While many people grew up in homes where traditional family recipes were passed down from generation to generation, recipes for cook book publishing should be new and exciting. A cook book publisher will look for recipes that have not been seen before. You can also attract the attention of cooking book publishers by compiling themed recipes.

Whatever type of cook book you choose to write, making the most of cook book publishers entails knowing something about the publishing business. Here are some things to consider before you present your manuscript to a publisher:

1. The type of cook book printing you want

2. What specific types of recipes the publisher is looking for.

3. How much time you have to work with a publisher.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn how to publish a cook book

Before you even get started with your cookbook, it's a good idea to get a feel of how the cook book industry works. To find the right angle for your book, one that's new and exciting, you should know exactly what the cookbook publishers are looking for.

I recommend: The Cook's Palate has a great guide for those who want to learn the basics and put a book together for small publishing circles or on demand publishing. Gourmania offers step-by-step instructions on what should be included in your manuscript if you want a publisher to take a serious look.

Consider what publishers want when writing a custom recipe books

Before providing a manuscript to a publisher, make sure you know what any particular publisher is looking for. There are many things that all publishers look for, including correct grammar and recipes that flow well together. But publishers are all different, so there may be other issues to consider.

I recommend: If you want to bring something new to the table, consider recipes that are web-friendly, as discussed in an article from Publisher's Weekly. If you need help preparing your manuscript you can turn to a consultant like Robin Robertson, who can help streamline and edit your work.

Find a cookbook publisher that might be interested in your book

While every publishing market had their niche, finding a cookbook publisher is usually easy. Many cookbook publishers consider all types of cookbooks. And since most publishers that specialize in this type of media are smaller than major publishing houses, they are more likely to notice your work.

I recommend: Great American Publishers is a small press that specializes in publishing and printing high quality cookbooks. Adams Media is a publisher that specializes in many types of publishing, including cook books.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Proofreading is an essential process before submitting to any cooking book publisher. Most publishers will not consider cook book manuscripts with any typos or other grammatical errors.

Custom recipe books are a distinctive way of sending customers home with your brand name. Through well-written recipes and handsomely photographed food, having a handle on cook book printing can keep your products in the customer's mind and at their fingertips.

From high-end hotel chains to local eateries or even food supply chains, a surprising number of businesses have distinctive connections to food. Publishing a custom cook book is a way of distinguishing your dishes, giving customers a chance to use your product, or simply sending customers home with a mouth-watering reminder of their last meal at your table. You have a variety of options for finding a recipe book publisher, including the following:

1. Self-publish your cooking book.

2. Deal with one of the smaller cookbook publishing companies.

3. Approach a large cookbook publisher.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Become your own cook book publisher

Self-publishing gives you the ultimate in control over how to publish a cook book. The good news is that you'll be able to design and print the book according to your own personal or corporate preferences--no need to compromise with anybody. The bad news is that you won't have an outside source to provide feedback or second opinions, including valuable editorial feedback.

I recommend: Lulu is a popular online self-publisher that also offers an online "storefront" so that you can sell your products online. This might be most useful for small businesses without an online shop of their own. BookLocker is an established company that offers both print and electronic (e-book) publishing options.

Find an ally in cook book publishing

By choosing to deal with small cook book publishers, you're striking a balance between control, efficiency and professionalism. By using a professional publisher, someone else will be fronting the cost of the initial book runs and you'll have help with designing and editing. That means you're also giving up a portion of your control over the design and content to their staff (which depending on your circumstances may be a good thing) and you have to convince them that the project is worth publishing at all before you get started. You'll also be sharing your profits with them.

I recommend: Many small publishers occupy specific niches, like Camino Books which publishes nonfiction books, including cookbooks, of local or regional interest to residents of the Middle Atlantic states. Mage Publishers is an independent press that publishes books pertaining to Persian interests and culture, including cookbooks.

Snag one of the biggest cook book publishers

Working with large cookbook publishers can bring you the best--or worst--of both worlds. They'll have larger budgets for marketing, design and production, but typically will demand more control over the product as well.

I recommend: Atlas Variety Publishing publishes nonfiction books about cooking, including cook books. Chronicle Books is a publisher of best-selling cookbooks.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you want to self-publish but don't want to deal with or pay the fees associated with a self-publishing company, you can have your custom recipe books printed and bound through local print shops or larger print/copy/ship chains like Kinkos.

Even if you're not in the food business, you may have an idea for custom recipe books that will sell. That means you'll need to learn about cook book publishing from the ground up. Publishers format cookbooks a certain way - measurements should be precise and identical throughout the book and photographs of your food should be professional and appealing. You can discover everything you need to not to create custom recipe books with a little cook book publishers education and training.

Before contacting cook book publishers, learn more about how to publish a cookbook. Think about:

1. Taking a course in cook book publishing.

2. Working with cook book publishers who offer training in publishing your own cookbook.

3. Attending a writing seminar or conference to learn more about cook book printing and writing.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for a course to publish a cookbook from published cookbook writers

To learn about cookbook publishing companies and what they look for in a cookbook, it's a good idea to take a writing course. You'll learn how to format and create your cookbook, and you'll learn the secrets of cook book publishing, such as how to find a publisher, how to prepare a book proposal, and how to write recipe directions people can follow and understand.

I recommend: The Writing Learning Centre offers a course on Writing Your Dream Cookbook by a published cookbook author. The course covers publishing and finding a publisher in the course. Recipe for a Cookbook is a free online class with information on writing and publishing a cookbook.

Locate a cook book publisher that offers their own training opportunities

Some cook book publishers will print a book for you that you write, and then you can sell it yourself. These self-published books follow the same guidelines as traditional books, and some food book publishers offer training so you'll know just how to compile your recipes, write your book, and submit it for publication.

I recommend: Favorite Recipes Press, a self-publisher for small to large cookbooks, offers "Cookbook University" training classes for authors and prospective authors. Morris Cookbooks offers a Cookbook Kit that includes educational materials about how to create a cookbook.

Pick out writing seminars and workshops that concentrate on how to publish a cook book

Many writers conferences offer seminars and workshops on general writing, but also niche writing, like publishing a cookbook. Check conferences in your area for workshops and seminars, and check with local community colleges and universities who might sponsor writing conferences and workshops.

I recommend: The San Francisco Writers Conference takes place each year, and they often offer cookbook workshops. The San Miguel Writers Conference is offering a workshop on cookbook publishing, and the conference takes place each year.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Some reputable cookbook publishers don't offer training and education to help you with your cookbook publishing, so look for books and writing magazines that offer information on how to write a cookbook for more information. A cookbook publisher may want submissions to come through an agent, so reading about finding an agent can also add to your cook book publishing education and training.

Publishing a cook book is different from most other publishing projects. In addition to the usual writing and editing process, a cook book requires preparation and testing of each recipe. Cook book authors and publishers must guarantee that the recipes work when prepared in consumers' kitchens. They also want their creations to look tasty enough to make buyers select their book. Finally, once the customer purchases the cook book, publishers must make it easy to use. Each of these steps requires special techniques or processes that make cook book publishing a unique science.

Cook books may be produced for the general public, but some are generated for special purposes such as fund raising or as family keepsakes. These books may generate sales for an organization or may be given away to relatives. These cookbooks might not use professional stylists, testers, or analysts; their authors often provide these services themselves.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Nutrient analysis

Most cook books today provide a nutrient analysis of their recipes. A nutrient analysis details the ingredients and the amount of calories and fat in each recipe, along with percentage of the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of vitamins and minerals each serving supplies. Health-conscious consumers look at these labels to see if the recipes fit their diet plans.

I recommend: Gourmania provides a brief explanation of nutrient analysis and shows detailed pictures of both American and Canadian labels.

Indexing

Indexing is key for cook books. Readers will want to look up recipes by both recipe name and main ingredients, so it is important to include both in an index. Preparing indexes is a specialized skill, so find an expert to do the job if you are not detail oriented.

I recommend: Nancy Humphreys offers six variations on cook book indexing.

Food stylist

Cook books usually have photographs of the various dishes. Many cook book publishers hire food stylists to arrange the food before taking pictures. Stylists not only make the layout look appealing, they often dye or brown the food or create other illusions to make the food look more appetizing.

I recommend: Diet-Blog describes what a food stylist does to prepare food for a photo shoot.

Recipe testing

Recipe testing is an important part of the cook book publishing process. Before each recipe is published, it must be tested to be sure that the recipe works, has no missing ingredients, and tastes good. To do this, a publisher often finds someone other than the author to test the recipes.

I recommend: The message board on ChefTalk.com discusses recipe testing procedures.

Sensory analysis

Sensory analysis can be used to write descriptions of a recipe's flavor and texture. These descriptive words are then used to write the short blurbs that appear below each recipe heading. For cook book projects by individuals or fund-raising groups, these descriptive terms often come from the recipe's creator. Larger, more professional cook books may rely on a specialized lab to offer a description.

I recommend: K-State College of Human Ecology explains what happens in their Sensory Analysis Lab.

Fund-raising cook books

Raise money by selling your group's cook book for a profit. Many companies specialize in cook book fundraisers. Organizations with special interests can gear their cook book recipes to the members of their associations. By selling to the members as well as their family and friends, the cook book will have built-in sales. A portion of all sales then go to the organization.

I recommend: Favorite Recipes Press offers many reasons for publishing a cook book to raise money.