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Books with spiral binding can lay flat when open and leave hands free for cooking.daisy diary image by Stefano Tiraboschi from Fotolia.com
Shop around for a publisher that matches your preferences. On-demand printers like Lulu and XLibris will walk you through the process of putting together your book. Decide what size and format you'd like to use, and what cost you are willing to pay for a printed edition. Heavy use of illustrations or use of color will be more expensive. Pick up a few cookbooks you use in your own kitchen and test out which binding you prefer. - 2). Select one or more photos for cover art. Crop and size them in a photo editing program and save as a jpeg file that you can access easily. You will probably want one photo or illustration for your front cover and small biography picture for the back. In a word processing program, compose a few paragraphs of text for the back cover.
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Use electronic templates from the publisher to compose your page.off white templates image by leafy from Fotolia.com
Upload a word processing document with the content of your book, or type or cut and paste your recipes and ingredient lists straight into the provided template. Upload all the pictures you want to use on the inside of the book into your file on the publisher site. Move through the guide page by page. For each page, select a format and insert lists, text and photos. - 4). Finish the draft and review the print-ready version for errors. Check spelling and copy edit for ingredient quantities and units. Watch for common errors, such as confusion between tablespoons and teaspoons. Have a friend look over the draft. You can purchase editing services through the publisher or contract with an individual to edit your proof if you'd like. When you're satisfied with the product, finalize your cookbook.
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If you want to sell through a local bookstore, check with the manager or owner regarding their distribution requirements before finalizing your project.man writing image by green308 from Fotolia.com
Select how you want your cookbook distributed. You may wish to keep access to your book limited to yourself or yourself and selected others, ordering copies as gifts or just for your own kitchen. You usually will be able to purchase copies yourself at a reduced rate; buying in larger quantities should gain you a greater price reduction. You can choose instead to open distribution through the publishing site or add an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for distribution through some retail outlets. On-demand printers will often sell more extensive distribution or marketing packages.
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