Releasing the Cookbook Author Within You

Have you been giving thought to writing a cookbook? You should do it! One can never have too many cookbooks, and the world needs your recipes.

(What Is Food Writing? 4 Critical Keys to Becoming a Food Writer)

So far, I have written four of them, and the one I am working on now will be the biggest yet! I started writing The Ultimate Guide To Cheesecakes, and after that became a number one Amazon new release, I decided to continue with The Ultimate Guide books and have created a series.

Does this sound like something you would like to do? If you would like to write one cookbook or 10 cookbooks, I have a few basic guidelines that can help you through the process.

Cookbooks are typically a genre of their own. They are nonfiction books that require specific areas of expertise. You want to hone in on a topic in which you have experience.

Let's say, for example, that you grew up eating Italian food. Your grandparents were from Italy, and your Nonna taught you how to cook all of the recipes passed down to her from her family in Italy. It's a no-brainer that you should consider writing a book about Italian food.

You can create a topic even more narrow. How about Easy Italian Dinners or Decadent Italian Desserts? I have learned that the more you zone in on your topic, the more successful your cookbook can be.

Before creating an outline for my book, I take a quick trip to the store and purchase a special notebook and pink pen (I write all my outlines in pink ink). I do this for every book I write. Although this is not a requirement and isn't truly necessary, it is something I look forward to, and it's a treat for us, the authors.

If buying a fancy notebook and pen does not float your boat, Wordy Writer offers a wide range of downloadable organizers that are super helpful. Just visit wordywriterorganizer.com.

You may be wondering what you should include in your outline. Here is a short list of ideas:

Tip: If you haven't done so already, be sure to test each recipe you will be sharing in your book.

Editing as you go may sound foreign to you, but it is a trick that works for me. Before each writing session, I go back to the previous one, read it over, and make any corrections I see need to be made. Doing this will give you much less editing to do when you finish writing your book.

Adding photos is always a good idea when writing a cookbook. However, adding them will increase the book's printing cost, so choose them wisely. Decide which recipes need a photo, and be sure to take clear, mouthwatering pictures.

If you are creative and computer savvy, this may be something you can do by yourself. If cover creation isn't your cup of tea, I highly recommend hiring a cover designer. Regardless of the old saying, people do judge books by their covers.

Tip: Your cover designer will need to know the size of your book, the number of pages, and the formats you will be using.

There are several different types of editors that you can hire. Before sending your book to an editor, I highly recommend running it through an editing program that can detect spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Grammarly is ideal for this task. They offer a free or paid version; however, the paid version detects more errors.

Developmental Editors: Look over structure, plot, character development, dialogue, voice, and style.

Line Editors: Go through a manuscript line-by-line with a fine-toothed comb.

Copy Editors: Check spelling, grammar, punctuation, and flow.

You can choose one or all of these three formatting options: e-books, paperback, and hardcover. I suggest offering them all!

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