Let's Write a Cookbook!

Hello, fellow self-publishing cooks.

My name is Harriet Avery, and I'm currently working towards self-publishing my first cookbook. After much deliberation, I've decided to self-publish.

Let's be clear - all the available evidence points to self-publishing (at least when done properly) is just as labour-intensive as traditional publishing. And while you do retain full creative control of the project, this can be a double-edged sword, particularly if you are inexperienced in the publishing industry. But is also seems that self-publishing offers some great opportunities, if you make an informed choice to self-publish and do so in a professional manner.

My motivation for self-publishing, rather than seeking a traditional publisher, lies in the niche nature of my project. As the Colonial Cook, I scour 19th century Australian newspapers for recipes to test and research. I think any topic that involves things as disparate as fish swim bladders and unexpected clarinets is absolutely fascinating, but I'm not too far gone to realise that colonial cooking might not appeal to everyone. So while I might (might) be able to interest a publisher in the project, there is no way a book on this topic could find its audience in the year or so it is likely to be in print. With self-publishing, my quirky work can malinger on Amazon, Smashwords and Blurb for decades, hopefully picking up a few readers along the way.

While the internet is awash with information about self-publishing your novel, information about self-publishing a non-fiction work is thinner on the ground. Info on self-pubbing a cookbook or food-related work is even scarcer. This blog, a well as chronicling my own hits and misses, will link to self-publishing stats and stories relevant to food writing from around the web.

I'd love it if you joined me on this journey, and helped to build a community of self-published food writers, by commenting with your experiences or letting me know if there's a resource I should link to.

Let's do this.