Before you submit your recipes, take time to check through them to make sure they are accurate. Each recipe should be submitted on disk as a separate file: for example, a recipe for apple pie should be saved as a different file than a recipe for apple crisp. If you are using MicrosoftWord to set up your recipe files, we can supply you with a template. That way, all you have to do is fill in the blank spaces and send us the completed files.

Most recipes are set up as follows:

1. The recipe name

2. The name of the contrubutor if the book is a collection of recipes from different cooks.

3. Any special comments about the recipe

4. How many people it serves

5. The oven temperature setting and any special utensils that are needed.

6. The ingredients in the order they are added.

7. The cooking instructions.

8. Any serving instructions.

When you are setting up the recipes, make the word “consistency” your mantra. Every recipe must have ingredients listed the same way. Use the same choice of capitals and small letters, whether you use "Tbs." or "tbs." is up to you, but be consistent once you make your choice. Use the same abbreviations for teaspoon, tablespoon, and cup (usually tsp., Tbs., C), and write each item in each recipe the same way—don't write "cut potatoes into small pieces" in one recipe and "cut potatoes into quarter-inch pieces" in another recipe.

Every recipe must be tested, not only in your kitchen, but by someone who has never made the item before. This means that each recipe must be written out and followed successfully by a number of people other than yourself before you can be sure it is correct. You may want to have a registered dietitian test the recipes, especially for calories and fat grams. This is not necessary, but if, for example, you are writing a cookbook for heart patients or a diet book, it will add credibility to your work.

Most importantly, proofread, proofread, proofread. A recipe with even a small error can cause an expensive mess in someone's kitchen. I once was preparing a recipe for pea soup and was amazed to find that the ingredients listed one cup of dried peas to one cup of water. If I hadn't been an experienced cook, I might have followed those directions to a disastrous conclusion.

Go to your local bookstore and go through the cookbook section to see what sort of bindings and designs you like. Use that information to visualize your own book. Then talk to us about the costs and availability of what you want.

Back to Publishing a Cookbook