#CookbookwwwPublicity&Promotions

It has been a few years since I have done promotions for my cookbook, Fit to Cook - Why Waist Time in the Kitchen?

Surprisingly, I have been invited to do a cooking class in Mexico. It will be great fun to engage with the audience again.

Engaging with the audience is something that cookbook authors must become familiar with if they are to achieve good sales. People love to watch cooking demos, and they love to taste new foods and receive cooking tips.

If you are a cookbook author or if you are an aspiring cookbook author, find as many places as you can to offer cooking demonstrations and make sure that you are able to sell books at the same time. The percentage of buyers in a live audience is very large as people get caught up in the excitement of the interaction and the food tasting.

Initially, it is very nerve-wracking but practice makes perfect as the saying goes. 

Contact local television stations, charities that might like to use your book as a fund raiser, wine stores that have a kitchen for demos, kitchen utensil shops and anywhere else that comes to mind. You will increase your sales while practicing for television shows in other cities and towns.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#ContestForAuthors

I just want to give everyone a heads-up on our plans for the near future. 

We will be hosting a contest for authors. That's all that can be said at this time. Just know that it's innovative and exciting.

Sharpen your pencil and be prepared.

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#BooksForVacations

I just had the most amazing weekend with my daughter and her family. We went on a ski break. I hadn't skiied for about twenty years, I'm sure, so my apprehension level was a bit high.

The biggest concern was that I had forgotten how to ski. Skis have morphed into a parabolic shape which  requires a new technique everyone told me. My legs might not hold up to a full day on the slopes schussing through powder snow.

Much to my amazement, it was wonderful. Skiing is like riding a bike - the skill remains buried in the back of the brain. Parabolic skis do not require any special skill - they might even make the skiing a bit easier. The legs did superbly well - I'm not even stiff. Guess those squats paid off.

It was absolutely heaven to get out of the city and focus on recreational physical activity rather than the daily mental turmoil of the business world. 

On the way home we stopped in Banff at the world famous Banff Springs Hotel (the castle in the Rockies) to skate on a frozen pond beside the Bow River with the little granddaughters. The sun shone, the snow sparkled, the weather was lovely and we just had fun.

I did spend some of my evening time doing some vacation reading. That's a must. I brought a paperback book that was on its last chapter and I brought my Kobo which is more pleasant to read than I had anticipated.

The weekend was perfect. 

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#AuthorRights

One of our clients asked for help with a sad situation. Her publishing service has gone out of business - possibly a bankruptcy.

That places her in a difficult situation. She wants to know if she can get her files back and if she can get her printed inventory back.

We do not offer legal advice. However, we do have opinions and they are as follows:

• Always know the terms of your contract.
• Do not sign any of your rights away.
• Own a copy of the pre-production digital files for the book.
• State in the contract that any printed copies of the book that are being held by your publishing service, your printer or your distributor are with them on consignment only. That give you full ownership of the books and keeps them out of the hands of the Receiver.
• Be your own publisher. Very few publishing services do anything that you can't do yourself - only better.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com

www.publishacookbook.com

#PopularBooks

People read popular books like sheep - they just follow along because everyone else is reading it. 

Some of the popular books I do enjoy, especially if they are unique and well written. Many of the bestsellers are just formula books. The author writes a profitable title and naturally wants to repeat the success and the profit. So, said author writes basically the same story, changing the characters and the location of the story. People buy the latest book because they liked the last one. 

What amazes me is that readers keep buying titles by the same author. How is it that they don't catch on? Is it just laziness? Is it just easier to pick up a book by a well known author than spend a bit of time searching out someone new?

Anyone have any ideas?

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#CurrentBestsellers

Over the past few months I have read at least ten current bestsellers. Most of the books were very well written, so for that reason they were enjoyable reads.

However, I became very tired of the universal theme of angst and human tragedy. Wow. Is that all that sells now?

Reading book after book of tragic circumstances begins to weigh on a person. After a time I began to almost dread opening the book that was currently on my night stand. What doom and gloom was I about to stuff into my brain now? 

I am not trying to minimize the sad circumstances of anyone's life. After all, life is a lot of downs with the occasional up for anyone, but as entertainment  - the repeated dose of sadness ceases to be entertaining.

There are times when I just need to read something that makes me feel good, or that makes me laugh or at least smile.

I'm on the hunt for something that will make me happy.

Wish me luck.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#EBooks-Cookbooks

More comments on cookbooks: what about the value of cookbooks as ebooks?

I recently read an editorial by Lois Abraham of The Canadian Press. She says that "... it's not time to stick a fork in the physical cookbook just yet." 

Why not? Here is a list of good reasons:

• cooking is messy so a computer in the kitchen can be disastrous
• most people are more likely to read a physical cookbook than an ebook
• physical cookbooks are now stunning to look at thanks to new technology
• new technology allows for the addition of apps and webisodes that go along with the book
• it is so much more appealing and inspirational to sit down and browse through a physical book -" they are like pieces of art"
• some bloggers are doing things in reverse - publishing physical books

So, hopefully I have given you some "food" for thought - pun intended.  :-)

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com

www.publishacookbook.com

#CostofEBooks

After a month hiatus, I am back into the groove. It's time to reconnect with other self publishers and get this year off to a great start.

The first thing that I want to talk about is ebooks - actually, the price of ebooks.

One of my Christmas gifts was an ebook reader. I was very happy and excited - until - I began my search to download some books. What a shock!

There were about 10 titles that very much interested me and that I wanted for my vacation library, so I went on an Amazon search.

Much to my dismay, every title, yes every one, in ebook format was more expensive than the paper version. What is up with that? 

Having published books, I just cannot justify paying more for a an electronic file than for a physical book. There is just no comparing the publishing costs, therefore the mark-up on the ebooks is just out of line.

That's my two bit's worth.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com