The making of my own cookbook

[gfron1]

I'm Gfron or Rob Connoley on FB. 

 

Honkman - I have really struggled with Twitter. And I know most of my struggles are related to the lack of tagging, which is why I mentioned it above. Lately I've been reading some of my favorite accounts more for the technical aspect of how they tweet.

[gfron1]

My spouse who worked as a Project Manager for Wiley Books for years told me recently that once the book is published, "NEVER READ IT!"

 

I understand why. Five readers have gone through the manuscript and yet we're still finding basic, critical errors. Who knows if we will ever get them all, but I still have a professional editor from the publisher to work it over.

 

Today I worked on manuscript formatting–preparing it for a designer (removing extra spaces, proper tabbing, page breaks, etc). I like that level of detail work. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

 

As I did that work these extra steps came up:

1. Add "see resources, p #" to any ingredient listed in the resource section

2. Add serving size and prep time...I've been dragging my feet on this one for some reason

3. Write an essay on things that you can easily grow yourself for garnish

4. I need to explain cooking oil choices...it keeps coming up.

5. Reconcile all revisions with the Table of Contents - all titles are identical

 

I still need to go through my photographer's latest upload of pics...we have hundreds and hundreds to sort through. ugh. I'll post some when I get to that. In the meantime, here's one from my photographer for a recent Valentine's chocolate photo shoot. The theme was a chocolate wedding.

[gfron1]

This week was spent revising the proposal. My designer actually designed the proposal since we're trying to pitch his services. The final product looks really good. I'll post some when the book is signed. Now we're waiting for the agent to say its 100% complete and then its in her hands for a while. I think its funny that at one point I wanted this book released in October of 15. We're already looking at spring of 16 or later.

[Smithy]

This is a fascinating look at the process of developing, pitching and publishing a book. Thank you for bringing us along. (I'm still reeling at the idea of needing to build a Facebook following, much less a Twitter following. Never even crossed my mind.)

[gfron1]

With my agent's blessing - I'm posting her email to me today. As I've said previously, we designed our proposal in the style that we want the book, in hopes that my designer gets picked up as part of the package. Specific names deleted to protect the innocent. This gives really good info on the pitching process.

 

Well, we have a mighty gorgeous proposal on our hands! I’m in Houston until Monday night but wanted to get in touch about next steps!

 

Do we want to go out now, or is it close enough to JB nominations that you prefer to wait for that potential leverage? I don’t want to pitch without your express go-ahead!

 

PUBLISHER is obviously eager and waiting for the newest version of the proposal and now we have something that will really wow them. We already discussed that you don’t really want to give them an exclusive period (even a short one) with the proposal. If we’re not waiting for JB awards, I’ll begin pitching out mid-week next week (I never like to pitch early in the week - it gets buried) and they’ll simply be the first one it goes to!

 

Regarding how publishing works - at this point, you get to sit back and relax and I’ll keep you posted as things progress. I know this is your first time working with an agent, so if you have any questions about the process from here, let me know. While we’re shopping the proposal, agents interact directly with publishers and authors are not cc’d in those conversations (I would, of course, keep you well-informed on any key developments such as who is reviewing, etc.) PUBLISHER is likely to bring you in very quickly given the history, of course.

 

Once a publisher has expressed interest, we of course bring the author into conversations/conference calls to get a feel on which publishing teams they would/not like to work with. Once we have a sense of all interested parties and serious contenders, we will help you sort through the options to decide what feels like the best fit for your project. If there is extreme interest, we may need to go to auction, but that’s not my favorite way to do things (I think a book like this needs much more consideration than just financial bottom line- for example, you want more creative control, so a slightly lower advance would be worthwhile if the tradeoff is that control/input.) 

 

Long story short, now things are on me to go find a good home for this book! 

 

I ask that you keep me posted of any major news or developments in your career (new media, etc.) or anything big in the news about foraging cuisine, because publishers get REALLY excited if they feel they’re getting in on something that has momentum with or without them. 

 

Looking forward to hearing from you and hope you’re having a great weekend!

 

 

[gfweb]

Fascinating watching this evolve!

[Tri2Cook]

Fascinating watching this evolve!

I agree. It's fun watching the process taking place and makes it abundantly clear that I'll enjoy Rob's book immensely but will never, ever attempt to write one myself.  

 

[gfron1]

IACP is holding a free webinar "What Agents and Editors Look for in a Book Proposal." Go to IACP's website and look under the Learning button. I believe its next Wednesday.

[gfron1]

I participated to this webinar (above) and it was useful. Would have been more useful months ago, but still...

Two key take aways relevant to me: 

1. Think about the question, "What shelf would this book land on in a bookstore?" Make sure you've made that clear in the proposal. For example, my book is food, foraging/outdoor life, southwest, regional, plant identification...lots going on. So where would it be shelved?

 

2. People always have good ideas in their marketing section but have they demonstrated in the author bio that they can pull it off. You say you're going to do a book tour - have you ever done any type of tour? Do you do cooking classes? Have you been on the media before? If not...how does the publisher know you can do it if they invest in printing your book.

[gfron1]

Interesting article about the comparison titles of a proposal. This was another section discussed  in the webinar yesterday that was really useful.

[Honkman]

You mentioned in another discussion that you do guest chef gigs - couldn't you use those to show that you can do books tours (perhaps not in classical sense) by using recipes out of the book for the events and perhaps also (briefly) talking about it.

I participated to this webinar (above) and it was useful. Would have been more useful months ago, but still...

Two key take aways relevant to me: 

1. Think about the question, "What shelf would this book land on in a bookstore?" Make sure you've made that clear in the proposal. For example, my book is food, foraging/outdoor life, southwest, regional, plant identification...lots going on. So where would it be shelved?

 

2. People always have good ideas in their marketing section but have they demonstrated in the author bio that they can pull it off. You say you're going to do a book tour - have you ever done any type of tour? Do you do cooking classes? Have you been on the media before? If not...how does the publisher know you can do it if they invest in printing your book.

[gfron1]

You mentioned in another discussion that you do guest chef gigs - couldn't you use those to show that you can do books tours (perhaps not in classical sense) by using recipes out of the book for the events and perhaps also (briefly) talking about it.

 

We did. In January I did a 6 city dinner tour, which definitely showed I'm up for it. I've also got requests for dinners in Atlanta, Dallas, NYC, StL, Indy and KC, so I've got the roots of a good tour already.

[cyalexa]

We did. In January I did a 6 city dinner tour, which definitely showed I'm up for it. I've also got requests for dinners in Atlanta, Dallas, NYC, StL, Indy and KC, so I've got the roots of a good tour already.

Since I doubt OKC will make your list, count me in if you go to Dallas. 

[gfron1]

The cities are mostly places where I have family or friends that can fill a venue without me doing any marketing - 24 seats. I'm hoping to link up enough places to take a month off and do a morning foraging workshop with an evening dinner.

[gfron1]

I thought I would share a recipe I just added to the book. This is unedited. So many of the recipes are from previous years - I tend to not dwell too long, but this one is from last month. Hope you enjoy it.

 

Quinoa Gratin

 

I love farmer ingenuity. I love when a farmer is willing to commit valuable acreage to crops that may or may not make it, and has questionable sellability. When I lived in Alamosa, Colorado there were farmers trying to raise quinoa because of its success in the Andes of South America and the geographic similarities to the region. At that point few knew what quinoa was and hardly a farmer knew that the crop could replace traditional crops such as potatoes. Nearly 20 years later the quinoa has been firmly established and has provided nutrition and livelihoods to many residents of that remote community.

 

Quinoa Cakes

 

15 g     Neutral cooking oil      1 Tbsp

40 g     Shallot, minced            ¼ C

128 g   Quinoa            1 C

5 g       Salt      1 tsp

32 g     Flour   ¼ C

1 Egg

 

Heat oil in a medium saucepan and add the shallots. Sauté the shallots until the turn translucent. Add the quinoa and toss to coat. Fill the pan with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain the quinoa very well and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the flour and egg and mix everything together.

 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 3” ring mold, press ½” of quinoa into a firm, flattened disk. Remove the mold and continue until all of the quinoa mixture is used. Store in the refrigerator to help the quinoa cakes set up.

 

Salt-Baked Leeks

 

900 g   Kosher salt      2 lbs

            2 Leeks

 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

 

Pour ½”of salt on the bottom of a loaf pan. Make two cuts on each leek. The first is to remove the bottom roots–cut ½”inch off the root bottom. The second is to remove the top–cut where the white transitions to green on the outer layers. The tops can be used in stock or turned into a tasty ash (p. ##). Do not remove the outer layers as they will protect the tender insides during cooking.

 

Lay the two trimmed leeks on the salt bed and cover with the remaining salt making sure that none of the leek shows through. Ideally the leek is covered at all spots by ½” of salt to insulate it from the heat. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven, but leave the leeks buried to continue baking and infusing flavor until service.

 

Garlic Soup

 

28 g     Butter  2 Tbsp

160 g   Onion, chopped           1 C

160 g   Garlic, peeled   1 C

1000 g Rabbit stock (p ##)      1 qt

120 g   Day old bread, torn into chunks          2 C

            1 Bay leaf

            Salt

123 g   ½ and ½          ½ C

            Black pepper

 

Melt the butter in a stockpot. Add the onion and garlic and cook over a medium-low heat until the onions start to brown–don’t cook them to caramelized.  Add the stock, bread, bay leaf and salt, and bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and salt to taste. Puree with a stick blender and return to the heat. Add the ½ and ½ and black pepper, and adjust the seasoning one last time.

 

Amaranth porridge

 

14 g     Butter  1 Tbsp

75 g     Amaranth seed 1 C

15 g     Brown sugar    1 Tbsp

5 g       Salt      1 tsp

250 g   Rabbit stock (p ##)      1 C

30 g     Cream  2 Tbsp

 

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add the amaranth seed and stir until a nutty brown aroma hits your nose. Add the sugar, salt and stock. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until most of the liquid has been cooked off. Add the cream and hold, covered, until service.

 

            4 Provolone slices

80 g     Granny Smith apple, peeled, fine diced            ½ C

            Fennel leaves

 

Preheat your oven’s broiler.

 

To serve, heat a large skillet with a heavy coating of neutral cooking oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add the quinoa cakes making sure not to crowd the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes, and turn to cook the other side. The cakes should have a deep brown color now.

 

Spoon a quarter of the garlic soup in the center of a large bowl. Place the fried quinoa cake in the center. Top with a quarter of the porridge. Remove the leeks from their salt bed and peel off the outer layer until all you see is white flesh. Cut into ½” rings and place a few in the porridge. Cover with a slice of provolone and set the bowl under the broiler until the cheese begins to melt. Top with the apples and fennel and dig in.

[cyalexa]

 

Quinoa Cakes

 

 

They were delicious, especially paired with the barley risotto. 

[gfron1]

We're in the season of rejections. This is par for the course apparently. My agent sent the proposal to some 20 publishers and so naturally many are not the right fit. I keep saying to her after each rejection, "Tell me when I need to be nervous."  Here's her latest email for the good of the cause (edited to protect the innocent):

 

I sent a follow up to EDITOR today. It’s atypical for a publisher to stay involved as long as PUBLISHER did and he made it clear he wanted EDITOR to take the ball from here. If he fails to respond when I’m back, I will definitely follow up with PUBLISHER if we haven’t heard from EDITOR at that point. Typically a slow yes is better than a fast no; we’ll have more leverage if we have interest from another publisher or news to share, so when I get back let’s check in with each other and pick up from there.

 

We got a pass from a prominent editor at XXXX books today, but the editor was in love with the proposal and your profile as an author. At every turn it’s been the topic/audience vs. you, which is great to know (and not always the case when we’re shopping projects!). I know this book is exactly what you want to be writing though, and we’ll keep shopping it until we’re out of options. 

 

I do get the sense if there’s any more general appeal book you’ve been thinking of writing that we’d have some interested parties (example: I think your journey from amateur chef to JB is fascinating and you probably have some style and recipe tips that other chefs wouldn’t even think to share). File that idea away for a rainy day.

 

The proposal is getting a GREAT response, so we’ve definitely presented the concept well. If you find any information that indicates the trend is growing or that indicates that there will be a growing need/market for the book, we can also use that in follow-ups. Again - everything we’re experiencing is par for the course. It only takes one.

 

 

[gfron1]

I've been silent as all of this has played out, but here's an update for the sake of understanding the process. First, remember the publisher that I had talked with for weeks, who pre-agent was a "done deal" who later backed out...okay, then a string of rejections. My best guess is still that the first publisher saw me without an agent as a good buy, but with the agent, not so much of a good buy anymore. The subsequent rejections have had a silver lining. At least 10 of them were a page or more of explanation, suggestions and encouragement - I'm told this is very unusual, that normally you get a line or two that says "no thanks." So that's a silver lining, I guess. The reasons were "too regional," "too national," "too big of a topic," "too small of a topic," ... everyone contradicted each other. Many were simply messages saying "we didn't have good luck on our last foraging related book." I empathize with that one. I paired back the proposal to remove as many distractions and red herrings as possible, but I think it was too little too late.

 

I approached my agent last week and said that I was ready to move to the self-publishing phase, but would honor our contract through the end of the year. She said that since we all had put in a good faith effort she would let me out of the contract, and btw, she told her mom to self-publish her book a couple of years ago. So after this weekend, I'm on my own again. I'm very very much at peace with this, and here's why.

 

I don't know what good sales are for a book (I'm told 8k would have been really good for this book), but I have a good sense of how much books cost to produce (labor, printing and shipping) because we had done quite a bit of research on that over a year ago. With a scaled back goal (since I'll have to front the money), I will print 1000 books. I know there are good price breaks at the 3-5k level, but again, I have to front the money. So we can sell 1000 books at my price of $40 and net around $25k. Going through a publisher after their set price and amazon discounts, etc I'm looking at a few bucks per book at best, so the math is easy. My sales will come from fans, friends and customers in the restaurant, and while we will put it out on Amazon, I know the bulk of the sales will come with my customers after they eat a meal. 

 

So that's where I am. Slightly disappointed because I wanted the notoriety of a publisher, but excited because now I hold complete control and responsibility on design and sales...and a much faster turnaround. Acorn & Cattails will get printed before Christmas or else!

[Shelby]

Well, I can't wait for you to tell us your book is finished and for you to post a link so I can buy it!

 

I understand your feeling a bit down about not having a publisher, but I think that you'll be happier in the end knowing you did it all YOUR way.

[huiray]

I'd like to have a copy of your book too.  Please let us know in due course how one may purchase the book. Perhaps all's well that ends well in the end. :-) Your journey with your cookbook has been interesting.

[natasha1270]

gfron1 - Have you considered raising the funds to self-publish via Kickstarter? Besides just funding projects, it seems to be very popular way to gauge interest and engage a wider audience so they feel more invested in the product. Like Shelby says - please let us know when your book is available.

[gfron1]

gfron1 - Have you considered raising the funds to self-publish via Kickstarter? Besides just funding projects, it seems to be very popular way to gauge interest and engage a wider audience so they feel more invested in the product. Like Shelby says - please let us know when your book is available.

I have and most likely will include it in the process. Cuz with that, a $40 donation gets you a book but helps offset some of my upfront. I've been getting more and more gigs taking people out foraging and bringing them back to cook so I'll probably include some higher level donation options.  For $10 I'll send you a bookmark

[gfron1]

Ha! And at the 11th hour we got 3 bites! All 3 have very odd stipulations, all of which give an indication as to what's going on in the industry. One is asking that I buy 2000 books upfront to sell out of the restaurant. Another is asking for cash up front to cover printing costs, to be recouped later in the sales. There's more but these are known publishers - you've heard of all of them. Really crazy.

[gfron1]

I'm just fascinated by this. This comes from a major publisher. Its like they're going bust:

The other item I want to have us both consider up front is funding. Any books that contain high-end art or photography are printed overseas and the production costs are much higher. We have to ask all authors to provide a subvention to offset a portion of the production costs. The subvention amount is based on a cost estimate we ask printers to provide based on trim size, the overall projected book length, and the number of images. I wanted to look at the proposal before I brought this up, but it is something I want you to know about because it is an unfortunate necessity for us in the current economic times.

This is the point where I say - what are you offering me? You tell me I have to promote the book. I already have a designer, indexer, photographer. I've researched printing. Not much left for the publisher except getting the book out there, which again, they say is my responsibility. Its an odd time for this industry.

[Tri2Cook]

They've certainly left themselves room to negotiate up if they want to. It sounds kinda like the only thing you really have to gain with them is their contacts... but sometimes that's a valuable commodity.