Before You Write That Cookbook…
It's a lot of work and you may not make any money, but it can be a big-time image booster for you and your restaurant. Is it worth it? Susan R. Friedland weighs the pros and cons.
Nowadays, even famous chefs find it as challenging to get a book published as to score a multi-star review in a major metropolitan daily. Yet many still do succeed at both, as evidenced last month in Food Arts' year-end roundup of over 100 chef cookbooks released in 2008.
Writing a cookbook adds depth to chefs' résumés, enhances their reputations, and generates publicity for their restaurants. It's also an opportunity for them to share creativity and passion for cooking with committed amateur cooks. Here are a few pointers to consider before getting started.
Chefs are surrounded by enthusiastic fans. Day after day, night after night, diners praise their imagination and talent. Sometimes it can sound as if everyone is clamoring for a cookbook. That alone can become an impetus to write one.
If a chef has been praised in print by a well-known journalist, this can get him noticed by book publishers. Without comment on the fairness of the situation, many publishers are in New York City, and they frequently eat in restaurants. If a publisher is familiar with a chef's food, he may invite him to write a cookbook. Sometimes a literary agent (lots of them live in New York City, too) may suggest a book. But most often, a chef simply wants to share his recipes, techniques, and passion. No matter the situation, the process starts the same way because very few chefs are handed a contract and a pen with which to sign it without first having to submit a proposal. A proposal is an outline of the book that demonstrates to the publisher what it will be about and how well the chef or his ghostwriter can write. It should include background information on the chef and the restaurant and marketing information (e.g., Restaurant ABC feeds 500 people a night, check averages are in excess of $200 per person, and the Daily Bugle's critic has given it five stars) that will help the publisher sell the book. There should also be a list of proposed recipes as well as a dozen or so full recipes, with head notes, tips, boxes, etc. This is no place to display modesty. A proposal should be truthful but shouldn't undersell the chef's skill or the book's potential. A strong proposal is a writer's most valuable tool. It should wow editors and help them pitch the idea to their publishers, who control the money.
A wise chef, who is lucky enough to have stirred the interest of a publisher or has the urge to write a cookbook, should hire an agent, preferably one who represents other cookbook authors and knows the terrain. It's advisable to ask around to get recommendations from colleagues and then interview several potential agents. It's important to find a compatible agent, as you will be spending a fair amount of time together (if not in person, by e-mail and telephone) and will want to partner with someone with whom you can work well. A good agent will guide a writer through the publishing process. He will send the proposal to likely buyers and will negotiate the contract with the publisher, normally trying for an advance higher than the one the publisher wants to pay. The agent will also know writers and recipe testers and will steer the writer through the many steps involved in publishing (writing, editing, publicity, marketing, and so on). Perhaps most important of all, a good agent will allow the chef to maintain his dignity while the agent fights the chef's battles.
Few chefs write their own books. Most hire a writer, who will either take a percentage of the advance and share in future royalties or be paid a flat fee. However, if it's a narrative a chef wants to write, à la Anthony Bourdain, or the forthcoming book by Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune in New York City, the success of the book will depend almost entirely on the skill of the writer.
The recipe tester is normally paid either a flat fee for the whole job or a per-recipe fee. If the book is targeting the home cook, recipes should be tested in home kitchens unequipped with stoves giving off 20,000 BTUs, fancy ovens, and a staff to do the scullery work; and, of course, the proportions must be reduced to serve four to eight. Recipes that don't work are damaging to a chef's reputation, to say nothing of the trouble they cause the publisher, who too often must field the telephone calls and e-mails from frustrated readers.
If a chef hasn't been invited by a publisher to write a book, he should talk to the agent and get some advice on his chances of being offered a contract. If he persists, it's likely he'll find a publisher. There's no question that the market is saturated and publishers are very skittish about committing serious money to cookbooks at this time. In fact, the entire publishing industry is undergoing a transformation, with everyone wondering how to cope with the Internet and reluctant book buyers.
A high-volume popular restaurant, however, offers a publisher a place to sell books that would otherwise be unavailable. Publishers are always searching for new markets, nontraditional outlets beyond book stores. One question the publisher will surely ask is about the "buy-back"—books the restaurant will purchase, on a nonreturnable basis, at a substantial discount (50 to 65 percent of the retail price), to sell at list price in the restaurant. A 5,000 or 10,000 copy buy-back is a big incentive for a publisher. A word of caution, however, because the chef will have to find a place to store those books. In some cases, the publisher will store them in its warehouse, but they will likely charge a storage fee. When the print run is enough to guarantee a profit without having to sell the book through conventional retail channels, it's also important to make sure the publisher will still commit to a publicity and marketing campaign. Check that a predetermined sum has been set-aside in the contract.
Here are some cold hard facts to mull over. TV stars make the most money and sell the most books—the disparity between their publishing careers and those of non-TV chefs is vast. A woman who used to own a fancy take-out store in New York's tony Hamptons and who has an ongoing presence on the Food Network is paid substantial advances by her publisher (a million per book, maybe more). Her books perform for her publisher in an enviable way. Her first book, published in 1994, has sold more than half a million copies, and none of her six books have sold fewer than 200,000 copies.
At the height of his TV career, one chef and Food Network star sold millions of books. One book, published in 1998, has sold more than 700,000 copies. He recently sold his brand to another, even larger brand, and they just concluded a multi-book deal with modest advances and profit sharing, which reduces the risk for the publisher and gives a big incentive to the chef. On the other hand, a renowned and talented French chef with several restaurants in New York City as well as Palm Beach, FL and Las Vegas, but no television cooking show, wrote a book that sold little more than 10,000 copies—that's not a performance a publisher is eager to reward by offering the chef another contract, even for a modest advance.
A chef with several first-rate restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles and a lot of television exposure published a book in 2005 for which he received an advance that reached a hair under seven figures, and the book has sold a little more than 200,000 copies. The list price of the book is $34.95. Let's assume the author is getting a 10 percent royalty (it actually could fall anywhere between 8 and 12 percent); that is roughly $700,000 in earnings. This enormously successful book, with sales that would thrill any publisher, has yet to earn out its advance.
Fifteen years ago, a well-known, well-liked New York City restaurateur and his talented chef (who does not appear on television regularly) published a book based on the recipes at one of their award-winning, very popular restaurants that just keeps selling—more than 100,000 copies—and is still selling in the restaurant, in bookstores, and on the Internet. Everyone is happy: The book chugs along, the publisher didn't overpay for it, and the recipes are tantalizing—and they work. It's not a "blockbuster," but slow and steady often wins the race.
This is my final optimistic example: an award-winning chef, with a restaurant in California and another in New York City but no TV show, published a lavish and beautiful cookbook in 1999 that has sold well over 100,000 copies. He received a mid six-figure advance, out of which he had to pay his "team"—writer, recipe tester, photographer—but the book has earned out its advance and is the envy of many a chef. But, for each cheerful example of a happy author and publisher counting their profits, there are many failed chef cookbooks.
If a chef doesn't have a TV show or a line of products, he will be very lucky if a publisher will offer a $100,000 advance. He will have to hire a writer to whom he offers a percentage of the advance and the profits: 50/50, 45/55, or whatever he agrees to. But let's say the writer needs to pay the rent and can't wait for these elusive profits. He wants a fee, and he wants it up front. That $100,000 is usually payable in thirds: one-third on signing the contract, one-third on delivering the manuscript, and one-third on publication. These payout terms are negotiable, but it's easy to see right away that two years or more could pass before the chef gets his $85,000 (an agent will take 15 percent right off the top of each payment). The chef could quickly be out of pocket. If he is not a partner with the writer, he will have to pay the writer a fee of at least $25,000. That leaves the chef with $60,000, out of which he'll have to pay a recipe tester, about $100 to $125 a recipe, plus ingredients (there goes another $10,000, minimum, unless the writer agrees to do it for his fee). And then there are the photos. This is a tricky business. A publisher usually asks the author to pay for the photos so that the cost isn't charged against the publisher's profits and can be earned out as part of the advance. Chefs are usually highly visual people and want beautiful photos for their books. Here again, fees vary widely, and sometimes the publisher will negotiate for the author (but rarely pay). It's possible much, if not all, of the $50,000 left in the author's pocket could go to paying the photographer.
So, is it worth it? That depends. A chef needs to weigh the costs versus the benefits, especially if he's going to end up substantially out of pocket. After debating the pros and cons, the answer may be no, but if the answer is yes, it's worth a try if a chef feels he has something to say, something to teach, an unknown culture to share with devoted food lovers, and money isn't the impetus. But keep in mind, it's hard and time-consuming work.
A chef shouldn't despair if he fails to sell a publisher on his project—he still has his day job. Major publishers are cutting back on their cookbook acquisitions, some eliminating the category entirely. Rejection is not a judgment on a chef's ability. If he does succeed in selling a cookbook, it's unlikely he'll get rich; he may, but don't count on it. The value of producing a cookbook to a chef is tasting success in a field other than the one in which he has been trained, the gratification of sharing his talent and recipes, and the heightened recognition both for himself and his restaurant, which can lead to increased business.
Good luck!
Author of five cookbooks, Susan R. Friedland was executive editor and director of cooking publishing at HarperCollins for almost two decades, working with household names and her fair share of chefs.
TOP AGENTS
David Black David Black Literary Agency, New York City, 212-242-5080
Doe Coover The Doe Coover Agency, Win-chester, MA, info@doecooveragency.com
Janis Donnaud Janis A. Donnaud and Associates, New York City, donnaudassociate@aol.com
Jennifer Griffin The Miller Agency, New York City, Jennifer@milleragency.net
Angela Miller The Miller Agency, New York City, angela@milleragency.net
Judith Weber Sobel Weber Associates, New York City, info@sobelweber.com
TOP EDITORS
Ann Bramson Artisan Books, New York City, info@artisanbooks.com
Pam Chirls John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, pchirls@wiley.com
Maria Guarnaschelli W.W. Norton & Company, New York City, mguarnaschelli@wwnorton.com
Dan Halpern Ecco Press, New York City, virginia.smith@harpercollins.com
Judith Jones Knopf, New York City, 212-782-9000
Pam Kraus Rodale, Emmaus, PA, info@rodale.com
William LeBlond Chronicle Books, San Francisco, bill_leblond@chroniclebooks.com
Rux Martin Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, rux.martin@harcourt.com
Suzanne Rafer Workman Press, New York City, suzanne@workman.com
Anja Schmidt Dorling Kindersley, New York City editor@dk.com
Geoffrey Stone Running Press, Philadelphia, geoffrey.stone@perseusbooks.com
Aaron Wehner Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, aaron.wehner@tenspeed.com
