take your cookbook from dream to done

It could be, with some honest context. The course is built around self-publishing, with the assumption that you're producing your own book. But almost everything you do throughout the course keeps your options open. A finished manuscript, original photography, and a press kit are useful whether you end up self-publishing or pitching to a traditional publisher. I've done both, and throughout the lessons I'll tell you where the paths diverge and what the tradeoffs actually look like. If your goal is to land a deal, doing this work first is exactly what an agent or publisher wants to see.

Being somewhat familiar with the Adobe suite makes things easier, but we start from step one and teach you how to use InDesign (an Adobe program) to create your cookbook. InDesign is somewhat easier to learn than other Adobe programs like Illustrator or Photoshop because it only has one function (formatting long documents and posters) and doesn't create graphics or edit photos. I have seen many people with little or no design experience get comfortable with the program in a short amount of time.

I’m sure you’re wondering about Canva: we don’t recommend it for many reasons, but you can use it if you want. We talk about this in greater detail inside the Cookbook Lab!

I’ve got you! We help you come up with ideas, make sure people are actually searching for cookbooks on that topic, and test those ideas with your audience.

Writing a cookbook opened so many doors for me! Since self publishing, I've had the opportunity to do live cooking demos at events, multiple TV appearances, podcast interviews, a magazine feature, LEAVE MY FULL TIME JOB, and I've even been presented with cookbook offers from publishers, all because of my self-published books.

I finished my books in 6 months with a fair amount of distraction. If you really wanted to push it, you could probably do it in as short as 3-4 months. It's okay if it takes longer, too! You'll have lifetime access to the Cookbook Lab. You can work at your own pace and go as slow or fast as you want.

We can help with that, too! We’ve got tons of resources to help you better your photography, including guest expert trainings from Joanie Simon and Sam Adler, and we’ll walk you through creating a cohesive look for your cookbook.

All of the skills you’ve built food blogging over the years have prepared you for this day! Some organizational and time management skills are helpful, as well as photography and basic design. But even if you don’t have the latter two, we are here to help!

The final costs are dependent on what you choose to hire out vs. do yourself, but I estimate you’ll spend between $3000 and $5000, including groceries. I have a free guide about pricing and cover this in depth in the course along with the real numbers of what I spent publishing my cookbooks.

You'll have lifetime access to the entire course, so you can move at your own pace and revisit any lesson as many times as you want. You'll also get access to our private Facebook group, where you can connect with other cookbook authors and ask me questions directly. And you'll receive accountability emails to keep you on track and point you to the right resources inside the course when you need them.

That’s okay! I only had about 3000 Instagram followers when I launched my first book (and frankly, I still don't have many compared to many other creators). As long as there’s demand for your book, which we talk about, you can sell it.