How to Create a Family Cookbook

Creating a treasured family cookbook has never been easier.  The Great Family Cookbook Project was developed to make the process easy to understand and accomplish.

Here is an overview on the simple steps required to create a personalize family cookbook.

1)      Establish an editor – The editor is the person who is responsible for getting things started and making sure they keep moving ahead. This person is also responsible for defining the project in terms of who to invite to participate, which recipes to include and when to publish the book.  Every project needs a go getter to get things done.

  2)      Determine the size of the project and set a deadline – If you are interested in a printed cookbook, you need to set how many recipes to ask for from each person and when you want them submitted by.  We are all busy and tend to put off what we can.  By asking for a specific number of recipes by a specific date – say a month or so in the future, you can get people to act on your request.

3)      Invite other family members to contribute recipes - While some editors like to do it themselves, getting other people involved distributes the work and provides recipes that you may not have in your recipe box. We have developed an easy to use invitation tool to get the ball rolling.  All you need is each person’s name and email address.  For people without email addresses, we provide a simple letter for you to use to contact them.

4)      Entering the recipes  – Everyone starts entering recipes and you enter your own favorite recipes and use the special request tool to ask for favorites that you don’t have – yet!  Reminder emails will be sent automatically as the deadline draws near.  If not enough recipes have been added by the deadline you can extend the deadline.

5)      Start using the recipes – All of the recipes are immediately available online on the family Cookbook page.  One great way to show the benefits of the Great Family Cookbook Project is to start using some of the recipes and thanking the people who entered them!

6)      Prepare to publish – Before you can publish your family cookbook, you need to begin the publishing process by freezing the content.  Members can still enter recipes and they will be available online and in future editions, but not for this edition.  The publishing tool will help you write a dedication, select a cover and choose printing specifications for your cookbook.

7)      Order your copies – As editor, you order the books yourself -- and your folks can use our pre-order tool to allow each contributor to tell you how many they'd like.  Most cookbook publishers require you to purchase at least 100 copies of your cookbook, we only requires 5 copies to purchased.

8)      Enjoy your new personalized family cookbook – The finished product is delivered directly to your door. Give them as gifts,share them with friends, try new family recipes, keep adding to your online collection and be proud of your accomplishment for your family.