This is the EXACT conversation I've been having with a few clients recently. It always stumps them about what they should include in their promotional plan, but I tell them to start where they are. Who are the people and places already supporting them? What's something super cool (not generic) they could do to get people to raise their hands for those pre-orders? Think of the book launches you admired—what was it that really spoke to you? Chances are the promotion was specific to that person, and you were excited about what they were offering. It didn't feel cookie-cutter; it had that person's name written all over it. Surprise and delight, and then do it again.
And to your point about being your book's #1 champion, a former sketch director of mine would tell the cast constantly: You have to fight for your work because no one else will.
I feel like sometimes we're afraid of making a big move, like wrapping our face around a bus because we're afraid to even ask for something that big, or we're afraid of what people will think. But I'd also love to see people find their own version of their face on a bus because their ideas are more interesting than they believe.
A great primer on a missing piece of a great proposal. I struggled to beef up the marketing component, but then I saw it as another place to get creative. Plus, if you spend years working on a project you should be able to spend just as much effort selling it! Especially if you believe in it and love it.
This is incredibly clear! Thank you, Sally. I’m working on a book of essays with recipes — akin to Laurie Colwin’s “Home Cooking” book structure. I’m currently working on the proposal and your emphasis on clarity in all things is so helpful.
I've designed scores of cookbook proposals over my career. For a novel or business book, a Word doc proposal is fine. But for a highly-styled, illustrated book -- like most cookbooks -- a designed proposal has always seemed a plus to many agents. It helps clarify what the book is about/like/for, it's voice/character, the structure of the sample recipes (they always need it!), some sample photos. Some nice hierarchy of the sections. And a little push of visual catnip.
Does designing a cookbook proposal actually help sell it to a publisher? I actually don't know. Would love to hear your thoughts about that!
Oh, I can’t wait for this! My first four cookbook proposals sold quickly off simple word docs. I’m surprised by the amount of iterations my fifth proposal is requiring, with this added element of design which seems to be the norm now. I am a highly visual learner and visuals have always been a huge part of all my books so I get it, but it’s also a ton more effort upfront. It would be helpful for authors to know if this is expected now.
THANK YOU for sharing this with us Sally! I am brand new to this, but extremely hungry in learning so much about the cookbook publishing world, what agents are looking for, and how to write the RIGHT proposal.
But, what authors are signing up for when they decide to pursue this career is becoming a business owner, so to speak. To be your own employer, there's so much to the business side, such as marketing, taxes, branding, etc.. As a business owner myself, with my husband, in an industry that is somewhat unique (going on now for 15 years in Rainwater Harvesting for residentials and commercial buildings), I completely understand how important it is to know the business and what goes on behind the scenes. Not to mention how much time and effort that needs to be addressed, on a daily basis. As I always tell people, owning a business is like having a couple of young kids (I have two by the way); it requires constant attention, consistency, patience and LOTS of effort.
So, to your point, the proposal should include the authors business strategy (almost like a business plan), and that takes a lot of time to break down ideas that are lucrative for their potential career.
Yes to all of this! That said, it’s soooo much to ask. And takes so much time and effort. It’s not for the faint of heart. That’s for sure.
I often say that writing a book from concept to shelf (and beyond) is like having a kid (in whatever shape that may take). Because even once that idea is out in the world —after growing/writing it for two years on average—you then have to make sure it’s like functioning and ideally thriving. FOREVER. 😆
Thank you for sharing your valuable insights, Sally! The line “your cookbook proposal is a business plan” hits hard! That one line summarizes a big chuck on my newsletter. Your newsletter is a great complement to mine. You offer such great details and examples as well as your perspective as a very seasoned cookbook agent. Must read for all aspiring cookbook authors! I will be honest, thinking of a cookbook proposal as business plan makes me incredibly depressed but that’s the reality and folks like me needed to know that so we could come to terms with it.
Thanks for the kind words about my newsletter! I keep hearing about this behind the scenes you wrote about and how much this resonates with authors. Keep sharing!
In terms of the business plan aspect being depressing, I am curious as to why it lands that way? Books are a business in addition to them being highly personal and mission driven. One of the one staggering aspects of your recap was when you said you were surprised you wouldn't be able to leave your job for a book deal. Even the biggest and best book deals are not retirement plans. I wish you had that part of the expectation setting early on! While it wouldn't have taken away from the emotional impact and roller coaster of those passes, it would have given you context for what you were getting into. My gut says that when you start to see the book proposal as a business plan, you may find yourself ready to publish and publishers more convinced to take this on. Shifting to this perspective doesn't take away from the personal connection to the material, in fact, IMO it helps authors spread their message wider and more successfully. I hope this helps and like i said, please keep sharing your work! It hit a tender and important spot for so many!
Thank you for your words of encouragement and insight. I might need to go back and tweak that section. But I definitely didn’t expect to quit my job and retire if I got a book deal. My expectation was that once you become a paid cookbook author that becomes your fulltime job/career. But it seems for most cookbook authors writing cookbooks isn’t their primary job/source of income instead it’s just another form of income or another aspect of their business. (This reality is what I had the hardest problem processing.)
To be honest, I wish there were more grants/fellowship opportunities for cookbook authors so you could focus on the work over the other aspects, but that’s where I clearly conflated what the reality of traditional cookbook publishing is with an idealized version I had constructed. I framed and wrote my first proposal as I would have written for a University Press (my background is in academia), focusing much more on the content matter because what I want is to write culturally and historically informed cookbooks and books on food. There wasn’t a lot of me in it. Obviously, university presses primarily publish professors (who secure income/funding from other sources) not university presses but some produce cookbooks as well I’m not sure who can afford to write a cookbook for a university press given how small the advances are but I have seen it happen.
I think the reframe of viewing these as business plans actually resonates a lot more than thinking of it as an extension of a “brand.” I’m actually quite entrepreneurial. I do run a micro bakery and freelance writing.
I will say that I know what I want now. I want to write about food, develop recipes, record stories, and produce books that inform people. I’m now in the process of figuring out the how, that might one day be traditional publishing but that’s definitely not the only option.
There’s a lot here, might need to turn it into a more coherent post lol.
love all this! I do think there is another post in here somewhere. Or maybe a salon discussion about the expectations versus reality of the cookbook publishing space right now. And here here re more grants and funding.
This is the EXACT conversation I've been having with a few clients recently. It always stumps them about what they should include in their promotional plan, but I tell them to start where they are. Who are the people and places already supporting them? What's something super cool (not generic) they could do to get people to raise their hands for those pre-orders? Think of the book launches you admired—what was it that really spoke to you? Chances are the promotion was specific to that person, and you were excited about what they were offering. It didn't feel cookie-cutter; it had that person's name written all over it. Surprise and delight, and then do it again.
And to your point about being your book's #1 champion, a former sketch director of mine would tell the cast constantly: You have to fight for your work because no one else will.
I feel like sometimes we're afraid of making a big move, like wrapping our face around a bus because we're afraid to even ask for something that big, or we're afraid of what people will think. But I'd also love to see people find their own version of their face on a bus because their ideas are more interesting than they believe.
A great primer on a missing piece of a great proposal. I struggled to beef up the marketing component, but then I saw it as another place to get creative. Plus, if you spend years working on a project you should be able to spend just as much effort selling it! Especially if you believe in it and love it.
It’s such a hard part of the proposal!
Also - thanks for the shoutout AND of course I’ve been refining that croissant recipe since (to make it simpler!) the tests have been DELICIOUS!
This is incredibly clear! Thank you, Sally. I’m working on a book of essays with recipes — akin to Laurie Colwin’s “Home Cooking” book structure. I’m currently working on the proposal and your emphasis on clarity in all things is so helpful.
so glad this was helpful!
I've designed scores of cookbook proposals over my career. For a novel or business book, a Word doc proposal is fine. But for a highly-styled, illustrated book -- like most cookbooks -- a designed proposal has always seemed a plus to many agents. It helps clarify what the book is about/like/for, it's voice/character, the structure of the sample recipes (they always need it!), some sample photos. Some nice hierarchy of the sections. And a little push of visual catnip.
Does designing a cookbook proposal actually help sell it to a publisher? I actually don't know. Would love to hear your thoughts about that!
So glad you asked!! I will be breaking down some insights on all things "should I" or "shouldn't I design my book proposal" in a future newsletter!!
Oh, I can’t wait for this! My first four cookbook proposals sold quickly off simple word docs. I’m surprised by the amount of iterations my fifth proposal is requiring, with this added element of design which seems to be the norm now. I am a highly visual learner and visuals have always been a huge part of all my books so I get it, but it’s also a ton more effort upfront. It would be helpful for authors to know if this is expected now.
I’m curious, same publisher? And is the concept design specific?
can't wait to read it!
Negotiating with a travel company to wrap a tour bus with your face is ELITE.
ha, right?!
What an informative post!! Thank you!!
So glad you liked it! And found it helpful
THANK YOU for sharing this with us Sally! I am brand new to this, but extremely hungry in learning so much about the cookbook publishing world, what agents are looking for, and how to write the RIGHT proposal.
But, what authors are signing up for when they decide to pursue this career is becoming a business owner, so to speak. To be your own employer, there's so much to the business side, such as marketing, taxes, branding, etc.. As a business owner myself, with my husband, in an industry that is somewhat unique (going on now for 15 years in Rainwater Harvesting for residentials and commercial buildings), I completely understand how important it is to know the business and what goes on behind the scenes. Not to mention how much time and effort that needs to be addressed, on a daily basis. As I always tell people, owning a business is like having a couple of young kids (I have two by the way); it requires constant attention, consistency, patience and LOTS of effort.
So, to your point, the proposal should include the authors business strategy (almost like a business plan), and that takes a lot of time to break down ideas that are lucrative for their potential career.
Yes to all of this! That said, it’s soooo much to ask. And takes so much time and effort. It’s not for the faint of heart. That’s for sure.
I often say that writing a book from concept to shelf (and beyond) is like having a kid (in whatever shape that may take). Because even once that idea is out in the world —after growing/writing it for two years on average—you then have to make sure it’s like functioning and ideally thriving. FOREVER. 😆
I also cannot wait for your post on timing! This component has also been vital for my next topic and has required far more patience of me.
Yea I have a lot to share on this. It’s hard to streamline into one post. Can’t wait for you to chime in too!
Thank you for sharing your valuable insights, Sally! The line “your cookbook proposal is a business plan” hits hard! That one line summarizes a big chuck on my newsletter. Your newsletter is a great complement to mine. You offer such great details and examples as well as your perspective as a very seasoned cookbook agent. Must read for all aspiring cookbook authors! I will be honest, thinking of a cookbook proposal as business plan makes me incredibly depressed but that’s the reality and folks like me needed to know that so we could come to terms with it.
Thanks for the kind words about my newsletter! I keep hearing about this behind the scenes you wrote about and how much this resonates with authors. Keep sharing!
In terms of the business plan aspect being depressing, I am curious as to why it lands that way? Books are a business in addition to them being highly personal and mission driven. One of the one staggering aspects of your recap was when you said you were surprised you wouldn't be able to leave your job for a book deal. Even the biggest and best book deals are not retirement plans. I wish you had that part of the expectation setting early on! While it wouldn't have taken away from the emotional impact and roller coaster of those passes, it would have given you context for what you were getting into. My gut says that when you start to see the book proposal as a business plan, you may find yourself ready to publish and publishers more convinced to take this on. Shifting to this perspective doesn't take away from the personal connection to the material, in fact, IMO it helps authors spread their message wider and more successfully. I hope this helps and like i said, please keep sharing your work! It hit a tender and important spot for so many!
Hi Sally!
Thank you for your words of encouragement and insight. I might need to go back and tweak that section. But I definitely didn’t expect to quit my job and retire if I got a book deal. My expectation was that once you become a paid cookbook author that becomes your fulltime job/career. But it seems for most cookbook authors writing cookbooks isn’t their primary job/source of income instead it’s just another form of income or another aspect of their business. (This reality is what I had the hardest problem processing.)
To be honest, I wish there were more grants/fellowship opportunities for cookbook authors so you could focus on the work over the other aspects, but that’s where I clearly conflated what the reality of traditional cookbook publishing is with an idealized version I had constructed. I framed and wrote my first proposal as I would have written for a University Press (my background is in academia), focusing much more on the content matter because what I want is to write culturally and historically informed cookbooks and books on food. There wasn’t a lot of me in it. Obviously, university presses primarily publish professors (who secure income/funding from other sources) not university presses but some produce cookbooks as well I’m not sure who can afford to write a cookbook for a university press given how small the advances are but I have seen it happen.
I think the reframe of viewing these as business plans actually resonates a lot more than thinking of it as an extension of a “brand.” I’m actually quite entrepreneurial. I do run a micro bakery and freelance writing.
I will say that I know what I want now. I want to write about food, develop recipes, record stories, and produce books that inform people. I’m now in the process of figuring out the how, that might one day be traditional publishing but that’s definitely not the only option.
There’s a lot here, might need to turn it into a more coherent post lol.
love all this! I do think there is another post in here somewhere. Or maybe a salon discussion about the expectations versus reality of the cookbook publishing space right now. And here here re more grants and funding.
LOVE this post and how insightful you are, explaining the process - dos, don'ts etc.
So glad this resonated!
This is such a helpful piece - and has given me a LOT of things to think about - and also ideas! Thank you!
So glad this was helpful! This is exactly why I have been wanting to share some insights in a newsletter!
So glad you did!
This is so fantastic Sally- thanks for being so transparent the details are so valuable!