Category Archives: e-Publishing

Announcement, Baking, Book, Cooking, e-Book, e-Publishing, Product, Publication, Recipe Of The Month

Recipes Of The Month Become Keepsake Books

November 4, 2021 BiscottiDon 1 Comment

You know that I’ve been posting a FREE Recipe Of The Month on my blog since 01Dec2019 — RIGHT?!? This has been an absolute ball — thinking up something different to present, seeing people’s responses online, and knowing that folks are inspired to try new things in their kitchen.

But could there be … more?

YEP – these cookies are GREEN! Trust me, I know – I live in a state where 1/2 of everything is green. So far as I have found little of it tastes minty though.

During this time I have been thinking of ways to do more with these recipes. I could start an e-mail newsletter, a Patreon account, and maybe even produce demonstration videos on YouTube. While I think those are great ideas, these are not really manageable for me at this time.

Instead I have started turning my Recipe Of The Month content into books. My aim is to publish the first two — the 2020 and the 2021 Collections — in early 2022. Folks who want nicely published keepsake copies will be able to get these for their recipe-book shelf and e-reader. My plan is to keep the prices of these low, and the sales will help to support what I do.

What recipes will be in these books?

These books will feature the twelve recipes from the year — and so far each book has ended up with a few bonus recipes! In some cases these recipes will include previously unreleased photos and additional content. Here’s what’s to come in the first two recipe books …

Giant Ginger Snaps — Bonus recipe — Big Soft Ginger Cookies!

The 2020 Collection — Krampus Coal Cookies, Broccoli Beef Stir-Fry, Avgolémono Soup, Irish Soda Bread, Mississippi Mud-Pie, Big Soft Ginger Cookies, Marshmallows, Mocha Brownies, Raspberry Chocolate Cookie Squares, Blueberry Buckle Coffeecake, Wacky Cake, Sautéed Apples, Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Soup, and Ginger Pancakes

The 2021 Collection — Burmese Chicken Soup, Hot Fudge Pudding Cake, Farls, Grasshopper Squares, Jambon, Cake Mix Cookies, Lemon Almond Pudding Cake, Peppermint Patties, Dirty Chai Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Graham Cracker Pie Crust, my current November recipe for Peanut Butter Pumpkin Soup (pictured below), my December recipe which hasn’t been decided yet, and a bonus dessert recipe … which you’ll have to buy the book to find out what it is …. but I’ll tell you this, it doesn’t exist anywhere else!

Keep an eye on the WIBC blog

My aim is to release these first two Collections in Spring 2022 along with a Christmas cookie recipe book. Keep an eye to my blog along with Twitter and Facebook for updates!

Have a recipe to submit for me to present as a Recipe Of The Month? Drop me a line!

Want a recipe book NOW?

My debut recipe book — “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” — is now a 3 year old! If you can’t wait to start buying my Recipe Of The Month annual collection books, fire-up your browser and order a print copy today. Darn Good Cookies is also available in electronic form from most e-book retailers. In it you will learn to make over 50 proven recipes including cookies, biscotti, coffee, some breakfast items, and other comfort foods.

Recently, multi-award winning author, Kathleen Stone, wrote “Scoby’s comfort foods are themselves a thing to behold, but this book is so much more. There are wonderful stories and anecdotes as well as beautiful photographs, and all of that combined with the mouthwatering recipes makes this a book I’m excited to have in my collection. … The book in its entirety embodies what the author is all about — comfort food, family, friends, music and a love for life in general.”

Want to try a few Darn Good Cookies before you buy?

Grab a copy of my FREE SAMPLE e-book “Let’s Bake Cookie Squares and Biscotti!” — available through most major e-book retailers! In the text you will get 2 recipes from Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies, which will show you my writing and direction style. You will also see a step-by-step photo section that guides you through a few steps that some folks might find a little more tricky. Check it out!

e-Publishing, MAKE COOKIES PLAY BAGPIPES, Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies, Progress, Update

Is Writing Hell?

November 12, 2019 BiscottiDon Leave a comment

Earlier today I responded to a Twitter post by E.H. Night — author of “The Four Before Me” and “A Stray, Astray“. She spoke about the weird prioritization that some of us get into. With her endeavours she was considering making her 3rd-priority book her 1-st priority project or leave it where it’s at. I understand this — I DO THIS!!! Then came the question common to creatives of “Is this hell?”

I replied talking about my familiarity with this dilemma — I didn’t have a solution for her, only that I understand. It came to me though to use this to update everyone on my book projects and where they’re at …. otherwise put, it’s my excuse to blog this week. hell

Before finishing “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” (book 1) I started on a bagpipe sheet music book comprised of my own compositions (book 2). This got put on hold to start on my second recipe book (book 3). Summer 2018 this second recipe book (book 3) got put on hold to write (book 4) my military & patriotic Highland bagpipe tunes & tune history book. From my sheet music and tune history book (book 4) I got inspired to write a history book about one of the men who landed on Normandy as part of the D-day invasion (book 5). When I started it (book 5) I knew that I was going to have to gather my notes and set it aside for later. I’ve accomplished this and now I’m trying to complete my sheet music and tune history book (book 4) so I can have it published no later than June 2020. The only problem with that is the audience I developed from Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies (book 1) are ready and looking for another installment of recipes (book 2). hell

Clear as mud — RIGHT?!?

So is being a creative-type, having so many projects we want to bring to life a form of Hell? I don’t know — I’m only saying that I understand — that E.H. Night and all the other creative folks out there reading this is that you’re not alone.

For a mostly full list of my projects (Hell?), please see Upcoming and Completed Publishing Projects.

E.H. Night LINKS hell

Amazon author page
Review her books on Goodreads
Twitter @AuthorEHNight

Announcement, e-Publishing, Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies, Update

Modern Publishing Blues, Vol. 01

October 14, 2019 BiscottiDon Leave a comment

UGG!!!
/pounds head on desk 3Xs …

Yesterday — late in the afternoon — I jammed to the library as closing time quickly approached ….
MY MISSION: Upload the updated manuscript for my book in preparation for the Flash Sale I plan to hold late this month.

My debut recipe book, “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies“, published on 26Oct2018. For the past year I’ve stayed staunchly attentive for any and all errors to be found in my tome of tasty treats. Yesterday was the big day! Yesterday was when I fixed my inexact “exactally”. Yesterday was when I fixed all the metric mistakes caused by my careless copy-&-pasting. Yesterday was when I deleted the asterisk that lead*. Yesterday was when I atoned for the flour mis-measurement in my Peanut Butter Biscotti recipe. It was also when I changed the cover from gloss to matte, which is supposed to have better market appeal, but in the big picture that really isn’t a big deal.
*to nowhere.

What … you don’t dress like this when you go to the library?!?

The clock was ticking close to 5PM. The lethargic upload status on my computer screen predicted completion on a Tuesday following infinity.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED!!!

I successfully uploaded my mitigated manuscript to (click here to read about The Amazon River) and skated out the doors right as the learned establishment was closing. Oh yes, I avoided the wrath of the Library Aids who had to work on a Sunday. Indiana Jones himself couldn’t have done better!

Returning home, I couldn’t have been more calm … cool … and collect. I donned my Keds and cardigan sweater, and settled in for some dinner accompanied by the next DVD in my TBW stack. As the screen flickered in front of my face I found myself content … serene … one with myself and at peace in the universe … Fred Rogers himself couldn’t have done better!

AND THEN IT HAPPENED!!!

No good deed goes unpunished. My phone gave a ding indicating a new email. It was from (click here to read about The Amazon River). Surely not a big deal, they’re just messaging me to say that my corrected manuscript had gone through and the new version of my book had launched …

NOPE!

Okay, I’m tired of this blog post — it’s been fun, but I suspect it’s dragging on for you, too — so I’ll cut to the chase…

My local tribe of Library Aids ….. what, you don’t believe me?!?

It seems (click here to read about The Amazon River) has one problem or another with my book. I’m not clear what it is, and from their emails I’m not entirely sure that they are either. I’m doing what I can to get my book relaunched before they said they might take it down all together. I’ve emailed them, I’ve chatted with online help, and I’ve called them. I’m about to go outside to launch a carrier pigeon followed by starting a smoke-signal fire while Library Aids play their tribal drums (recent photo above). I’m doing everything I can to cooperate with (click here to read about The Amazon River) and get things back on track. I am frustrated but optimistic that they are working to this end, too.

ALL THAT SAID …

IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE that all of this tomfoolery is worked out before the Flash Sale I’ve planned to hold — which is coming up SOON! If you want to get in on my Flash Sale — GREAT — Please Email Me ASAP 🙂 If you’re not familiar with what a Flash Sale is, it’s like this ….. I’ll message you and let you know when the secret sale time will be. During that limited time the price of my book will be greatly reduced. In return, I ask that you read my book and post a review on the site you bought it from — hopefully a positive review. It’s that simple!

… Don …

PS — What a waste of time … I really don’t need extra headaches. It was not my intention to start an international incident and offend The Gods Of (The Amazon River). When this is all done I might be impeached.

PPS — According to Wikipedia “The Amazon River in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and by some definitions it is the longest.”

Announcement, e-Book, e-Publishing, Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies, Progress

I’ve Published WIDE!

May 7, 2019 BiscottiDon Leave a comment

If you’re not already familiar, let me tell you a little about the world of self-publishing. I’m still learning about this myself, so my details might be a little fuzzy, but here goes … PUBLISH

Last October I published my recipe book on Amazon.com. A month later I followed with publishing the e-book version. When you release your e-book out with just one self-publishing company that’s referred to as ‘publishing exclusive‘. When you put it out with multiple companies that’s called ‘publishing wide‘.
(This is a rather good article on publishing exclusive & wide and the pros & cons …. if you can stay awake through it.) PUBLISH

As of TODAY I have published wide! PUBLISH

Over the weekend I uploaded my e-book to Smashwords.com. When your manuscript is formatted correctly — that is when it meets the particulars of Smashwords — they then push your e-book product out to roughly twenty other companies**. While I uploaded my e-book to Smashwords Sunday, 24-hours later I received noticed I’ve officially published wide! PUBLISH
(** also known as getting accepted into the Smashwords Premium Catalog)

Another great thing about having my e-book go out to these other e-reader entities is libraries. Many libraries get their e-books from companies other than Amazon. My understanding is that most draw their e-books from — chiefly — OverDrive and Kobo. If they don’t have it already, please contact your local library and ask them to purchase a copy of my book (in addition to Amazon it should also be with Ingram) and a copy of my e-book. PUBLISH

I’m glad to be with Amazon.com, and I’m glad to be widening my net so people who enjoy other e-reader devices can access my recipes. Just think, if I get as many sales per month with these twenty other companies as I do with Amazon right now . . . well . . . I won’t be living rich, but it would be a nice little chunk of change to bring in. PUBLISH

Announcement, Book, Cooking, e-Book, e-Publishing, Product, Progress

Books & E-book Projects Moving Right Along

April 29, 2019 BiscottiDon Leave a comment

Updates On A Few Things I’m Working On!

Lately I have been busily working on a number of book projects. A few of these have bumped into obstacles, and a few of these have had some exciting break-throughs!

Here’s the latest…

Bagpipe Sheet Music & Tune History Book

As many of you know I am producing a bagpipe sheet music book. This will serve as a fundraiser item for a veteran’s organization I am a member of along with being the music collection for our small pipe band. The project features military and patriotic Highland bagpipe sheet music and the history behind the tunes. The work is going well and I am optimistic about publishing this June.

2 New Things About This Book…

To increase the page count I am planning to include some Scottish and Irish recipes. While I’m already familiar with a few of these, others have required some experimenting. Getting to try new things in the kitchen has been a culinary joy for me! As for the book … the inclusion of Celtic recipes is great because it furthers the cultural education element of the organization!

One section of this book draws on the music played Bill Millin during the WWII D-Day Invasion. Private Millin played a unique role in D-Day history; I am writing both further his story and to express the significance of this section in the book. Over the past few days I have connected with his son and grandson online. Both gentlemen are accomplished bagpipers and they are generously willing to check the accuracy of my writing*. As a Highland bagpiper it is an absolute honor to be writing about the famous D-Day piper — getting to connect with his son and grandson makes it just that much more real.
(*the facts — not the grammar, spelling, etc)

My Recipe E-Book on Smashwords & Etc

I’ve been working to get my e-book — already published on Amazon — additionally published on Smashwords. Smashwords is interesting in-that they will publish an author’s e-book not only on their site but on that of other e-book companies — Barns & Nobel, Kobo, etc.

For this to take place, Smashwords is quite particular as to how an e-manuscript is formatted. Frankly, I prefer to learn how to do things and do them myself, however right now I have Way Too Much To Do … so I’m looking for the services offered by one of the folks on Fiverr. My preference at this time is to move this project along and do-so at a price my little baking-biz can afford.

A few nights ago I looked at the Smashword instructions anyway. I quickly sorted out how to re-format the pictures in my e-book. That alone shrunk the size of my manuscript file down to half of the Smashword’s maximum! I’m checking with a number of Fiverr folks and waiting for them to get back to me about taking this on. With all the font characteristics in a recipe book, they tend to take more work than novels … so fingers-crossed that I’ll gain their support.

THE ADDITIONAL GOOD NEWS ABOUT THIS IS …

Once I have my manuscript back from whomever re-formats it for me I should be able to post that on Smashwords — obviously — and also copy that MSWord doc and re-work it into the free little recipe e-book I nearly had completed and published lately. So, while I’ve had to restart this little free e-book project having already completed it …

… Things Are Moving Right Along!

Gotta go ~ Keep an eye here along with my Facebook and Twitter profiles for announcements ~ Don

Whidbey Island Baking Company

Category Archives: e-Publishing