You might feel that every person in the industry of food is writing books. There are a lot of famous chefs and Instagram influencers. They make it look easy, but in truth, the book publishing industry isn't as glamorous as it seems and it's more essential than ever for authors to know the process and be secure when writing a cookbook.
What should I look out for when signing my first cookbook deal?
Short answer: a good advisor, realistic budgets, and the belief in questionable financial rewards.
Two methods by which cookbook deals can be made are: An agent or publisher approaches the door of a famous chef or chef with an idea of a book, prepares a proposal and then proactively shops around. In both cases, a proposal is the first step, and for the purposes of this article, authors that is the chef (or mixologist, baker, or butcher basically the "talent") is called the "author" and will need to come up with a plan prior to their work being sold.
Authors will need to sign several documents while going through the procedure. These include contracts with agencies, a contract with co-writers, one with photographers, and finally, an agreement with the publisher if the proposal is approved. Note: Authors may also employ a developer, recipe tester or even an external publicist. While I've reviewed a few of these agreements however, I'm not aware of the specifics of the other set. The two sets that follow are usually in the hands literary agents. Sarah Smith at David Black Agency has been a great help in filling the holes.
To begin, it's worth noting how difficult it is to negotiate a cookbook deal without an agent. Smith is able to hire anybody you want! -- but none of my clients mine has gotten an author deal without an agent, so the first thing authors should do once they are serious about their projects is find one.
Agents' value
For cookbooks, authors usually sign with agents based on the writer's talents and general concept, and agents are critical in the creation of the book Agents develop loose ideas and give the author direction during the proposal stage and help to build the project team, and are critical to the creation and completion of the project upon the proposal. Click over here to find out a useful reference on The Essential Keto Cookbook Review.
The cost of agents
Smith recommends that authors research any agent before they sign with the agency: "Authors should feel empowered and be able to search for the ethos of their agents and track records. There aren't all agencies alike."
The co-author of the paper is the rest of the team
A lot of chefs who do not have the experience (or the time) to write a proposal partner with a writer to create a proposal. The proposal is word-heavy and the writer is likely take on the majority of the burden, and may ask for a flat fee to write it (which the author usually has to pay out of pocket however, they may be able to pay back the author if the idea gets sold).
The rest of the team includes the photographer.
It's rare for chefs to take photos of their cookbooks themselves, so it's best to outsource the task as well. In most cases, the author also covers the photographer's expenses from their advance, unless it's one of those rare 50/50 split collaborations wherein Smith notes that the writer and author would usually share the cost along with other expenses.
She says that in some situations, such as a particular publishing house or if an author has a lot of leverage in negotiating a deal, there may be an opportunity to request a separate photography budget apart from the advance.
The separate budget may even be non-recoverable (in that the book's publisher can't insist on paying back for the cost after the book has been placed on the shelves). But Smith adds that photographers rarely are paid on a per-piece basis, which means you're bound to paying them a standard fee for their work which could be up to five figures (even even six figures).