New model for cookbook publishers

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The internet has changed publishing for ever. even if you are addicted to paper and binding, you can now produce your book on demand with very little effort at all. Michael Ruhlman, whose Elements of Cooking was recently published in Australia, looks at some of the new models adopted with Alinea in chicago taking a sensible DIY approach:

“Nick Kokonas, the restaurateur who, with Grant Achatz has created the restaurant Alinea in Chicago (pictured above), was unhappy with the conventional deals publishers were offering Grant for his cookbook. Kokonas figured, given that they have an in-house designer and photographer, they could do it themselves. They have hired several writers to handle various aspects of the text (myself included—I’m doing the intro and I also comment on the essays Nick and Grant are writing). The Alinea Cookbook is scheduled for a fall publication, and they are creating an intriguing website with demos and recipes and techinques to go with it.”

He also notes the new model adopted by Harper Collins in cutting the advance but increasing the payment per copy sold:

“Without these advances, I’d wouldn’t have been able to write the book. But that means I’ll have to sell a lot of copies in order for the book to earn out—that is, make back that advance at about $3 per book.

What this new group intends to do is to get rid of the advance but give the author a greater share of the profits.”