Publishing a cookbook is like publishing any other type of book. The writing is different, but the publishing process is the same. Bookstores expect cookbooks to look like other books they have in the store- either perfectbound (soft cover) or case bound (hard cover) and with a spine. Very rarely will they accept books to sell that have plastic "combs." However, if the book is not being sold in bookstores, then alternate bindings are acceptable, and often preferable, because the pages of the cookbook will lay flat when opened. Color is also a consideration in the pricing of a cookbook. A beautiful color photo of the finished food helps in selling a book, but printing with color is more expensive than printing in black and white. Because of the way smaller runs of books are printed, color can be used in their production for a smaller total cost than color for larger runs which are printed on traditional presses. However, smaller runs cost more per book than larger runs do. Often, to save money, cookbook authors print their books with a full-color cover and use black and white illustrations within the text. Evanston Publishing, Inc. has many options for printing a cookbook. If you want a perfectbound or case bound book, then the prices would be the same as for any other type of book we print.

Submitting Your Recipes

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.

Most recipes are set up as follows:

1. The recipe name
2. The name of the contributor 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

Unlike some cookbook printers, we do not charge by the recipe, since often more than one recipe can be placed on a page. This saves you money.