Nearly 3 years of work and a number of speed-bumps along the way, and my debut recipe book is finally PUBLISHED. I finished the submission to Amazon on Friday and Saturday morning it had GONE LIVE!!! I was part way through breakfast when I found out the news — then the web and my phone EXPLODED with activity. Congrats on getting published, questions about my book, someone bought a copy, someone else wants 3 signed copies as Xmas gifts, keeping up with the comments, posting on Facebook and Twitter …. and about 4 or 6 hours later things calmed down and I turned to find the rest of my cold, uneaten breakfast sitting next to me. Really, coffee shouldn’t be treated that way.
It took me a while, but I finally figured out where and how to order copies of my book. I’m getting about 60 on this first go-around. I have around 20 people to give copies to who contributed to the project and were amazingly supportive along the way — I am grateful to get reminders of how incredible people can be*. There are also two people seeking around 5 copies each (WOW!) for Christmas gifts — 10 copies already sold!
* One among them is this guy — Tom Trimbath! He also has an impressive collection of books he’s written available here.
Yeah, things started moving pretty quick — and finally, now … late Sunday evening, I’m getting to make a blog post about the highlights of what’s gone on. It’s been an amazing ride so far — testing my stick-to-it and gumption, giving me challenges to use my resourcefulness to resolve, and numerous new things and lessons learned — I love this stuff! And now…? book
Now I go from being a writer to being a published author. book
Now I get to work on converting the manuscript for my book into an e-book — and likely an audio-book too, narrated by yours-truly!
Now I remember that I need to get new business cards made. Now the pivot of WIBC from being a company that makes food to being a company about good food and people connecting with people is complete. book
Geoff Castle’s 2013 Celtic Xmas Concert in Anacortes, WA – photo courtesy of Chris Terrell
Lately I focused some of my time on studying how to build oneself in the business of self-publishing books — in other words, marketing.
When it comes to gaining attention, my knowledge-base was born out of the music industry — promoting bands, representing albums, and selling my services as a solo Highland bagpiper for people’s life events ranging from weddings to retirement parties and of course funerals. I applied this DIY gumption and (albeit subtly) my rock ‘n’ roll marketing approach to period of my business when I was producing baked goods, and I have been continuing this into this new endeavour of writing and self-publishing recipe books.
E-Readers
Thanks Aleta!
As you will recall from my 07Nov2017 blog post, an online friend — Aleta — generously offered to send one of her earlier e-readers to me. She wanted to support my plan to turn my first recipe book into an e-reader edition, and it helps to have a device to view your work as you are converting your book file into an e-reader file. As I have been learning about the conversion process I have also started learning about other authors publishing and marketing their e-books. Much to this voracious reader’s joy I have also learned about free e-books! Among these I have found books and articles on marketing. This morning I read a marketing article that enhanced both thoughts and plans I already had…
How to Turn your Book into 18 STREAMS of Income
by Kary Oberbrunner
Kary Oberbrunner … we haven’t met.
Go-getters, movers and shakers, creative people, and artist have at least two things in common — we all have great ideas to work from and we all make mistakes. When we learn from our mistakes or learn about mistakes to avoid and-how we all grow!
Kary Oberbrunner’s article “How to Turn your Book into 18 STREAMS of Income” points out marketing mistakes for writers to avoid (like thinking of books as business cards) along with options and opportunities that they may have not realized. Some of what Mr. Oberbrunner presents in his article I am already familiar with and is parallel to my direction — other elements have shown me new ideas or ways to think differently about things I already know.
His main focus in this article is for writers to turn their books into an income stream. One morsel — section 2 on ebooks, suggesting why most (every?) author should turn their printed book into an e-book — particularly resounded with my plans and I had an AH-HA! moment. The gist of the writing was …
“Ebooks are as close as your smartphone. You can read an ebook while standing on a subway, sitting in a doctor’s office, or waiting in line at the grocery store.”
Relative to my recipe book everything before ‘grocery store’ made sense once I read ‘grocery store‘.
Recipe Books — JOY JOY JOY!
Folks haul their phones everywhere, and often folks with e-readers haul them everywhere, too. They might have 100+ books on their e-reader but they don’t haul 100 books everywhere. Most of the books I have put on my phone duplicate to my e-reader and vice versa.
While I have queried and found that most people prefer to NOT cook or bake working from recipes on an e-screen, it could still be beneficial to have your recipes — or preferably My Recipes (<– I am not above shameless self promotion) — on your phone or e-reader. Folks don’t haul all their recipe books to work where they think about what they are going to make for dinner, and then haul those books to the grocery store where they double check ingredients they are going to buy.
The big AH-HA! I had was…
I had already planned to convert my book to an e-book, but now I am thinking — PLEASE put my recipe book on your electronic device. If you don’t want to work in the kitchen from an electronic screen, I understand — to each their own — but bring it with you when you shop, or when you are going to be thinking about what you’re going to make for your friends or family. Or what you might make for the hottie in the accounting department at work whom you just landed a date with!
Does it make sense for me to convert my recipe book to an e-book?
Yesterday was a big day, and today has been at least as big.
Around November 2015 I came to realize a number of issues for me/WIBC to continue doing business as it has during the past year+. To this end, I identified that I wanted to keep going with a baking business in a different form and would need to cease my production of baked goods. Yesterday & today I informed the managers of the various businesses WIBC sells product through, and today I’ve made my first general-public announcements. It is my aim to transition (or in business language “pivot”) WIBC into a company that is about baking & other food preparation.
A number of things have gone very well for WIBC as a production baking company – particularly for being in business just over a year. Of these attributes I have brand & product recognition, a loyal customer base, and the company has broken even. The challenges, on the other hand, are numerous – and every new business has these – and as a small business owner you keep your chin up, eyes forward, and you constantly exercise your resourcefulness muscle.
In my case & for WIBC, there are a few primary issues and myriad secondary issues. More than anything, based on hard data & my objective considerations, the company is not making enough money to be able to grow both as a company and to where I can help provide people in my community with much needed employment (these are related). Additionally I have found the demands of this particular form of business to be very ‘grindstone’ – my passion for cooking lays in creating recipes and sharing the enjoyment of good food with others, and the labour involved in mass production leaves little time for any of this.
As said, I look to turn WIBC into a company ‘about food’ sharing my passion for creating recipes & the enjoyment of good food – but what does this mean & how do I intend to do it?
My plan is to start with producing cookbooks* and grow into presenting cooking videos and classes. Since my November awareness I have started work on my first cookbook and I am PLEASED to say that this is already going very well! At present it will feature the recipes for all WIBC products along with the recipes I had intended to bring to market – around 50 or more recipes along with other interesting beverage & cooking to-dos.
Some individuals may view the changes I am making to WIBC as meaning that the company has somehow failed or been unsuccessful – that would be a mistake, short sighted, and even to say dismissive. In no way do I consider the past year, three months and three days to be in any way bad, in error, or failed – horrendously challenging at times, sure, however never unsuccessful**. I am glad to have tried my hand at making a production baking company; I believe I have developed as an individual, a professional, and as a business person. Also important to me, given the ingredients I chose to use and not use in my WIBC products, is having to helped further the local food movement both in content & concept. From these past 428 days I have many experiences that I am grateful for and willalways remember.
In practical terms ceasing production is relatively easy – on the day I determine as my last I will discontinue baking & deliveries, pack up my kitchen supplies and go home. On a personal level however, while I see ‘brighter horizons’ ahead, stopping what I have been doing is not without difficulty – I have a lot of time invested in WIBC, enthusiasm for the products I have brought to market, and the relationships that I have built with others are significant to me. While I am not closed to the idea of some day re-launching as a production baking company – it all depends on where my ‘about food’ cookbook-etc approach to WIBC leads and what looks like I will enjoy doing. In the mean time as an accent to the new direction of WIBC I may consider re-launching as a cottage business – for now, however, my focus is on everything ahead & I am excited however about what I’m going toward.
As I worked toward launching WIBC I referred to the Journey song “Don’t Stop Believin’”. I had a dream of launching a baking business – and I’ve done it! Now it’s just changing. I am thankful for the support I have received from my customers – individuals who I share the view with that food should be tasty, healthy, and made locally – and I am grateful for the loving support my friends & family gave me when I started this venture and that they continued to give me when I said that I am looking to modify WIBC. I will be pleased to have each of you join me as WIBC grows in this new direction.
Don’t Stop Believing – I still do!
All the Best, Don
Whidbey Island Baking Company – Owner & Soon-To-Be Author
* Before anyone (else) says something about the amount of effort and the years of work it takes for a company to begin to see a profit OR that you don’t make any money off of writing – trust me,I know already.
** Consider what I have done leading up to and during this production period of my business…
Founded a business with name, logo, and image
Developed & brought to market an array of original products
Established brand & product recognition in the market
Website development & online marketing
Managed all financial aspects of the company including purchasing, accounting, and taxes
Cultivated personal business relations with outside companies
Lead my business & support staff to markets & sales events
Contributed to local food banks & connected with military service personnel & their families by offering a military discount
Nearly 3 years of work and a number of speed-bumps along the way, and my debut recipe book is finally PUBLISHED. I finished the submission to Amazon on Friday and Saturday morning it had GONE LIVE!!! I was part way through breakfast when I found out the news — then the web and my phone EXPLODED with activity. Congrats on getting published, questions about my book, someone bought a copy, someone else wants 3 signed copies as Xmas gifts, keeping up with the comments, posting on Facebook and Twitter …. and about 4 or 6 hours later things calmed down and I turned to find the rest of my cold, uneaten breakfast sitting next to me. Really, coffee shouldn’t be treated that way.
Later that day my new WIBC Logo/URL t-shirt when live on Etsy via Stitch 6 To 6. Within the next hour the first shirts were ordered! book
Now the pivot of WIBC from being a company that makes food to being a company about good food and people connecting with people is complete. book
