Category Archives: A Publisher’s Life

The First Washington Post Cookbook

Posted on by under A Publisher's Life, Bookmasters Reads

The Washington Post Food section has been a staple of national food coverage for decades. The Post has, for the first time, released its very own cookbook. The Washington Post Cookbook: Readers’ Favorite Recipes featuring dishes that have appeared in The Washington Post. Many of the book’s 173 recipes were suggested by readers and then compiled and annotated by the book’s editor, Bonnie S. Benwick. Recently, we had the chance to talk with Bonnie about The Washington Post Cookbook.

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Here is what she had to say:

Q:   What has been the overall reaction from people who read the Washington Post Cookbook: Readers’ Favorite Recipes?

A:    I’m really gratified. This was a tough assignment, in terms of wishing I had more time to do it! I think the reaction overall has been very positive. Readers are happy to see recipes that they had clippings of are now in a cookbook.

Q:   How did you pick the recipes for the Washington Post Cookbook: Readers’ Favorite Recipes?

A:    At first I had a meeting with former Post Food editor and food critic Phyllis Richman; she was one of the key people who elevated the section to national status.  It earned various awards under her tenure. I talked with her about the scale of the book, and what was the best way to go about it.

We published a blog post and solicited recommendations during our online weekly discussions, and we had people send in suggestions through the paper and e-mail. We received hundreds of recipes that people had scanned from old Washington Post newspapers, or 3-by-5 index cards  on which they had transcribed Post recipes. Sometimes they even sent in a story to go along with them, so deciding was a bit difficult. There are regular chapters within the book, so my goal was to line up the recipes with categories such as meatless, poultry and desserts. I just wanted to make sure I had a fairly equal amount of recipes for each category.

If one recipe got three or four recommendations, then it  was automatically in. I spent time calling freelancers, cookbook authors and photographers because we needed permission to use their work. It was kind of fun to reconnect with them.

For the categories I needed to even out, I checked our online database (washingtonpost.com/recipes) which has more than 5,000 archived recipes. After all the searching, we ended up with more recipes than we could use. No surprise there!

Q:   What was the overall reaction of the people who were notified about being included in the book?

A:    They were thrilled. In one instance, I talked to a very nice lady named Eva, a faithful Post reader who is in her 80s and did a recipe for seafood phyllo triangles.  She had taught Greek cooking classes in the area for 25 years and her daughter taught as well. She said that for the book, we needed to make the name of the recipe “more accurate.” So we did!

Q:   Can anyone submit recipes to the Washington Post Food section?

A:    It doesn’t quite work like that. Most of the time, people are looking for recipes that include – or omit — certain ingredients. We then go out and search for the recipes to test for the Food section.

Q:   What is your favorite recipe from the book?

A:    Tiny Tim Tarts. I wrestled it out of the hands of the first food editor I ever worked for. You make them in mini muffin tins. Each tart must have only three cranberries, covered in a chopped walnut, brown sugar and butter topping and encased in a cream cheese crust. They are just the perfect holiday bite. I have made them for decades.

Q:   Have you always had a passion for culinary?

A:    I wish I could have gone to culinary school, but I landed in journalism by a fluke and loved it. I was an English major who wanted to teach and then I came up to Washington D.C. and started freelance writing and editing. It turns out that this is the best job in the world, because you get to find out new things every day and work with really smart people.

Q:   What do you consider your biggest cooking triumph?

A:    Well, I’m sort of addicted to brisket recipes. The first meal I ever cooked for my husband-to-be was brisket — six pounds for the two of us,  which didn’t make any sense.  And it  didn’t taste very good. That sent me on a quest to find the perfect way to make it. For a Food section story, I was even able to judge a brisket cook-off at a synagogue where I ate about 20 kinds. I have found some good candidates, but I am still searching, by the way!

Q:   Were there any recipes that you wish could have made it into the book?

A:    Well, between you and me…and everyone else reading this…I put a couple of my favorites in there. Recipes that I wish made it into the book would have included one from a bakery in downtown Washington that closed; it had a recipe for Soft Gingerbread Boy cookies that were just phenomenal. The freelance writer had to work really hard to get the recipe. I wish we could have gotten that in, but hopefully we can include it in a future book.

Q:   Do you use any of the Washington Post recipes at home? If so, can you give us a few examples?

A:    You bet I do. When I test each week’s Dinner in Minutes dish, that’s what we end up eating at home on weeknights. In the summer I make a Top Tomato contest winner called Tomato Kimchi-Chi. It has a little Asian fusion thing going on, like a salsa with something extra.  Also, there is a recipe for chocolate bread. I learned how to make it from a woman and her son who live in Silver Spring, where they bake in a wood-fired oven they built in their own back yard. It makes the house smell like chocolate heaven.

Q:   Do you plan on releasing any more cookbooks? If so, can you give us a hint to what they might include?

A:    The Post had never done a cookbook before and no one, including Phyllis, could really tell me why that was, other than this was a big effort and an investment. But now that we have done one, we are hoping to supplement with some eBooks. A lot of people have asked about our annual cookie issue that we have done since 2006, where we have nothing but cookies on the cover and include about 25 recipes each time.

Q:   What key factor has made The Washington Post Food section such a success over the years?

A:    I think we have never forgotten what is local. We do cover things nationally, but we like to focus on things in the Washington area. For the recipes themselves, we even include the phone number or address of the stores that carry special ingredients.

Q:   Is there anything else you would like readers to know about The Washington Post Cookbook: Readers’ Favorite Recipes?

A:    I would say that this is a keepsake, which is not what I thought the book would be when I started. I would have loved to take a couple of years to do a big cookbook with a thousand recipes but that wasn’t to be. I think we have given the readers a cookbook  they can use every day.

To order your copy of the Washington Post Cookbook: Readers’ Favorite Recipes visit our bookstore.

Shark Tank for Authors

Posted on by under A Publisher's Life, General

SharkTank

Shark Tank, a popular TV show on the ABC network, gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their business idea to 5 well-known investors. After the entrepreneur is finished presenting his or her business model, marketing plan, and sales projections, it’s the investors’ turn. If an investor likes the idea enough to invest time and money into the project, they will tell the entrepreneur how much money they will invest and the percentage stake in the company they want in return. If both sides agree, they shake hands and make the deal.

You might be wondering where authors fit into this scenario. Most authors strive to become a published author and a good percentage of those authors would love the opportunity to work with one of the Big 6 publishers, including Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Group, and Random House. The hardest part of becoming a published author is getting noticed. Each of the Big 6 publishers receives thousands of manuscripts each day from authors and the majority of those manuscripts end up in the recycling bin. But what if there was a way that authors could present their book ideas to a panel of representatives from these major publishing houses?

When you think about authors and entrepreneurs, they aren’t too different: each has invested time and money into a project that they are willing to sacrifice almost anything for. They both have a product that they hope will enhance the lives of the consumer and all they need is someone to help them get up and running. If one of these publishing house representatives likes the book pitch from the author, they can present their terms for signing the author to their publishing house. Even if the author isn’t picked up by the publishing house, they will receive feedback from each representative that can better prepare them and their manuscript for future pitches.

Shark Tank for Authors could be the first of many author inspired TV shows including The Book based on the popular show The Voice or even Dream Makeover: Book Edition where the author can work with industry leaders to makeover their book.  What do you think authors? Would you stand in front six of major publishing houses and possibly millions of TV viewers to pitch your next book?

The Cover is Key: Don’t Let Your Book Go Unnoticed

Posted on by under A Publisher's Life, Digital Books, Industry Insights, Marketing Tips

By Michelle Antus, Bookmasters’ Media Design Specialist

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“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

While one of our culture’s favorite idioms is nice in theory, the reality is that it occurs more frequently than we may want. As consumers in a visually driven marketplace, we are constantly judging the contents of a package by its appearance. Think of the last time you bought an unfamiliar product brand. What made you pick it up? Chances are something on the outside of the package caught your attention. A book cover should be no different. It needs to stand out from the thousands of other books in the market.

The cover is the face of the book and is what will ultimately be used to promote the book. People shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but let’s be honest: it happens, and that means the cover needs to be designed well.  Humans are drawn to a solid, eye catching design, whether or not they can articulate why. Having a true professional design the cover is worth the investment.  A good artist will know how to design a quality cover that displays the emotion and theme of the book. The more information and inspiration the designer is fed, the better the cover will be.

Like any piece of good artwork, the cover needs to look good in a variety of situations. A printed, full color cover is only one of the aspects. It can be viewed in both color and black & white e-Readers, print publications, and websites. It also has to pack a punch when it is only 70 pixels wide. When a book is listed online in a search, 9 times out of 10, it will not have a description alongside it and it will be a much smaller version of the cover.

The cover has to be the magnet to pull in the potential readers and quickly and accurately tell them why they should give your book a chance. However, an overly complex design or overly minimalistic design does not always equal a solid cover. A potential reader will only look at a cover for a few seconds before he or she decides if it is worth picking up. If the cover is a mess or fails to engage the passerby, it will be looked over without a second glance. Exceptions to this rule are authors who have sold millions of copies and are a household name, such as J.K. Rowling or William Shakespeare. Once an author has made a name for his or herself, it is easier to bend the rules of design.

Do a bit of research before you jump in to designing your cover. Look at other titles and see what they did, and then don’t look at them again during the design process. Pushing the other cover designs aside makes sure that you avoid copyright infringement on another artist’s work and puts the focus back on your cover and book, and not imitating what others have done. Cover design is not always about having the flashiest and most trendy cover on the market. Let your book’s content dictate the cover. It is obvious when someone tries to force a certain type of cover on their book that doesn’t fit.

The key is to create a cover that fits your target audience and the book’s overall tone. Don’t have a dark, sullen, dreary looking cover if your book is a lighthearted photo collection of fawns frolicking in fields with fedoras. The cover also needs to be engaging to give potential marketers something to work with. The design of marketing material can only go so far to promote the book and the weight of the promotion cannot fall completely on the shoulders of the marketing team. Marketing designs and layouts should complement and enhance the cover, but should not be the focal point. The book cover is what really helps the design shine and is what people will remember most.

Just as the contents of the book are an extension of your brain, the cover needs to be an extension and reflection of the book. Since you can’t physically tell every person why they should buy your book, the cover needs to do that for you. A designer can help you give it a strong voice and let your book shine.

5 tips:

  • Browse other titles in your genre. Look at what makes them succeed or fail. Just be sure not to copy a cover directly.
  • Tell your designer what you like and don’t like about covers you have seen in the marketplace. The more you can articulate your wants and tastes, the better the cover will look.
  • Don’t be afraid to shop around for a designer. Each designer has a set of strengths, so don’t settle for one that doesn’t fit your needs.
  • Engage with a cover that fits the target audience and overall tone, but most importantly, acts as your voice to tell potential buyers why they should purchase your book.
  • A minimalistic cover can be engaging; it just has to be designed well.

THE END? A Guest Post by Victoria Wilcox

Posted on by under A Publisher's Life, Guest Blogs, Industry Insights
image by Kriss Szkurlatowski

image by Kriss Szkurlatowski

So you’ve finally finished your masterpiece, read and edited and proofed and reread the carefully typed manuscript, and now it’s ready for the two most wonderful words in a writer’s vocabulary: The End!  And soon, you’ll be querying agents and sending off submissions, receiving an offer of representation, and watching a bidding war between all the top publishers in your genre.  Hey, it could happen!

But before it does, and before you type “The End” at the bottom of your final page, you’ve still got some work to do.  Because finishing the manuscript is just the start of the business of writing.  Now you have a synopsis to write, and you may find it even harder than writing the work on which it’s based.  And doing it right may mean the difference between landing a book deal and languishing in the slush pile of an agent’s office.  Even if you’re intent on self-publishing, a synopsis is elemental to the success of your book.

So what’s a synopsis?  And how do you write one?  And what do you do with it once it’s done?

According to Peter Rubie, CEO of Fine Print Literary in New York, “A synopsis is a narrative summation of your fiction, telling the story rather than showing it.”  It’s your story as told to a child, a simple description of the beginning, middle, and end of the plot and how the characters make it happen.  If your story were a house, a synopsis is the way it would look without all the décor, emptied of furniture and rugs and knickknacks until it’s nothing but walls and doors and a roof overhead.

But why build a house only to deconstruct it?  Because those agents and editors that you hope to impress are looking for something more elemental than a beautiful writing style – they are looking for a story they can sell and they don’t have much time to find it.  With a synopsis, they can make a quick judgment about whether your book is the right fit for them.  And for you as a writer, the benefit of gutting your careful construction down to its framing is that you can see where things are out of plumb or not nailed in just right.  Are the plot progressions logical?  Have you left a character with no way to get from point A to point C?  Did the story in your head really make it onto paper?  Without all the interior decorating, you can see where the house may have flaws – and fix them before you put it on the market.

Then once you’ve corrected the flaws and your book is signed and sold, the synopsis will serve another purpose, becoming the basis for book blurbs, press releases, and talking points for author interviews.  The graphic artist will use it as inspiration for your cover design.  The publisher and distributor will use it in their marketing to book stores and libraries.  For most of the publishing professionals who deal with your book, your synopsis IS your story.  The same is true even if you choose to self-publish your work, as you will still need blurbs and press releases and talking points as you take on the tremendous task of doing your own marketing.

The Fiction Writers Connection has a good step-by-step on how to write a synopsis at www.fictionwriters.com/tips-synopsis.html.    As you did with your book, take your time to do it well, and you’ll have finally earned the right to proudly say: “The End!”

Author_Photo_ColorVictoria Wilcox knows how hard-won “The End” can be, having spent eighteen years researching and writing her historical fiction trilogy Southern Son: The Saga of Doc Holliday (Knox Robinson Publishing, London).  A member of the Western Writers of America, Wilcox discovered the untold story of Doc Holliday while working as founding director of Georgia’s Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House Museum.  Although the name Doc Holliday conjures images of the Wild West and the shootout at the OK Corral, before he was a Western legend he was a Southern son, born in the last days of the Old South with family links to Gone With the Wind.  The first book in the saga is Inheritance (May 2013), set during the turbulent times of Civil War and Reconstruction, as young John Henry Holliday faces first love and family tragedy, honor and betrayal, and a violent encounter that changes his life forever.  Learn more at www.victoriawilcoxbooks.com

Manuscript: How Rough Is Too Rough?

Posted on by under A Publisher's Life, General, Industry Insights

Editorial

After months or even years of writing your book, you finally have a finished manuscript. Or do you? Whether you’re sending out your manuscript for publisher review or planning on self-publishing, make sure you take the time to prepare your manuscript. There are a few things you can focus on when preparing your manuscript for the publishing process.

Take your time.

Writing your book can seem like a long drawn out process, but you want your first reader, whether that is an editor, mentor, or friend, to enjoy reading it. ALWAYS have someone read your work before sending it into the world. After rereading and rewriting your work, your brain is more likely to input words that are missing from the rough draft. Don’t rush this reading and rewriting process because constructive criticism should always be a welcomed tool, whether traditional or self-publishing.

Edit until you are blue in the face.

Put yourself in a publisher’s shoes. You receive thousands of manuscripts each week from authors who want to be the next big thing, so would you want to open up a mess? Typos and bad grammar will heighten the chance for your manuscript to end up in the recycle bin. They want a story that makes them forget the other author candidates waiting in their inbox, so help your manuscript shine by presenting a polished piece.

If you’re planning on self-publishing, your goal is to give the feeling of a traditionally published book, but keep creative control of your work. Creating this illusion starts with the words on the page because content is king for self-publishers. Without all the glitz and glamor of a famous publishing house name, you’re left with just a story. You can’t rest on a publishing house carrying your book through and gaining sales because you were published by that big name. Make sure your writing is clean of mistakes and clear on a storyline, so your readers enjoy spending time with your book.

Get reviews.

Advanced praise is good for any book whether traditionally published or self-published because readers trust honest reviews. You can gain advance reviews a number of ways thanks to advancements in technology within the publishing industry. Bookmasters takes advantage of these advancements by offering digital book review services through Clarion Book Review, NetGalley, and the Book2Look Widget that allow you to save money in printing costs. Remember that reviews can come back positive or negative, so be ready to take constructive criticism. If you do receive a negative review, don’t worry: it is still early enough in the publishing process that changes can be made.

Present the perfect manuscript.

Once your manuscript has been edited, read through by multiple people, and includes great advance reviews, it is ready to be sent off. If you are traditionally publishing, this is when you will send a letter of interest and then follow up with the unbound manuscript if the publisher requests it. If you are self-publishing, it is time to decide if you are publishing an eBook, a print book or both and if you are planning to work with a distributer like Bookmasters that can help with every step of the publishing process. Whatever path you choose, be confident knowing that your manuscript is ready for the critical eyes of the publishing world.