It’s been a couple years…again! But I’m still at it. I’m like the steady reptile in Tortoise and the Hare!
I also moved from Texas to upstate NY and my daughter now goes to University of Vermont.
My hands were also full from raising our Shiba Inu puppy, Mikan for the past year. He will be in the cookbook!
So here’s what’s different on the cookbook front. I enlisted the assistance of Maggie Green again. She was my cookbook coach when I tried to find a traditional publisher. She has a Cookbooks on KDP program to help people get their books on Amazon easily. The great part is that the content for this cookbook has mostly been finished for a while. I just needed help getting the margins correct and a way to design the book easily. I swallowed my pride and let someone help me again. This is an ongoing lesson!
Canva!
I’m doing the design in Canva. I’ve paid for the Pro version for 5 years and it’s worth it. I’m sure if you create anything online you are familiar with how awesome and versatile it is. I had paid for a year of Adobe InDesign but did not totally grasp the program despite watching numerous book layout videos on YouTube and reading tutorials. Part of the program with Maggie was to create a low content book so we could see the whole book publishing process.
I made a Yoga Teacher Planner & Journal and it’s available on Amazon for purchase!
So what have I entered into Canva so far?
-I’ve created a page template with correct margins and room for bleed and a generous gutter.
-All 60+ recipes have their title entered with my happy, special font – Lobster!
10 recipes are completely in
-Most large photos have been added!
-Table of Contents page finished
-Dedication page finished
-About Author page finished
Moving Ahead
Some things I need to work on in addition to getting content into Canva:
-Revamp www.plantbasedpacific.com
-Find someone to edit and review the copy
-Buy ISBN numbers
-Ask for endorsements and send out proof copies
-Plan an online giveaway
-Create and order book swag
-Get some recipes in Thrive Magazine!
I’m working on completing it by February with a book launch in the spring. I’m so excited! Stay tuned!
I had a great time reading this entry in your cookbook diary! It’s so inspiring to see how you weave cultural traditions, family memories, and plant-based creativity into your cooking.
Thank you so much! The Plant-Based Pacific will be out soon! I’ll have options to purchase on Amazon and also from my website as signed copies with bonuses.