Confessions of an Aspiring Cookbook Author

I have a confession: I’m writing a cookbook. Doesn’t sound like it should be that much of a secret, right?

Well, the reason I haven’t mentioned it publicly yet is because once I announce it, then I HAVE to do it. So, there you have it – if you just read that sentence, then I took the plunge.

There are a few reasons that I decided to blog about the creation of my cookbook:

1)    If I promise it’s coming, then I have to finish it. I work best under pressure.
2)    Several friends (mostly chefs) wanted to hear about my self-publishing experience and I thought others might too.
3)    It may be a good way to get feedback from parents before printing it.
4)    And the most obvious answer: to start marketing it. But in reality, I’m just hoping to finish the dang thing. I’ll worry about selling it later.

This cookbook has been sitting inside of me for years. The parents of my young students were the ones that planted the seed. They loved the recipes the kids made in class and encouraged me to write a cookbook for parents. It sounded like a good idea. I mean, really, how hard could it be? (Ha.)

So, I did what most aspiring writers do in New York City. I signed up for a writing class. I was fortunate that I could take one at the JCC in Manhattan where I worked. I won’t get into the nitty gritty details but let’s just say that I was not a star student (okay, I sucked). And lest you think I’m just being modest – I have several classmates that will vouch for the sucking part. It’s been a long road from that first class to the launch of my blog – a long and very red-penned road. As you may have noticed, I still have trouble being concise….

I started working on a book proposal – I spent a LOT of time on it. When it was finally done, I showed it to a few agents and publishers who loved the concept but thought the niche was too small (i.e. “bugger off”). This was a couple of years ago before cooking with kids became trendy.

Someone suggested I self-publish it. I was aghast. Self-publish? No way. I wanted a legitimate publisher. But the more I started researching it, the more appealing it sounded. With the modern print-on-demand sites now available, I wouldn’t end up investing tons of money and getting stuck with stacks of unsold books. And I’d have total creative control (I admit it, I like being in charge) and it would be faster than the usual 18 months it usually takes. I spoke with other authors who agreed that self-publishing didn’t have the stigma it once had and that new authors have to self-promote and market their own books anyway.

You are probably wondering what the book is about by now! I’d like to keep the details under wraps for now. But I will tell you this: it’s a cookbook for parents and kids and it’s going to contain my most popular recipes that have gotten rave reviews over the years. Each recipe will have clear instructions and have been tested multiple times (which isn’t always the case for many cookbooks on the market now) using simple, healthy ingredients. All these years, I’ve been doing the “simple” thing and it’s nice to see that simple is now a “trend” (according to Janet Helm at nutritionunplugged.com – great blog.) I love cooking and teaching complicated, intricate recipes. But over the years, I’ve found that the most rewarding feedback I receive from students was that they still cook recipes from my classes – and they loved the easy, simple ones best.

So, this is first of many installments:  I purchased a self-publishing package at authorhouse.com after researching several different sites (which I will blog about later). And lately, I’ve been testing recipes and taking photos. And let me tell you, I have a lot of respect for food photographers now! It’s not easy but I’m really enjoying the creative aspect of cooking, creating, and photographing. This book is truly a labor of love.

Over the next few months, I will be sharing my experiences with you. My goal is to have it ON sale by the end of 2009. You heard it here first. I have to go now and start cookin’….