Advice from the Experts - Part 2

In my last blog post I shared Internet and Social Media tips 1 and 2 from our experts Molly Hodgin and Adam Malone. Here are tips 3 and 4:

3. Target bloggers that fit the demographic for your product

• Offer a free copy of your book for review on the blog, and a free copy of your book the blogger can offer as a giveaway for extra publicity.
• Choose local bloggers whenever possible. Local bloggers can become local supporters and a good relationship can lead to future partnerships and publicity.
• Ask about ad space on their blogs as well as the chance for an entry promoting your book

4. Think Local

• Local Blogs, Local Newspaper’s Websites, Local Magazines and Online Magazines- consider online ads on these sites
• Offer free copies of your book to be reviewed by local food critics and bloggers
• Offer free copies of your book as giveaways in exchange for publicity or an article in the publication
• Local Online Events like Facebook parties for local businesses, clubs or live blogging and tweeting of local event. Offer chances for giveaways or special discount codes for folks who attend or tune-in.

These tips are not just theory--they come from individuals within the publishing world whose income is directly affected by their success. If it is good enough for the pros it's good enough for me to suggest you should follow their lead.

Advice from the Experts

In my last blog post, I shared tips for starting up a cookbook business. Since I began my career in 1975 many things have changed. Amazingly, more things have changed in the last three years than the previous thirty-four. A HUGE dynamic of this change is the advent of the Internet and social media as marketing and communication tools.

Here are a few stats and facts:

• There were 18.4 BILLION searches conducted in March in the United States
• Google makes up 66.4% of the search market in the United States
• Facebook has roughly 900 Million active members
• Top 5 most visited sites are Google, Facebook, You Tube, Yahoo and Baidu

It’s simple…customers are using the Internet to find what you have to sell so you need to be there!

During our recent Cookbook University we invited two dynamic individuals as guest speakers.  Molly Hodgin is Director of New Media for Thomas Nelson Publishing and she had some fabulous tips. Adam Malone owns his own web site development company and also shared some good insight into the social media phenomenon.

I am going to break their tips up into two two blog posts. Here is part one:

Tip 1. You must have a website

• Give your cookbook prime real estate on the front page
• Capture e-mail addresses of prospects and customers via registration of some sort
• Create traffic - ads and social media should lead customers back to your website - SEO (search engine optimization)
• Track what works

Tip 2. Be Savvy with Social Media - Focus on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

• DO create a fan page and Twitter handle for your cookbook.
• DO encourage your members to like the page, follow the Twitter feed, and post a link to the page and Twitter feed on their own time lines.
• DO assign someone from your organization to maintain the page and feed.
• DO post new content every day/every other day.
• DO encourage users to interact with your content.
• DO create a Pinterest account for your organization or cookbook
• DO assign multiple members of your organization to pin to your boards.
• DO follow all of the members of your organization and repin their content.
• DO track your re-pins and “likes” to see what your followers are responding to.

Watch for the next post where I'll share tips 3 and 4 from the experts.

Tips for a "Cookbook Start-Up"

When an individual or an organization decide to author a cookbook they are making a decision to launch a business. As with any new business there are guidelines to follow to ensure success.  Here are a few elements you need to think about when producing  a cookbook.

1.) A written business plan--who is your book going to target? What price will it be? In what formats will you offer the book? Where do you plan to sell it? What is your overriding goal in publishing this book?

These are just a few of the questions that must be answered before launching a book; otherwise there is no road map and you are likely to get lost along the way. During our Cookbook University we spend considerable time on the necessity for developing a business plan before you begin.

2.) Financing--almost all small businesses that fail do so because they were under capitalized. If your book is intended to operate for the first year on book sale revenue without anything else you will not make it.  Even though you can sell books year round there is no doubt that the fall months are the "biggies" when it comes to revenue generation. Plus, you have to utilize marketing dollars if you want the target market to know your book exists.

3.) Accounting--I have found in my business that the value of a good accountant and accounting system is of uppermost importance in knowing whether I  am making money or losing money. Do not launch a cookbook without this key position being filled. It doesn't matter if the accountant is a volunteer or a paid individual but it does matter that they know what they are doing.

4.)  Commitment--In my experience it always takes longer to get a project started and on track than expected. Without a strong commitment to the finish line you are likely to fail. No business can succeed without an extraordinary effort and commitment.

New E-Cookbook Titles Available

As of this post, Favorite Recipes Press has four of its titles in the works and soon to be available in an electronic version on Apple, Kobo, Amazon, Lulu and Nook. Among the  most recent is Lemongrass and Limes by author Naam Pruitt. This is an amazing Thai cookbook from a native of Thailand who now lives in the U.S. (St. Louis) and teaches cooking, writes a blog and is actively involved in the culinary community.



If you enjoy Thai food or would simply like to explore a new cuisine check this book on one of the E-stores. In addition to Naam's book Chef Tim Creehan's Simple Cuisine is out as well. This is Tim's 2nd cookbook and SOOO good. Tim grew up in Louisiana and you can tell from his recipes how his roots inspired his cooking.


Be on the lookout for news of additional titles to be released electronically in the coming weeks and months.

Good Leadership

One of my favorite blogs is published by the Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, Michael Hyatt. His blog postings have an overall theme of leadership. Last year, he wrote a post that shared 8  eight characteristics of abundance thinkers. From time to time if a piece of advice sticks with me I like to keep a note of it on my computer and re-read to make sure I am following the advice. 
As a leader of a cookbook committee, a marketing committee, your organization or your home, perhaps you will appreciate this philosophy that Mike shared.

• They believe there is always more where that came from.
• They are happy to share their knowledge, contacts, and compassion with others.
• They default to trust and build rapport easily.
• They welcome competition, believing it makes the pie bigger and them better.
• They ask themselves, "How can I give more than is expected?"
• They are optimistic about the future, believing the best is yet to come.
• They think big, embracing risk.
• They are thankful and confident.

Here's the link to the original post on Michael's blog.
What encounters have you experienced in your many roles where you could have used this advice?

Testimony to Community Cookbooks

Two wonderful media articles were recently shared with me regarding the ongoing popularity of community cookbooks.

The opening sentence of the first article, from Madison, WI, captures the essence of the article and subject itself - "If there’s a better way to remember vacations spent in faraway places than returning home with a cookbook featuring regional recipes, it is well beyond my imagination."

The article goes on to describe the writer's experience in discovering the three League community cookbooks from Panama City, FL, and her journey to a bookstore which markets them.

The second article is from Austin, Texas and is headlined by "Community cookbooks as historical relics: Detailing the past, present and where our community is headed".

We all understand that the world is changing and admit that how consumers purchase their books has changed drastically over the last two years; however, that does not mean that the genre has changed or is going away. In today's world the opportunities are still there, but we need to uncover how to take advantage of them.

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.