Cookbook Unique?

Recently, I was involved in a conversation with an individual who had published a cookbook, but her sales were stalled. When I asked a simple question about the uniqueness of her book it was evident she didn't have a ready answer. What is amazing is that it was as plain to her as to me. She quickly agreed that she should spend a bit of time analyzing her title and developing a "pitch" enabling her to verbalize what made her book unique and special.

If asked, "what is unique about the book or books you are marketing?", what would your answer be? If you don't have what is often referred to as an "elevator" pitch (one that can be given in 30 seconds), you should.

By the same token, if you are considering developing a cookbook or in the middle of publishing one, what features make your book special? If you can't think of any you need to re-think the project or go in another direction. Remember that in today's technology-driven world recipes are "a dime a dozen" on the Internet. You need a "hook" for your cookbook and a total package that is worth the investment the consumer is making.

Also, keep in mind that cookbooks continue to be one of the top gift items in the entire book world, so take advantage of creating a package that is appropriate to be given as a nice gift.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

What Makes a Great Cookbook?

While I focus a great deal on marketing in this blog one can never forget that great marketing will get you no further than how good your product is. The quality of the cookbook and the value proposition must be there or all the hype in the world won't produce success.

I am always interested to hear what people value in a cookbook. Recently, Kim McCallie shared some observations about cookbooks that I think are spot on. Click here to read the post on her blog, A Well Seasoned Life.

Do you agree with Kim? Why or why not? What makes or breaks a cookbook for you?

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Marketing 101 Action Step

Marketing anything in today's competitive marketplace is far different than in years past; and a cookbook is no different than any other product or service. Taking advantage of social media is tantamount as a significant aspect of one's marketing plan. One of the elements that make up a social media strategy is blogging.

In the most recent edition of Favorite Recipes Press e-newsletter, Table Talk, is a great article on how to get started as a blogger. If you are developing a new regional cookbook the time to start blogging is not after the book is released but rather as the book is developing. In fact, you will have more material than you know what to do with as you blog about the development process, the recipe testing, photo or image selection and non-recipe copy. No doubt there will be humorous stories to tell as well as more serious ones.

Even if you are marketing a book that has been in existence for some time you should still make use of developing followers via your blog. Take the first step and get started.  To help you I've included the article from Table Talk below.


BLOGGING…how to and when to…

Blogging started out as people simply journaling about their day-to-day experiences, thoughts, opinions, etc..etc…  It has evolved into the main online avenue through which “experts” in their fields are found, followed, and relied upon by the average person all the way up to the main editorial departments of major news publications, for information specific to their area of expertise.

Getting started with a blog is relatively simple – there are various systems you can use which have no costs involved. The most used is BLOGGER which is very user-friendly.  More importantly it is a part of the Google system and therefore has a built-in significant “find” within that search engine giant.

Building a blog template takes less than 30 minutes to put in place using their wizard. There are plenty of template styles, widgets and gadgets you can use to jazz up your overall blog look and layout.  It is up to you how much you want to customize your blog layout.

So, start simple and build on it.

First, as in all things Social Media, you have to determine WHO you want to connect with in regard to WHAT your interest or area of expertise is. Do some research at other blogs that you personally follow and see what people are talking about.

Try to blog once a day if you want to really be taken seriously in a professional or expertise environment. Some people only blog one or two times a week which is acceptable for a more relaxed personal style, but the blogger who only blogs when they have something significant to say about themselves won’t have much of a following.

Content Is King - a nice mix of original content, along with curated content with just a dash of promotional content will make for a more meaningful relationship with your community. Curated content is information you share form another “resource” you trust on any given subject. Add your own perspective to the curated content you are sharing, so you don’t just repeat the same information. Be sure to always give full credit on curated content.

Most people check their favorite blogs first thing in the morning and with a quick read through can determine an idea on what their own post for the day might be to pickup on any hot-topics-at-hand. That’s not to say you can’t put up posts that are entirely of your own original thought subject matter – just be sure it’s relative to the interest of your community followers. In fact, setting up scheduled posts that automatically roll out each day is a great way of daily posting when you have a very busy schedule on hand or go on vacation.

Be sure to comment on other blog postings – this will encourage them to do likewise on yours. When their followers see them post on another blog, this can cause them to check you out and potentially become regular followers of your blog too.

SHARE BUTTONS are a great way for people to quickly add your blog postings to their own social media areas. You can find information for the code needed to add share buttons to your template from any number of resources. When adding share buttons to your blog, it’s a good idea to add that line of code to the end of each post, not just on the blog home page. That way each post can easily be shared even if it’s not on the main home page where the most recent posting will sit. You want to make it as quick and easy as possible for people to pass along your postings…and don’t forget to post it to your own FACEBOOK and TWITTER accounts as well.

So, Blog Early and Blog Often on subjects which are near the heart of your community of followers for optimum results! 


What do you think? Can you envision the fun you can have with developing and writing a weekly or daily blog? I would love to follow your blogs so let me know when you get started. In addition, here are a few links to client links that you might enjoy reading.

Junior League of  Tampa
Junior League of  Tallahassee
Junior League of  Baton Rouge
Junior League of Charleston
Historical League
Meal Makeover Moms
Holly Clegg

Monday, October 1, 2012

Part 3. A Guest Opinion

The term "community" cookbook can be interpreted in a variety of ways. I asked one of our team members, Alison Nash, to tell me about her favorite community cookbook and what she liked about it. Alison is quite a "foodie" herself so I was not surprised at her choice.

Here's what she had to say:

"I admit I was first attracted to Salt to Honey for one main reason: the cover photography practically made me salivate. I’m a huge honey fan, and I figured any book that had it dripping all over the cover and in the title had to be a good one.

I am certainly not disappointed. I have tried quite a few recipes already, and I’ve been very pleased with them all. I love that they call for a lot of fresh ingredients and that everything isn’t poured out of a can. At the same time, none of the recipes are so complex that you wouldn’t want to try them.

he cookbook also does a great job of highlighting local specialties, such as Miller’s Honey, Beehive Cheese, and Morgan Valley Lamb, but doesn’t call for ingredients so specific to the area that I’m unable to make them here in Tennessee. Restaurant recipes often come across as much too difficult to attempt, but the restaurant recipes here make me want to invite some friends over and entertain! In Salt to Honey, mentions of specific brands and restaurants are often accompanied by interesting and informative non-recipe text about the local companies, restaurants, and traditions familiar to Salt Lake City that makes you want to visit the area, or at the very least read more about it.

The Junior League has done a fantastic job combining more traditional recipes (think Parker House Rolls, Chicken Potpie, and Peanut Butter Pie) with more trendy recipes that are sure to become new favorites and never go out of style—recipes like Curry Chicken Salad (a must try!), Tapenade Lamb Kabobs, and Apple Fontina Bites. And, as promised on the cover, there are plenty of recipes that utilize honey: flavored honey butters, Honey Walnut Chicken, and Honey Pecan Tart, just to name a few.

Salt to Honey has definitely earned a permanent spot in my kitchen, and I look forward to cooking from it for years to come."

So far we have discussed one "hot off the press" title, one 50-year-old title and one relatively new title. Each has centered around a different community and were produced for different reasons. I plan on featuring one or two other examples in the next few weeks but would like to know your thoughts.

If you picked out your favorite in this genre what would it be and why?