in My books, The Writing Life, Things I've Learned 1,063 Words

How publishing a cookbook helped me as a writer

Since my main interests in writing are historical fiction and history, it would seem that publishing a cookbook has nothing to do with either one of those or my pursuit of a career as a writer. I beg to differ.

If one wants practice in proofreading, I recommend they proofread a cookbook. At least two typos got past my sister and me in the proofreading stages. Proofreading a cookbook is a humbling experience. It should serve me well in my next short stories and books.

The Aunts (A U N T S) in the Kitchen: Southern Family Recipes, by Janet and Marie Morrison
The Aunts in the Kitchen: Southern Family Recipes, by Janet Morrison and Marie Morrison

Proofreading a cookbook is part paying extreme detail to numbers and part writing directions in a concise yet thorough way. It means trying to put yourself in the shoes of someone making the recipe for the first time – or even a novice cook or baker.

Are the instructions not only correct in sequence of method but also clear enough to give the cook the best chance to follow the directions with ease instead of confusion and frustration? Are the recipes presented in a way to give the cook the best chance to be pleased with the final product?

Proofreading is tedious work and it is always a good idea to have a second set of eyes. In fact, if my sister and I had not worked together proofreading the 289 recipes in our cookbook, half the errors we found probably would have slipped past us.

A few words about the software I use

Is there a book in you that is begging to come out? Do you think self-publishing is not within your reach? That is where I was two years ago. I never expected to be able to format a book in a form acceptable for Amazon or any other self-publication platform.

The Atticus.io app has enabled me to publish two local history books (Harrisburg, Did You Know? Cabarrus History, Books 1 and 2); two short stories (“Slip Sliding Away” and “Ghost of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse: An American Revolutionary War Ghost Story”); and a cookbook (The Aunts in the Kitchen: Southern Family Recipes) since last November!

BookBrush.com has made it possible for me to design the book covers for each of those books. I am not computer savvy, in the big scheme of things; however, I have been able to accomplish all this self-publishing in a little less than one year.

In addition, I have created memes for Facebook and bookmarks related to my books on BookBrush.com. That is just a fraction of what one can do through BookBrush.com tools.

Disclaimer: I am receiving no compensation in any form whatsoever for mentioning Atticus.io or BookBrush.com. I just want other writers who are considering going the self-publishing route to know about these tools I have used. What they have made possible for me has been life-changing.

The formatting and book design tools are not without challenges. There are learning curves with both but, if I can do it, anyone can do it.

The Atticus.io support team is extraordinary. Hands down, they are the best tech support group of people I have ever worked with. They have job security as long as I am self-publishing books!

Both BookBrush.com and Atticus.io have free workshops to help you understand how to use their various features.

Self-publishing is an education, and I have found it to be a beneficial introduction into the publishing world. It remains to be seen if any of my current projects (historical short stories, a devotional book, and historical novels) will be self- or traditionally-published.

Regardless of which path my current and future writing projects take, my self-publishing experience will serve me well. That definitely includes proofreading!

The rewards

So far, I have learned that by the time I paid for:

  • website redesign;
  • maintaining a website and blog;
  • the right to use Atticus.io and BookBrush.com;
  • printing bookmarks designed on BookBrush.com
  • printing and shipping costs for author copies;
  • books about the craft of writing;
  • online writing courses;
  • etc…

it can be difficult to break even financially.

I consider the two short stories I have self-published to be ways to get my name out there as an historical fiction writer. It all falls under the adage: “To make money, you have to spend money.” I offer one of my short stories as a gift to everyone who subscribes to my e-newsletter.

It is not easy to get established as a writer. It has been a winding road and at times a daunting endeavor; however, my reward already is to see my name as the author on the spine of several books.

If I accomplish nothing else, I am happy that someday my heirs will know that I had a dream to write and I persevered to realize that dream.

Since my last blog post

Some weeks I can’t remember what I’ve done since my last blog post. It isn’t until I look back over my to-do list and find items checked off as completed that I realize I am making steady progress in my writing.

I did research for a short story I’m writing; typed notes from The Author Estate Handbook, by M.L. Ronn and added to the list of the things I need to take care of before I update my will; researched Fort Dobbs State Historic Site near Statesville, NC, Shallow Ford on the Yadkin River, and Bethabara State Historic Site for the novel I am writing; and planned a trip to visit several sites pertinent to that novel.

I watched a BookBrush.com free presentation on Zoom about book marketing on Pinterest. It was a real eye-opener. Good news/bad news: Now I have a thousand new tasks to add to my to-do list.

Until my next blog post

If you want to write a book, do it!

I hope you have at least one good book to read this week. I have more than I can find time to read!

Make time for your friends and family.

Don’t forget to visit https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com and subscribe to my e-newsletter.

Remember the innocent people of Ukraine and the Middle East. It is the innocent citizens who are so often caught in the middle and pay the ultimate price for the actions of dictators and terrorists.

Janet

30 thoughts on “How publishing a cookbook helped me as a writer”

  2. You’re so right about proofreading recipes. I remember following a recipe that didn’t look right to me, but I went ahead and made the dish anyway because I thought the cook/chef knew what they were doing. The final result was inedible. One of the ingredient measurements in the recipe was wrong. A freshman composition exercise I’ve seen other faculty use is to require students to write the procedures for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

    I’ve been using Bookbrush for several years now. I think Canva is probably more versatile and has more options, but I had a hard time figuring out how to use it, and the return on the time investment it would take to learn it wasn’t worth it. I bought Atticus for the last book I published. Once I figured out the settings I wanted, the formatting went very smoothly. I also use Kindlepreneur’s Publisher Rocket.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I don’t know about being “talented and full of knowledge,” Laleh. I don’t feel very smart, but I love how you encourage and build up my self-confidence. You’re the best!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. That’s funny about that recipe you followed, although I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time. I hadn’t thought about composing a recipe’s instructions as an English assignment, but I love the idea!

    I think I looked into Canva before I settled on Bookbrush and maybe did not find it as user-friendly. Thank you for mentioning Kindlepreneur’s Publisher Rocket. I have it and I rarely think to use it. I’ve used it on occasion to help with a blog post title. It’s interesting to see what changing one word can do. I probably need to use it more than I have.

    Last week’s free Bookbrush workshop made me realize how much more I could be doing with Bookbrush and Pinterest. I spent the weekend creating pins. By the way, you probably already know this, but I did not know what Alternate Text on a pin or a photo for a blog meant. It is what is read to a sight-impaired person when they are online. All these years I’ve just ignored “Alternate Text” because I didn’t know what it meant! I don’t know why I never looked it up on a search engine to find out. Sometimes I have to wonder about myself.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. I watched after half the Bookbrush workshop. I’ve saved the recording for future reference. What I found most useful was the need to think like a search engine, along with the examples of how that works.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Phenomenal Janet! A most beautiful book and a testament to hard work and perseverance. I am certainly it will be a smashing success! All the best! We are finished with the show and super tired but pleased and very happy to have spent the last 11 days at the exhibition talking and engaging with hundreds of people. Have a wonderful week!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Thank you so much, Francis. I hope the cookbook will be a success. Time will tell. I know you must be exhausted after the exhibition, but I’m thrilled that it was well-received and you got to meet so many people interested in your work. We’re having a dry spell right now — which I won’t complain about. With highs in the 70s to close to 80 F. this week, I’m loving it! I want that kind of warmth to hold on as long as possible. It’s the time of year when it’s warmer outside than inside the house. I hope you have a great week and find time to relax a bit and reflect on the exhibition.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I agree. In my mind, I lumped Pinterest in with Facebook, etc., never realizing that it is really a search engine. That was worth the “price” of admission. LOL!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Thank you so much Janet. It’s getting cooler here every day, into the 50’s F. With high 40’s in the early mornings… well enjoy your warmer weather as long as it lasts and all the best!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Thank you Janet! For us it is time to re-plan and prepare and most importantly rest… enjoy your warm weather, here it’s getting to feel like autumn already, getting cooler every day… all the best!

    Liked by 1 person

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