Comments on: Inside an Author’s Cookbook Advance and Expenses

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:59:17 +0000

Thanks Danica, but being a cookbook author is actually not a good way to foot the bills, as the author points out!

By: Danica

Danica — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:51:59 +0000

Another great post, Dianne ~ I really needed to see this! I have always wondered really what could be made in writing a cookbook. It always seems like so much work for the amount of money you would/might receive especially if writing isn’t your primary profession.

I do agree you have to do it for the passion of doing it, but, you also have to be able to foot the bills

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:12:31 +0000

Agreed. I lived in Canada my first 22 years and most of the media was American.

Re self-publishing, I was under the impression it would be next to impossible to get into big box stores if you had a self-published book, but recently I got an email from someone who did it. I plan to investigate this with her further. Stay tuned!

By: Michelle Zack

Michelle Zack — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:22:56 +0000

As someone who grew up in America and has lived in Canada for almost four 4 years now I have to say it’s much easier for an American to break into Canadian markets because Canadians hear about the U.S. every day. The newspapers and news stations regularly have stories about what’s happening in America, the same brands are popular and a lot of the same stores are out here.

Regarding self publishing, I’d like to know how much work it takes to get in with a good distribution company. If an author self publishes should they give up the idea that their book would be in stores like Walmart or Costco?

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:02:47 +0000

And tough for Americans to access the Canadian market. Or do you think not?

By: Cheryl Arkison

Cheryl Arkison — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:05:32 +0000

And this is only the US, remember. In Canada we can drop those numbers a lot. Including what makes a best seller (5000). It can also be tough for Canadians to access the US market.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:09:33 +0000

Definitely, self-publishing is coming into its own. Thanks for chiming in, Alisa.

What you would get with a traditional publisher is wider distribution of your book.

By: Alisa

Alisa — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:46:25 +0000

Dianne, I emailed you directly, but wanted to put a comment up too, because I frequently read the comments on your blog (just did) since they are always helpful.

I think many authors, including those above, shouldn’t discount the option to self-publish. I didn’t pursue a publisher, I just went straight to market on my own, and I hit break-even and went straight to profit after two months. I was considering going with a publisher (another benefit of self-publishing, if your book does well, then getting publishing offers is that much easier), but from what I am reading here, publicity, which is what I want help with, is not what you get.

Once you get the hang of distribution, it is really quite easy on your own, and there are even new self-publishing options that require very little outlay, but are much more profitable than prior print-on-demand models. If you can do it, offset printing is as few as 500, and allows you to go with a “real” printer of your choosing. It is a big little-tapped market for authors, and the digital age is making it so much more feasible.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:34:01 +0000

You WILL get your book done, Lisa. It’s only a matter of time.

By: Lisa Waldschmidt

Lisa Waldschmidt — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:26:51 +0000

Good information to know. I enjoyed reading all the comments too. Each road is a little different and each perspective enlightening. If I ever get my book done I am sure there will be a tale to tell.