Spicy Self Publishing

by Ammini Ramachandran
(TX, USA)

I took a rather meandering route to the world of food writing. My appreciation of my native cuisine awoke only after I left home and moved from India to the United States with my then graduate-student husband. Both of us craved, especially on cold winter days, the spicy, flavorful delicacies of our tropical home. It was not easy to find ethnic groceries in the 1970's. Determined to explore all possibilities, I went searching for anything even remotely Indian at American supermarkets. I was thrilled when I found bottles of coriander, crushed red pepper, and turmeric. My only source of recipes was my dear mother who sent them along in her weekly letters.

Over the years these recipes found their way into a family journal I was keeping for the younger generation of my family growing up in the US. In 2000, I resolved to translate Mom's recipes into English. Once in awhile I sent my writings to my sons, nephews and nieces. To my surprise they not only loved my memories of grandma's recipes, they shared them with their college friends. With more requests for copies for their friends, by 2002 the journal evolved into a website, and three years later into a book. As I began to research and write I was fascinated by my home state Kerala's part in the history of ancient Indian Ocean spice trade. Writing this book of recipes, history, traditions, memories, and tales, was a labor of love.

Getting the book published was a whole different thing. I knew nothing about publishing a book. My book went through "many incarnations" over seven years before arriving at publication. I read cookbook how-tos, attended writers conferences, and joined food writing groups. I spent many hours at bookstores reading the acknowledgments in cookbooks hoping to find an agent who might be interested in my project. I took a course "how to get your cookbook published" and went to the class with my "manuscript". I was the only one who came to class with one. A literary agent who taught the session offered to look at my work. Two months later I got my first rejection letter - it needs a whole lot of work and the agent didn't have the time. I was not ready to give up.

Someone suggested I first work on a book proposal. I was still working in a totally different industry at that time. So, like a typical financial analyst I wrote up a proposal (thinking back it was very similar to a loan proposal), and at the suggestion of a colleague I sent it out to a finance executive working in a major publishing firm. I can't believe how stupid I was to approach a publisher in that manner. Needless to say, my friend's friend passed it on to the editors at his company and another rejection letter came in two months.

A friend suggested I work with a professional (means spend money) and recommended a proposal writing coach. Naturally the coach did not think very highly of my niche topic, but agreed to work with me. Three months and several hundred dollars later I had a professionally written book proposal. I went to food writer's symposium and the wonderful organizer agreed to look at my book proposal. To my most pleasant surprise she said she could see a book in the proposal and I need a good agent who could place it with a publisher.

Trying to find an agent was another exasperating experience. Some of them liked my writing style, but were not sure how to find the ideal publisher to accept the work of an unknown writer. One agent said she would be happy to take me as a client if I wrote about a popular topic. The agent who finally took me as a client tried her level best; I have a stack of rejection letters to prove!

Unless the author is a household name - read: famous chef, a TV cooking show host, or a celebrity - it is difficult to get a cookbook placed with a major publisher no matter how terrific the concept and recipes. Although the rejections came from different publishing houses, they all had the same underlying theme. They were unsure of the marketing prospects of a niche topic, written by an unknown author.

After several rewrites and countless rejections, I finally decided to go on my own and self publish. After considering several alternatives, I selected iUniverse, a print on demand, supported self publishing firm. I decided to pay for editorial services and that took some more time. Fortunately after the editorial review the book was picked up as a Publisher's Choice by iUniverse (Publisher's Choice books are featured at one Barnes & Noble store for six weeks after it reaches a certain sales level). If everything worked as expected, the book was supposed to be ready for release by November 2006. Lo and behold, an underwater earthquake in Asia damaged the computer cable connections and the release of the book was delayed for another three months.

So much for dependence on modern technology! Finally, the book was ready in early March 2007. Three days later the UPS van delivered my author copies to my door. It was an unbelievable experience to finally hold it in my hand - the book I had worked on for so long.

Thanks to my friends on the internet excerpts from the book were featured, ahead of publication, on two South Asian and one international food website and received a great welcome. The response on the discussion forums was so enthusiastic that on one site members started a thread devoted to 'Cooking with Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts'. With photographs of cooked dishes from the book, the thread has evolved into an online full-color pictorial companion to the book. Several Indian food bloggers reviewed the book. For an author with no particular marketing support or knowledge, all of this was indeed a true blessing.

I decided to send review copies to the food editors of major newspapers and magazines from New York to California. It paid off! A local magazine Plano Profile interviewed me and published an article about the book in July 2007. The biggest surprise came when on July 18, 2007 the New York Times published a very favorable review. I was surprised, humbled, honored and sincerely thankful for this unbelievable honor. The best part was it happened during the last week my book was available as a Publisher's Choice book at a New York City Barnes & Noble.

I contacted independent bookstores specializing in cookbooks and two in Canada and one in New York are carrying the book. I made several presentations in New York and Dallas. New York's Queens Library System invited me to make presentations. Newspapers in India and Singapore reviewed the book and I received an invitation to be part of the Indian team at Culinary Institute of America's Worlds of Flavor conference - The Rise of Asia - in November 2007. The conference was another unbelievable experience. I continue to attend food writer's symposiums and conferences.

In January 2008 the book was named best self published cookbook by Cordon D'or - Gold Ribbon Culinary Academy Awards. At the awards gala in St. Petersburg the book was named the overall winner among all cookbooks honored at the event. The latest surprise was in February 2008 - the popular food magazine Saveur included the book in their tenth annual 100 list- #76 on the list is four self published cookbooks. I remembered worrying about my manuscript being stranded in traffic along the underwater cables in Asia. What a difference a year makes!

Good reviews have helped sales a lot, but internet sales alone do not generate high volume. Sales pick up only when the book is sold through bookstores. iUniverse is in the process of upgrading my book to a Star status and will re-release it in a few weeks and then it will be marketed to bookstores.

This publishing experience taught me a few things. The primary motivation to write and publish is you love writing. When you try to publish for the first time, rejections come too often and are too brutal. At some point in a writer's career he/she may consider quitting. I know it was very hard to keep from losing my mind and deciding to quit. How did I cope? I did not make it a solo journey. Accept support and criticism from of your friends and family. I made friends with so many caring and nurturing food writers and they have been immensely helpful. It is comforting to realize that even accomplished writers struggle through the process and endless rejections. Develop contacts with others who write in your chosen field. And if you can find a good mentor, that would help immensely. I was fortunate a mentor encouraged me and believed in me even when I was losing all hope.

One advantage with self publishing is that you have control of the content. You have final say in everything and it is your decision that matters.

There is no editor rewriting your words or publisher wanting to repackage it in a different way. Focus on what is motivating you to write, what is important for you.

The most important lesson I have learned on this journey is never to give up. Try your best and write the best you can. Never let rejection letters or bad reviews affect you. When you publish a book it is out there for everyone to see and read, and you should be willing to graciously accept both praise and criticism. Not everyone writes a bestseller.

As a former financial analyst I can assure you that not every writer makes the big bucks. It is especially hard to get rich by self publishing and marketing your own book. The satisfaction of seeing your work in print cannot be measured in monetary terms. And take comfort in the fact that you are not alone in this journey. There are several of us with similar hopes and aspirations.

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