How to Publish Your Family Cook Book

Preserving a Little Bit of Family History

Here is an easy way to preserve some of that family history while having fun. Publishing your own cookbook, I've learned, will not only bring family a little bit closer together but you'll find that different members will offer up quite a few personal stories. Stories of Grandma's kitchen, for one, can revive wonderful memories. Preserving family history therefore could be a fun project for all to get involved with. Include the family writers, artists and photographers as well as the cooks. For the sake of making publishing somewhat easier for you I'll discuss a few options to get you started.

The first item on your agenda would be to make a list of as many families you can remember. Then using email or personal cards alert them to your project. This would even include family members that you might have only met a few times or see a couple of times during the year. Believe me when I say that this is a wonderful ice breaker for you to start communicating with them. Let a few days pass before emailing a second time. Personally I would also set up a family blog, complete with old and new photographs, for updates and progress.

After your initial contact it would be wise to familiarize yourself with a few publishers who won't charge you much or those like Lulu.com who will set you up for free. Of course, if you go with Lulu, remember that you will have to do most of the book's layout and design yourself. And your best choice with Lulu would be black and white photography or sketches. Nonetheless, it is free and they take care of all orders and payments (most likely through PayPal) including shipping and handling fees.