How To Publish Your Own Restaurant's Cookbook

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Your restaurant has a loyal following and to support your loyal following you might already be selling company t-shirts. So why not write a cookbook? You should consider self-publishing your own cookbook – you could sell your book in your restaurant and online! Just imagine the buzz that you would create for your restaurant – great PR!

Don't rule it out so quickly even if you only have one restaurant open in Atlanta. Look at it as your opportunity to promote your restaurant and tell your story, share your family's   'secret' recipes to people all over the world...while making money!

So how much is this cookbook going to cost you? Prices vary widely depending on the number of pages in the book, photography, hardback vs. paperback, and how many copies do you think you can realistically sell over a couple of years.

Think of it not as just an expense, but an as investment that will first break even as it sells and will then progress into a money making machine! We've done several hardbound books for clients, such as Mary Mac's Tea Room and The Varsity. The book could cover just the recipes, or the history of the restaurant, or better yet, both! Check out my reasons below for why you should produce a restaurant cookbook.

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  It's a PR generator. This cookbook will give you something to talk about on your Facebook, Twitter and even in your local newspaper. It could be capped off with an on-site book signing.
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  It records your restaurant's history. With Mary Macs and The Varsity, restaurants with so much history, that was an added benefit for publishing the book.
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  Get your customers involved by having them share their favorite memories about your restaurant.
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  If done correctly, it will generate money. You can sell your cookbook, while promoting your restaurant. Not only would you make money from your cookbook, but it would also drive business to your restaurant.

And according to a recently published article, "Make Money from Your Cookbook Shelf," the new trend is to buy and sell rare cookbooks. People are buying out of print cookbooks on Amazon for up to $1,583! Some of the most sought after cookbooks are the ones from restaurants that have a loyal following and printed a limited number of their book, to increase exclusivity. So who knows, in the not too distant future yours may be a real find.