Another Expert Says Amen!

On 7/17/12, I posted the last in a five-part series regarding Community Cookbook trends.  Earlier this week I read an article from a blogger I follow on Twitter which goes into great detail regarding the offers for publishers that are misleading. As general FYI, I am including the link to this post.

I must say that I was delighted to have my research confirmed by a third party with whom I have no connection except as a Twitter follower. Of course, my point remains that these companies are simply technology companies rather than publishing companies and that they deliver exactly what they promise. In the end that means the client pays a lot for very little.

Feel free to call or write with any feedback.

A Success Story

Every now and then it is nice to be reminded that if you follow the basics and work a plan diligently, good things do happen. This was recently validated by a letter sent into Roger Conner updating him on the success of a recent Favorite Recipes Press client.

Here is what Debbie Lestina Robinson had to say about her experience with her new book, You're Invited--Party Recipes for Every Season.

 Hi Roger, 

So far, I've sold 450 copies and I haven't even sent out a press release yet.  I will be mailing those on Monday.  I currently have 9 local retail accounts and counting.  On September 8-19, I will have a booth at the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa which has attendance of 330,000 people.  In November, I'm scheduled for a two day craft fair in Nevada, IA.  And, I just received an e-mail today from the Farm Progress Show in Boone, IA.  I originally contacted them in January about the show held this August and never got a response.  Today, they contacted me about a booth space.  I think I'm going to get a very good deal on that space but, we shall have to wait and see.  Lastly, in December, I'll be signing books for one of my local retail accounts at their holiday open house. 

I will send you a picture from by booth space at the fair to share with your staff. It is going to be so cool. They are letting me paint pink and orange stripes on the walls. We will be wearing pink and orange aprons embroidered with "You're Invited!" and my carpet squares are guess what---Pink and Orange! Tall white director's chairs for resting are embroidered with my website address and I have a 6 foot tall image of my cookbook on a pop-up display. This is definitely the fun part.

When I travel to Florida this winter, I target a whole new market. Plans include a cooking demonstration in our clubhouse for everyone in our condo association (104 units). Also, an event with the local bookstore for either a Super Bowl or Valentine demonstration are in the works. So many opportunities and only one of me---did they ever perfect cloning? 

All of the feedback I've received has been so positive. I've entered my book for numerous awards so, let's keep our fingers crossed. A special thanks to everyone at Favorite Recipes Press for taking my duck and turning it into a swan. The book is absolutely beautiful thanks to your staff of publishing experts.

Stay in touch!
Debbie Lestina Robinson

As the title would suggest, Debbie's book is a collection of recipes, party ideas, invitations and effortless entertaining tips for each season of the year. (Check out her website, here.) Her bright pink and orange motif is very distinctive and puts the reader in a party mood. She has a plan and is following the plan to the letter. Best of all she is selling books.

Keeping Up with Today's Trends

It's not great revelation to anyone that the book industry has changed drastically over a very short time period. Publishers are now forced to offer their titles in both printed and electronic formats. Print runs for new books tend to be lower making the cost per book rise. Print on Demand is also a consideration and will possibly become a more integral part of book publishing as technology improves and costs come down.

For these reasons and others, companies that offer support services to self-publishers must adapt. At my company we are aggressively developing publishing programs for cookbook authors that offer lower prices on smaller print runs and flexibility on how we handle the development costs for our Publishers. We are also looking to expand some partnerships in logistical areas which offer the promise of greater distribution numbers in an effort  to get books out of the warehouse and into the hands of consumers.

Nothing ever stays the same but it is really fun staying ahead of the curve. We are adding strategies and publishing solutions for great regional cookbooks that provide a great value proposition for our Publishers. It is our goal to remain the industry leader in the custom publishing by offering the very best value proposition for our clients.

Don't be afraid to challenge your publishing partners by exploring all aspects of a publishing venture before signing a contract. If your vendors are stuck in the past I assure you there are options for companies that have been keeping up with the times.

The Future of Regional Cookbooks - Part 5

I was recently made aware of a self-publishing business model that at first glance seemed very enticing. The concept was to pay a fixed dollar amount ($5,000 and above) for different levels of marketing support to a company. (I will let you research the names, but there are plenty out there.) The company then formats your book and makes it available for purchase online through their store and pays you a royalty for each book sold. Pretty interesting, I thought.

In trying to understand the concept I did some research by actually calling a few of the companies and getting all of their information. In addition, I developed a list of books that they were selling in their store and called or wrote to some of the authors to inquire how satisfied they were. I was very surprised that most told me they were so dissatisfied that they didn't want to even discuss it. This made me really curious, so I dug into the offerings a bit further.

The premise is built on accumulated sales to a "community" of potential buyers provided by the author at ridiculous price points. For example, a typical 64 page softcover or e-book cookbook was priced at $24.95. Realizing that I have been in this business for 30 years and have had many conversations with clients about the retail value of their books, I was shocked. While the value proposition does not require huge sums of investment dollars most authors get $0 return.

I realize that our own offering (as well as other good competitors I know and respect) requires a significantly greater investment and an element of risk, but it comes with a proven track record of authors actually making money and earning profits through their hard work. Through my career I have gone out of my way to speak highly of reputable competitors as it always sounds like sour grapes if one "knocks" the competition. However in this case, I have to say that these are not cookbook publishing companies-they are technology companies that take your money and give you very little in return.

There are so many success stories in the self-publishing world but in each case there is a great book that was produced. Having a technology company run a spell check is not editing. There are many benefits of a well executed self-publishing strategy including having a quality finished book and making a profit but one should be ready to invest time and money to reap the rewards. Taking the least expensive route, is in my opinion, simply inviting failure.

The Future of Regional Cookbooks Part 4.

Free content--WOW! This is one of the biggest hurdles for a regional cookbook to overcome. The good news is that with the proper planning in place a new title can be successful in spite of this obstacle .
Let me explain.

Many years ago popular regional cookbooks were simply a collection of regional recipes. As time went on the demand for more than just recipes in cookbooks grew. Photographs, historical information about the recipe, cooking tips and shortcuts all became popular and necessary for success. Today a successful regional cookbook must be well themed, have GREAT and unique recipes as well as beautiful photographs or illustrations.

There is no way to turn the clock back on the availability of free content. Today's cookbook author has to develop content that readers will be willing to pay for in either a print edition or electronic edition. The collection of content must be put together in a package that is entertaining and fun as well as one that works. Junior Leagues were really brilliant by insisting that their recipes be triple tested. They developed a reputation for offering community cookbooks that worked. This feature is even more important today.

If you are developing a new cookbook, do some research. Is your idea unique? What makes it so? If it isn't what can you do to adjust? Who is your target audience and how will you get to them? Planning and great execution is the key. Cookbooks are still one of the most popular gift ideas around. Gift giving isn't going away anytime soon, so you have an opportunity to sell thousands of copies of your cookbook if you will simply take a little time to develop a unique cookbook that works.

It's All About the Marketing

WARNING: This post might sound like a broken record playing the same lyrics over and over.

Recently, I subscribed to a Publishing Online Discussion Group and have been amazed at the number of authors testifying to the fact that if they don't market their book themselves there are no sales. Amazingly, most novice authors think that if they write a good book and a publishing company picks it up and decides to launch it the author's work is done. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Over and over the same refrain comes through. So, why am I going on about this issue? I am stressing it because custom publishing offers the greatest opportunity for success for most authors or organizations. If you are going to publish yourself it is imperative that you understand all that is involved with the marketing of your book and not just focus on the content.  One publisher that is involved with the discussion group mentioned that if someone has already successfully published on their own and sold 12,000 copies, he is much more likely to try and sign that author to a publishing deal.

Throughout my career I have stressed building the marketing plan while you are building the book. I believe this philosophy is the reason that our clients have had such huge successes.

If you have ideas to share on this subject or questions I would love to hear from you.

Rejuvenation

Easter is a season of renewal and rejuvenation--everything begins anew. How about taking some time to update and spruce up your cookbook marketing endeavors? Many of you Junior Leagues will be changing over to new committee chairs soon -has the successor been thoroughly trained? Is she coming to Cookbook University? Have you taken her through a session on what you would do differently if you had your term to do over?

How about those of you who are individual publishers? When was the last time you gave serious attention to your overall marketing plans? What marketing activities are not getting results and should be deleted in favor of new endeavors? Sometimes we fall into the trap of doing things over and over and expecting different results. It doesn't work.  How about considering a renewal of energy and ideas by attending Cookbook University in May?

A successful marketing plan is constantly ongoing and changing. Invest some time now to lay out your plan for the rest of the year but always be open to new ideas along the way.

The Changing World of Book Sales

In a simpler time a self-published author or group could approach local book and gift stores with pretty good assurance the store manager would buy the books to resell. The problem with that model today is that few local bookstores exist and the large chain stores require a distributor to buy from. Plus, the chain bookstores are in jeopardy of going by the wayside.

Does this mean success cannot be achieved for the self-publisher? Absolutely not! In fact, a savvy and energetic effort can result in more profits and greater sales than ever before. While there is no magic formula for success there are a few key components necessary for success.

Obviously a GREAT book product is a given in the equation. And while placement in the chain stores is desired there are many opportunities to sell direct through social media marketing. FRP's Cookbook University will devote considerable time to sharing the tools necessary for utilizing the social media phenomenon.

FRP Cookbook University is being held on May 19 and 20, 2011 in Nashville, TN. For more information, visit our website.