I've been telling people that one of the fun things about getting older is that while you realize how little about everything you really know, you do come to realize that you do know a lot more than many about some things. And in case you don't know me personally, I've never been one to hesitate to give advice :)
Here's an e-mail exchange from work today when I grad student wrote me out of the blue for advice.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mallory A Lee [mailto:mlee@stmarys-ca.edu]
Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 10:54 PM
To: Smith, Michael
Subject: Marketing Cookbook Question
Hi Michael,
I am an MBA student at Saint Mary's College and I am currently working on a marketing plan for prospective cookbook author. As the Senior-vice president of marketing for Food Network, I felt that you would be a great source to contact for some marketing research.
Basically, as a young author of a cookbook with an unrecognizable name in comparison to your stars such as Ina and Rachel Ray, I'm guessing this is a terribly hard market to break into. So, my very open-ended question to you is how you would recommend an aspiring cookbook author to market her book, and secondly what is your (Food
Network's) process for collaborative cookbooks? Any information would help my process!
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Mallory Lee
From: Smith, Michael
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 5:15 PM
To: 'Mallory A Lee'
Subject: RE: Marketing Cookbook Question
Look at the top 10 cookbooks on the B&N list this week and you'll see some of the keys to cookbook success. Having built-in name appeal from past fame really helps.
Guy Fieri #2 and Ina Garten #5 are Food Network tv stars. The Biggest Loser #4 and America's Test Kitchen #10 are popular tv shows. Martha Earnhardt #8 is the mother of a NASCAR star.
Nancy Harmon Jenkins #3 is a veteran food writer who's has several prior bestsellers. David Zinczenko #1 is the editor of Men's Health magaxzine, a popular blogger, and has been on several TV shows.
Tucker Max #6 had a popular website before his book came out. Michael F. Roizen #9 is a famous doctor and the founder of RealAge and a past chairman of the FDA advisory committee.
Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More!
by David Zinczenko
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip ... with Recipes!
by Guy Fieri
The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health by Nancy Harmon Jenkins
Biggest Loser Family Cookbook: Budget-Friendly Meals Your Whole Family Will Love by Devin Alexander
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: How to Get Great Flavors from Simple Ingredients by Ina Garten
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (Revised) by Tucker Max
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg
Pit Stop in a Southern Kitchen: Two Moms of Racing Legends Serve Up Stories and Recipes by Martha Earnhardt
You on a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management by Michael F. Roizen
America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (REV) by America's Test Kitchen
My advice is to build your fame in blog world or through TV appearances, and then try to leverage that into publishing. For example, we didn't publish Guy Fieri's first book unitl he'd done over 2 years and 60 episodes of TV shows for us.
The only other road I've seen work is to come up with a truly unique gimmick, like 30 Minute Meals, or Semi Homemade Cooking, The South Beach Diet, etc.
Good luck,
Michael
