How to Promote a Cookbook
When my book, Modern Potluck, was published in 2016, the landscape for promotion looked quite different. Instagram Stories weren’t a thing (let alone Reels and Tik Tok), and most people wouldn’t have dreamed of meeting an author on Zoom. Also, I knew very little about digital and content marketing back then, so I didn’t employ anything like that.
On the podcast I cohost with fellow cookbook authors, Kate Leahy, Andrea Nguyen, and Molly Stevens, we talked about how to promote a cookbook.
Since my own book came out six years ago, I’ve learned a lot more about marketing and promotion. It got me thinking about what I would do if I had a book coming out imminently.
But first, some things I did well to promote my book in 2016
I shared some of the writing process along the way. For example, I blogged about the photoshoot and recipe development. I shared some behind-the-scenes stuff on Instagram. This built some early buzz for the book.
I filled out my author questionnaire that the publisher gives all authors quite thoroughly. This helps the marketing and sales team develop great ideas for promotion.
The publisher and I worked with content creators who had much larger social media platforms than me to do giveaways of the book and cookware from brands like Pyrex.
I pitched stories about the book to almost every media outlet I could think of, adjusting the angle to each publication.
I promoted the book on channels that were newer at the time, like Facebook Live and podcasts.
Some things I wish I knew back then about book promotion
I wish I had realized that promoting my book would become a part-time job for several months and a full-time job right around publication. Had I mentally prepared for that, I would have found it far less stressful.
I wish I had gotten out of my own head and didn’t stress so much about in-person events. Also, when I did in-person events, I wish I had collected email addresses for my own email list!
I wish I had done some media training and pitched cooking demos to local TV stations. The idea was too scary to me then, but I think I’d be braver now.
What my friend Gina did to promote her book
I recently spoke with my friend Gina Hamadey, author of I Want to Thank You: How a Year of Gratitude Can Bring Joy and Meaning in a Disconnected World. She’s just coming off a year in which she treated book promotion almost like a full-time job. Watching her through Instagram, I was so impressed with all she did — from creative social media strategies to major TV spots to pitching all kinds of stories in print and digital publications. She also visited many, many independent booksellers (as well as Barnes and Noble) to sign books they had in stock.
“I was like the poster child for an author doing their own marketing and PR,” she said. And in the end, she admits she burned herself out.
“I put all this pressure on myself and kept feeling like, if I do all of this stuff, all of my dreams will come true,” she said.
When I asked her what really moved the needle on book sales, she couldn’t pinpoint anything in particular except for national TV spots.
“Besides appearing on the Today Show and Rachael Ray’s show (which happened on the same day), I didn’t see any of my efforts driving sales in a major way,” she said. (Much to Gina’s credit, she pitched and landed these segments on her own.)
One of the most gratifying parts of promotion for her was joining book clubs virtually as a guest. “I would absolutely do that again,” she said. “I loved meeting real people who read the book and wanted to talk about it.”
It’s a reminder that, in the end, we sell books one-by-one.
What I’d do now to promote a book
Build my email list
I have an email list (Hey, are you on it? If not, click here!), but I’d work hard to build it even more. This way, when it’s time for the book launch, I’d have plenty of fans to launch to.
Create one or more pre-order incentives
Many authors put out pleas on social media asking their followers to pre-order their book because all pre-orders are counted as sales during the first week of publication. That first week can provide huge amounts of momentum for your book sales.
To incentivize pre-orders, I’d create an irresistible bonus (or three!) that tied to the book and that I could deliver via email. Melissa Clark did this so well with her book, Dinner in French. If you pre-ordered it and sent proof of sale, you received a beautifully designed PDF of all of her favorite places in Paris. Yes, please!
Some ideas for PDF pre-order bonuses:
If you’re writing a family cookbook or one about a certain kind of diet, you could create a meal plan.
If you’re doing a potluck or entertaining cookbook, you could offer a checklist for hosts.
A cookbook about a place? Your favorite restaurants, markets and food shops in that place.
A vegetarian cookbook? Or any kind of general cookbook? How about a list of your favorite pantry items with links to the suppliers?
Other ideas for pre-order bonuses:
An invitation to an online cooking class with you, just for people who pre-ordered.
Entry into a raffle for a gift basket that includes a bunch of your favorite ingredients.
Links to a private podcast or video that talks about something related to your book.
Whatever the bonus is, I’d work with the publisher to set up a site so the bonus could be delivered automatically to anyone who enters their receipt code.
Use Instagram more strategically
These days, I post willy nilly on Instagram with whatever is inspiring me at the moment. If I had a book coming out, I’d approach it differently, but I’d keep in mind what Gina said about social media being a time suck . And be careful not to spend too many hours on this.
First, I’d use Instagram Stories to engage my existing followers with plenty of questions and polls. I’d also share behind the scenes of writing the books.
Second, I’d use Reels more often and create videos related to the book because they can help grow your following faster than other types of post. (Gina warned however that these videos can take so much time to create and edit that the time investment wasn’t worth it for her.)
Third, I’d create tons of graphics and text-based carousels with lots of valuable insight people would want to share. I’d start posting these after my book was published, sprinkling them into my feed for a solid year or more. Diana Rodgers of @sustainabledish does this really well for her book, Sacred Cow.
Do media training and try to pitch TV
TV spots can still move a lot of books and producing our own videos is easier than ever. First, I’d work with a media training coach to help me hone my message and practice cooking and talking so I’d feel less intimidated by cooking segments on TV. Then I’d pitch myself as a guest to local TV outlets and maybe even national TV outlets if I had the confidence.
Pitch stories to print and online publications
Print and online publications have a huge reach, so I’d absolutely pitch them again. And once again, I wouldn't just say, Hey, I have a book coming out, want to cover it?
Instead, I’d pitch specific ideas related to the book that fit the publication. I’d also ask the editors if there are any types of stories that they’re looking for that might tie well to the book.
Basically, I’d create pitches that would make their lives easier!
Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts!
In 2016, I didn’t quite realize the power of the podcast. But now I do!
For a solid 15 to 30 minutes (and sometimes more!), you get to talk about your work and show up in people’s earbuds on-demand, potentially for years to come. Podcast hosts are often looking for guests, and podcast listeners tend to be the kinds of people who buy books so I’d pitch myself widely to a variety of podcasts.
Offer to be a drop-in virtual guest at cookbook clubs
Zoom and similar tools make beaming into places all over the world easier than ever! I’d regularly publicize that I’m willing to join people’s cookbook club meetings if they’d have me!
Virtual events with bookshops
Indie bookshops often have incredible communities. In the past, you used to have to go to the shops in person for events (often on your own dollar). Virtual tools (once again, like Zoom) make these events so much easier (and less expensive). I’d work with my publisher to plan virtual events that might appeal to these shops.
Giveaways
I did a lot of book giveaways with food influencers in 2016. If I were the promote a book again, I’d try what my friend Kate Leahy did and partner with food businesses that relate to my book on a larger giveaway that could benefit us all. I love a good win, win.
Book Promotion Timeline
If I had a book coming out now, here’s when I’d execute each type of promotion.
As I write the book
Use Instagram Stories to engage with people regularly, using the questions and polling feature.
Share some wins and challenges as well as behind-the-scenes stuff on Instagram.
Build my email list! And email folks weekly.
Fifteen to six months before publication
Start casually talking to editors at long-lead publications about the book to see if there are stories that might be a fit at publication time. Some magazines plan their issues more than a year in advance!
Build my email list! And email folks weekly.
Six to three months out
Start meeting with the publisher about promotion plans.
Do media training.
Brainstorm and create pre-order incentives and work with the publisher on the technological piece to deliver them to people.
Pitch publications (print and online) more aggressively with stories about the book.
Create and post lots of Reels or whatever is helping me grow the most on social media.
Start creating Instagram assets (graphics and text-based carousels) to share after publication.
Build my email list! And email folks weekly.
Three months to one month out
Continue pitching online publications and following up with them.
Work with the publisher on other pitching efforts, including giveaways with content creators and influencers.
Work with the publisher to start lining up virtual events at bookshops.
Start pitching podcasts.
Build my email list! And email folks weekly.
One month out
Start talking about my pre-order incentives (and frequently mention them on social media.)
Continue pitching podcasts.
Pitch local TV.
Work with the publisher to coordinate events.
Build my email list! And email folks weekly.
Week of publication
Heavily promote my pre-order incentive during the last week before publication.
Execute all the plans: Events! TV spots! Podcast interviews!
Start posting Instagram graphics.
Build my email list! And email folks weekly.
The week after publication and ongoing.
Take time to breathe, relax, and relish in having the book out in the world.
Keep executing events, writing stories, etc.
Keep posting graphics on Instagram.
Keep pitching local TV for seasonal-related spots that might relate back to the book.
Keep offering to join virtual book clubs.
Build my email list! And email folks weekly.
A year after publication
Take stock of what worked, what made the process fun, and what felt draining.
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