From the Wall Street Journal article “Trying to Cook Up a Hit. Could a self-published cookbook be a big holiday seller? “, the concept behind "Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's" is simple. Two women who know their way around the aisles at Trader Joe's have borrowed the supermarket store's name and are making a splash with a cookbook that treats the retailer's offerings as a prep line for working moms who want to serve home-cooked meals. Few self-published books amount to much commercially, but the authors say "Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's" has already sold 20,000 copies since its first printing in November 2007. Borders Group Inc. helped arrange for national distribution and stocks the title in nearly all of its 522 superstores.
The Fall08 Fundamentals of Marketing class was inspired to make their marketing projects around their own proposed self published cookbook. They really come up with some creative ideas. If you go to any of the better projects, you will find a blog list and be able to follow the links to all other projects in the class. Here are some of the highlights:
1) “A Couture Candle Lit Dinner” cookbook offers low fat, low calorie recipes and pointers on how to make a date unforgettable that any woman into fashion will love.
http://www.stylistaforever.blogspot.com/2) From Apricot to Zucchini; Basic and intermediate cooking recipes for the visually impaired.
http://www.cookingwithfeelings.blogspot.com/3) Veguns is a bi-monthly trade paperback comic that provides recipes using creative narrative and graphics. Just like veganism, it offers an entertaining alternative to cookbooks in general. We are providing a want for people who choose to live these lifestyles.
http://www.avengersink.blogspot.com/.
4) We have design and brand ourselves as reputable, fun, exciting and easy to use. We can’t just mash our self's with the hundreds of thousands of cook books out there. Our Displays have to be prominent to attract consumers to pick up our book.
http://averagekitchen.blogspot.com/5) For those who want an easy snack, my ghetto Cookbook is a creative source for easy fun recipes which includes snacks not gourmet meals to make life a little easier and fun.
http://www.chelzproductions.blogspot.com/6) My Cookbook offers a modern and innovative "new-school" way of finding and using recipes. People today get their weather, music, news, and other daily information all instantly from their everyday electronic gadgets and devices. So, why not add recipes to that list?
http://www.osteenmg.blogspot.com/7) Have you had to satisfy the hunger pains of guests who have very different tastes? Or are you a meat eater who doesn’t think you can prepare a delicious vegetarian dish? Now you have a single cookbook for beef, chicken, or fish dishes with their ever so tasty vegetarian counterparts.
http://www.gogogoentertainment.blogspot.com/8) The “Tastes like Chicken” cookbook offers a new unique approach to your everyday home kitchen cooking. Tired of Bland burgers? Try a Buffalo burger. Want something different then Chicken Alfredo? Replace that with an Ostrich Orzo. This book will make frog legs, rattlesnake, cow tongue and pig feet taste even better than they sound!
http://www.tekworkproductions.blogspot.com/9) Are you tired of cooking with your hands? Is the arthritis forming from chopping too many onions? Did you lose your hands in a tragic accident with the garbage disposal? Did the loss of your hands leave you starving? Well with the Eating with Your Face, Cooking with Your Sole Cookbook you can become the next top chef with your feet.
http://www.scenefulphotography.blogspot.com/