where is the best place to get my cookbook manuscript published?

Answer 1

Hi,

as other people have told you it can be, and is, difficult to get any book published. I was employed as the Literature Development Officer for Derbyshire, in England, for a time and part of my 'brief' was to help would-be writers to make the most of their chances.

Cookery books are a little different from general fiction, and there are some good things about this difference...and some bad.

Bad things...most cook books sell in fairly small numbers unless they are published by a well-known TV chef, for example. A well presented cook book can also be expensive to produce with a fairly high cost for reproducing the coloured pictures which are often used in this type of book.

However, the very nature of cookery books means there is a high interest level in the content. Ladies groups (e.g. the W.I. in England) are always pleased to have people to their meetings to talk about the cookery (and the book!) Sales from this kind of visit are not huge (I used to average around 20-30 each visit, though mine was a travel book) but can be very rewarding. (You also get paid for the talk!)

Self-publishing is also an option, especially if you can lay the groundwork for regular sales by means of the talk/sales visits to various organisations.

Self publishing is NOT the same as 'vanity publishing' Beware these people who will tell you to submit manuscripts. When you send them you will invariably be told in glowing terms that your book is the best thing ever produced and they will be pleased to publish it...all you have to do is pay them for doing it! This can be VERY expensive, as they will produce a very high quality book, of course it is easy to produce a high quality book when YOU are paying!

Self-publication still means you have to pay for the production, but the costs are in your hands, Modern computer programs enable even unskilled users to achieve a good standard of
presentation which would enable a printer to produce a decent quality book at a fraction of the 'vanity publisher's' cost.

If you get hold of a copy of 'The Writer's and Artist's Yearbook (You can usually find a copy in your local library) you will find lists of publishers who publish cookery books.

To enable your book to stand out from the rest, seek to give it an edge by specialising in one kind of cookery, or by having a humorous (or other) slant to the writing.

I do have copies of various publications that could possibly help you, please feel free to e-mail me with any particular enquiry and I'll do my best to help you. Let me know the area you live in and I'll try to find those publishers which are nearest to you (a visit's worth a thousand words-to slightly misquote an old saying)

Good luck with your search, hope this may help you a little,

BobSpain

Answer 2

Jonny:
Check The net for publishers, They will tell you what they handle.
It is not easy to find one. I wrote two books and after many manuscripts sent out I only recieved three answers and all to the negitive. One came back to me with an answer three years later. I went the self publish route then and it is a hard row to hoe. I did okay only because i am retired and had time to do many book signings. They will tell you how they want the manuscript sent to them. If by chance they except your work, they will give you an upfront $ amount and as a new writer you will recieve a small percentage per book sold. Maybe say 15%. The best sellers authors can demand up to 80 -90 %?? Hope this helps. Oh! best go to (Warnings and Cautions for Writers) There are bad guys out there trying to take advantage of you for your $$.
Wayne Russell. The Vagabond Writer

Answer 3

99% of people who write novels will get rejected by publishing companies. So, keep a realistic view while you search for publishers and literary agents. When searching for agents and publishers NEVER use a search engine because you'll only run into scams. Find out where writers and authors hang out (find message boards geared toward writers) and get suggestions from them on who to submit your work. Make sure your work is well edited and your grammar is nearly perfect. Most importantly, make sure it's typed!

Answer 4

Go to the library and look for this book has all the answers you ever need:

Writer's Market 2007
http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Market-2007/dp/1582974276/sr=8-1/qid=1171184112/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5074160-9728625?ie=UTF8&s=books

I've seen that book in most public libraries.

You can also buy it but I would suggest borrowing due to the info becomes out of date real fast.

Answer 5

Contact with your local or International publisher or Invite your website.

Answer 6

Check for publishers on the web and beware of rip offs

Answer 7

Don't go to a publisher that you have to pay they are rip offs!
Do you have a port folio you coulshw some one?

Answer 8

When I was in Japan I saw some tear-up recipe-calender with good pictures and of course recipes. I think this does not quite answer your question but I would like to share this idea with you.

Answer 9

You get Eastern exposure. You don't get any Western, Northern or Southern exposure. Isn't that special?

Answer 10

Why don't you publish it yourself at lulu.com?
It may be well worth it.