Whether you’re a renowned chef, or you simply love to cook, sharing your recipes through a cookbook is a great idea! A lot of time and effort goes into conceptualizing, writing, and publishing a cookbook. From the recipes to the themes, to the actual writing, there are plenty of things to think about and perfect.
Whether you’re a pastry chef, a nutritionist, or a professional barbeque-er, anyone can write a cookbook with the right mindset and know-how! If you’re an aspiring cookbook author and want to do things the right way, you’ve come to the right place! Here’s everything you need to know about getting your cookbook off the ground the best way possible. Write your cookbook easier by following these 8 simple tips, and your book will be a success!
The contents
Every good cookbook starts with a good idea and a solid plan! Working on the contents of your book first is a great way to make sure that your cookbook is cohesive and makes sense. Once you have the general idea of what you want in your book, figure out the order. Will you structure your recipes by ingredients, mealtimes, or alphabetical order? What else do you want to put in the book besides recipes and where? Pick what goes best for you and your future reader and go with it!
Work on structure
Writing a good cookbook is like writing a regular book, you need to have a story, a theme, and an overall structure. A simple cookbook with a bunch of carefully selected recipes is great, but it doesn’t connect with the reader. Create an overarching theme in your book to tie everything together and to keep the reader invested. A cookbook is more than just a recipe compilation, so make sure to add some life and soul when writing your book!
Design and cover
In 2021, people are still judging books by their covers so as an aspiring cookbook author, you need to keep up with your competitors with a good book cover! Create an eye-catching and good-looking cover that will match the contents of the book. If you’re more of a chef than a designer, you can still make a good cover, by hiring a professional. Work with cookbook designers to cater to your specific theme, style, and vision. Your cookbook cover should represent your ideas and your recipes, and if done well, will have your books flying off the shelves in no time!
Check your recipes
This might seem like an obvious step, but it’s incredibly important to emphasize! Before you send off your recipes to be published, you need to make sure that they’re foolproof! Troubleshoot your recipes and make sure that you can get the desired result after following the steps you’ve laid out. Work on the recipes until they’re perfect, don’t put anything in the book you’re not 100% satisfied with! Check your recipes’ wording and make sure they’re easy to understand and follow. Make sure to check you haven’t forgotten any steps or missed any ingredients!
Standardize your measurements
Once you’re certain that all your recipes work, it’s time to make sure that all your measurements are written accurately! This is easier to do once you’ve chosen what language you would like to write your cookbook in. Make sure to standardize your measurements by going with what would make me most sense to either you or the reader. People buy cookbooks to learn how to make delicious recipes, and they can’t do that if they can’t understand the instructions!
Choose a language
Choosing what language to write in may seem like a strange thing for a cookbook, but it’s quite important! Different languages often use different measurements or names for ingredients. Once you choose your writing language, stick to it so that the reader can follow along easily. If your cookbook is successful, make sure to do the same and follow through with each language your book is printed in!
Add great photos
Pictureless cookbooks often don’t do as well when competing with minute-long cooking videos on TikTok. Whatever your vision for the book is, good pictures are a must. While DIYing your cookbook photos is easier and cheaper, getting the real deal will do you wonders in the long run. You want to be able to represent your recipes well and to attract readers with good photos. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your pictures, but don’t get carried away! Too many pictures can make your book lean more towards a picture book than a cookbook!
Add something extra
Just like in your recipes, make sure to add that little something extra to your cookbook! Every cookbook needs that little je ne sais quoi that can elevate it to the next level and make it more unique. Inject some personality into your book with quippy jokes, anecdotes, or fun facts. If your book has traditional recipes, add some explanation on their cultural significance or history.
Add a section on decorative cutting or displaying the food and recipes. Make your cookbook more inclusive with alternatives to meat or dairy for your vegetarian and vegan readers. Add a rating for your recipes from beginner to advanced, to make it easier for your readers to choose what to make. Find your niche and what works for you and add that to your book!
Now that you know all the basics, you’re ready to go out there and write that cookbook you’ve always wanted!. Every great cookbook starts out with a plan and a table of contents. Before you write recipes, decide on the content, themes, and structure of the book. Make your cookbook design and cover match the contents of your book and make it look good!
Pick a language and make sure to align your measurements to make your cookbook easier to understand. No good, modern cookbook is complete without some tasteful pictures of your food. Whether you do it yourself or hire professional, good food photography is a must! Last but not least, don’t forget to give your cookbook that little something extra to make it stand out! So go out there, get to cooking, and start writing!