How to Make Your Own Cookbook in 5 Simple Steps

How to Make Your Own Cookbook in 5 Simple Steps How to Publish a Cookbook in 5 Easy Steps So you’ve been blogging about your favorite recipes? Maybe you have always loved cooking, and mentally amend the dishes you eat when you go to restaurants? Perhaps you’ve been racking up quite a following on Instagram with your â€Å"how to make† videos. If any of these describe you, there’s a good chance you’ve also thought that it might be time to step your love of food up a notch, and make your own cookbook. Tips for writing a cookbook: People always want to buy a cookbook, even when the market's down. Food and Drink is one of non-fiction’s hottest genres: as award-winning food stylist and editor Ashley Strickland Freeman says, â€Å"People will always want to buy a cookbook - even when the market is down. Everyone's got to eat and there is just something about holding and flipping through a beautiful cookbook to get you inspired.† As a result, it’s a crowded and highly competitive market - so you need to make sure that you really put your best whisk forward as you get ready to publish.So if you’ve been struck by culinary genius, or simply have an idea for a cookbook simmering away: preheat your oven, assemble your ingredients, and grab a pen. We’re here to help you get the ball of dough rolling by explaining the steps to make your own cookbook.Step 1: Nail down the what, why, and who of your cookbookStart your cookbook by connecting the dots between these three aspects: the type of cookbook, the reason you should write it, and who will read it. Once you’ve nailed down those basics, you should be able to complete this sentence:.So for instance: â€Å"Vegans will enjoy The Oh She Glows Cookbook, because it offers recipes that will help them develop their plant-based cooking skills.† Or: â€Å"Beginner cooks will enjoy Martha Stewart's Cooking School, because it offers a culinary masterclass for chefs-to-be who are just getting started in the kitchen.† Read on to find out how to start your cookbook by nailing down it's concept, goal, and audience. In other words, you need to know the what, why, and who of your cookbook. Now let’s get cooking!What kind of cookbook should you make?Just as a novel has a plot and belongs to a genre, cookbooks also need a story, a concept, an angle, a shtick - whatever you want to call it. So first and foremost, you need to establish the type of cookbook you want to write.Comprehensive Offers large varieties of recipes from beginner level to advanced, and is meant to act as an all-encompassing resource on the subject - such as Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything.50 Book Marketing Ideas Every Author Needs to Know Read post What about marketing?Perhaps the most challenging part of self-publishing is getting people to buy your books. Thankfully, there is a wealth of book marketing knowledge that authors can tap into when formulating their plan.One thing that indie cookbook authors should bear in mind is the fact that they will have a lot of opportunities for creating content. Unique recipes paired with professional-grade photography (which you can take from your book) should help you pitch guest posts to other sites - and keep subscribers to your mailing list engaged.If you’re still not quite sure which publishing path is for you, check out our quiz: Should You Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish? Tips on publishing a cookbook: show how your cookbook is different from what's already out there. Food made with love always tastes better. The above steps can help you translate this passion to the page, and get your recipes ready to share with the world of readers and cooks out there. If you’re looking for more information on making and publishing your own cookbook, enroll in our free, ten-day course: How to Turn Your Cookbook Idea into a Reality.Happy cooking and writing!Are you an aspiring or experienced cookbook writer? Share your thoughts in the comments below.