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Cook Book Publishers

Brand your business with the right kind of cook book printing

By Lisa Maloney
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.

 

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

 

  • 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.

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