I recently worked with Krystelle F. Gratziani, the owner of Conscious Cooking, on the design and interior layout of her first cookbook Conscious Cooking: Healthy Recipes for Families. Her clean and crisp self-published cookbook is full of gorgeously photographed original recipes, inspiring some new meals in my kitchen as we worked our way through this lovely project.
Krystelle is a food blogger with an established following, but this was her first foray into print. We had lots of conversations back and forth on the long journey of getting her cookbook into print, which is why I thought she’d probably be willing to share what she learned along the way, to help anyone else who is wanting to self-publish a cookbook!
The best thing about self-publishing a cookbook was…
“…the moment I held the first printed book in my hands! I was so touched, emotional and proud. It was very special to see the final result after spending more than three years working on my cookbook. It was a very emotional moment — I cried!”
The most challenging or surprising thing about self-publishing a cookbook was…
“It sounds funny to say this, but creating recipes and writing the book was the easiest part! The most challenging or surprising part was all the other kinds of work that needed to be done; work that I had no experience in or knowledge of. I had to do a lot of learning along the way and honestly, it was much more work than I had imagined. There was the writing and editing of the content, shooting and re-shooting of food photos, editing of the photos, the design and layout, printing, publishing, marketing and shipping….! I thought that once the cookbook was printed, my work was almost done, but there’s still lots to do, after the book has been released!”
If I were to give advice to someone else who wants to self-publish a cookbook…
“Hire as much help as you can afford to. For this project, I hired a photographer, a photo editor, a book designer (Julie!) , a proofreader and an indexer. The rest I did on my own, but next time I would hire people to help me distribute the book, do PR work, and so on. It's really a lot to coordinate solo.
“Also, be sure to work with experienced people in each field of expertise. It will help your cookbook project be done faster and more efficiently. I used a popular platform to find freelancers of different kinds along the way, and I was very pleased with the results.
“Julie and I worked very hard on the project , and she truly did an incredible job with the book. She was not only very talented and knowledgable, but also very patient and friendly. I couldn't have found a better book designer!”
[Now I’m blushing. ☺️]
Stages of Self-Publishing a Cookbook
Every author’s journey to creating a self-published cookbook looks a bit different, but these are roughly the steps that are needed. One step does not necessarily finish before the next one starts; for example, your designer can start on a sample interior layout before all the recipes and photos are finalized; that is how I worked with Krystelle. But generally, this is the order in which the steps occur!
Planning the cookbook. (Consider what categories or kinds of recipes you want to have, create a rough outline, etc.)
Creating and testing the recipes. (This is probably the part you already know how to do best!)
Writing the recipes and any other content. (Don’t forget that cookbooks often have a few other resources, stories or information. For example, Krystelle had some material at the front of the cookbook about her food philosophy, food for babies or toddlers, etc.)
Editing the text. (Do this yourself first, but then hire an editor with experience in food editing, if possible.)
Shooting (and probably re-shooting) photos of the recipes. (It can be a costly procedure to have to do a second or third photoshoot because you forgot a few photos, added a few new recipes, or need a photo in a different shape or from a different angle. This is one place where careful planning can save you a lot of money!)
Photoshop or touch-up work on the photos. (If you need a photo editor, send me a message. I recommended the photo editor Krystelle used, and Krystelle was super happy with her work!)
Design and interior layout of the book. (This is where I come in!)
Proofreading. (It’s probably wise to have several proofreaders check it! Just one wrong digit could spoil a whole recipe.)
Indexing. (You probably need to hire a professional indexer for this, and it should only be done once the pages are all in their final positions.)
Printing. (Ask around for a few quotes, and you might want to compare the cost of printing in Asia to printing locally.)
Marketing / PR. (Any author who is self-publishing will tell you how important this step is! Marketing should start before the book is ready, of course, but will continue long after.)
Shipping / Distribution. (Do you want to handle shipping yourself? Do you want to hire a distributor? Which countries will you ship to, and how?)
More Marketing / PR. (As Krystelle mention, this part never really ends!)
Are you planning to self-publish a cookbook, and wondering what the process could look like to work with a professional book designer? Click here to get a free consultation with me. I’m happy to help! Please note that a custom cookbook design package (full color, hardcover, 150 pages) usually starts at USD$4,500. This does not include the cost of printing. Sign up for my Book Done newsletter to get more stories from people who’ve gotten their book projects done!