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Step 1
Come up with an interesting angle. To sell a cookbook to a publisher in today’s busy market, you need a unique angle, whether it is “cooking for broke college students” or “vegetarian dishes you can make in 10 minutes or less.” Publishers are usually looking for a specific theme that unites all recipes within a single cookbook. Just a collection of recipes will not be enough to get you a publishing contract.
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Step 2
Gain experience in the culinary arts. Start your own food company, get a TV spot (even in local cable) as a cook or chef or at least get a certification in a related field. Just knowing how to cook won’t be enough to convince a publisher that you know what you’re doing.
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Step 3
Get the backing of a professional. If you don’t have name recognition by yourself, getting in touch with a chef or a known culinary expert that can lend credibility to your writings. This can be done with a full partnership, where you write the recipes together, or simply an endorsement after the cookbook is completely written.
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Step 4
Experiment with recipes. You don’t need to create recipes from scratch in order to write a successful cookbook. In fact, you can always modify traditional dishes to make them into low-fat, sugar-free or inexpensive options. To find out if there is interest in your chosen angle, search online for variations of recipe titles to see how often they’re represented in current cookbooks.
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Step 5
Research cookbook publishers using Writer’s Market and other similar databases. The database will provide you with details regarding what each publisher is looking for, what type of contract they offer, whether they accept unagented submissions and what you can expect regarding payments.
