How to create an award winning cookbook

March, 2016 · By admin

I’ve just returned from a fantastic adventure in southern India, shooting a new cookbook for Sarogini Kamalanathan with a team of great mates who happen to be professionals of the highest order.

Working on Sarogini’s new cookbook got me thinking about the success of our last publication, Sri Lanka Food, which was included in the best of the best for the last 20yrs in the Gourmand international cookbook awards. This is a worldwide competition that attracts talented and highly trained chefs from all corners of the globe. So how did a humble grandmother living in Perth rise to the top in this very competitive field?

As a professional food photographer, I work with a lot of chefs and authors who have a dream of publishing an award-winning cookbook. The one that’s in every kitchen and on every Christmas shopping list. While it would be foolhardy to guarantee anyone a dead set best seller, I have given quite a bit of thought to the components I think help lift a cookbook to award winning status.

It starts with the story

At the very start, you must have an idea, and a story. Storytelling isn’t just for novels – it’s the core element that guides the tone for your entire cookbook. The best stories are original, authentic and reach beyond the food to give a sense of people and place – after all, food is all about community.

From a photographer’s point of view, a cookbook can include a whole lot more than just images of the food. My favourite cookbooks are those that transport you to different and distinctive places – essentially a mix of food photography combined with travel photography. My journey through Sri Lanka with Sarogini, visiting local places and meeting people I would be unlikely to encounter as a ‘Western’ tourist, provided amazing material. For the armchair traveller (or cook!), the story in pictures about where the flavours are born are what transports them.

Our recent adventure in Kerala, India was full of just as many rich experiences, including visits to the local markets.  Kerala is all about seafood and coconut. This fish at the Kannur fish markets was heading for the pan to make a Kerala style fish curry – yum!

The chef must cook from the heart

The chef or cook  behind the cookbook needs to have absolute passion for their style of cooking and the source of their ingredients. They don’t necessarily need to be a professionally trained chef – Sarogini has cooked in a home kitchen all her life, is a grandmother in her 70s, and runs a cooking school from her modest home in suburban Perth. She is also a multiple award winning cookbook author. Her absolute passion for sharing her country’s food and teaching others about it is what drives her.  Sarogini also loves to explore and learn about new flavours, despite her extensive knowledge, and took the opportunity to learn about local cuisine when we were in Kerala – particularly the spices for which this area of the world is so famous. Here is Sarogini visiting Thekkady spice plantation to see cardamom spice growing, with our guide Shaboo.

A cohesive theme ties everything together

Cookbook photography needs to look like it has been photographed as a series of work, with a consistent mood and treatment. A random collection of differently styled photos does not make an award winning cookbook. Styling, subject matter and perspective need to all be considered, and (do I need to say it?) the choice of a photographer who knows the ins and outs of food photography is really essential.

The other major visual elements, the graphic design and typography, need to marry the recipe perfectly with the photography. The designer needs as much creative freedom as the chef and photographer, so that they can fully contribute to a cookbook’s success. A good graphic designer or specialist cookbook designer will know how to get the best out of all the elements of the cookbook.

For Sarogini’s new book on Keralan cooking, I am again working with talented designer Cally Browning who ensures that my photography, Sarogini’s recipes and Norman’s writing all sit together in harmony and give readers a real sense of the sights, sounds and flavours of Kerala.  Our visit to the Kannur vegetable markets revealed how central bananas are to the local diet.

We do judge cookbooks by their covers!

It may seem shallow, but the most important element of a cookbook is it cover. At the Beijing 2014 cookbook awards there were over 250 cookbooks on display, all competing for attention. A great, eye-catching cover helps a cookbook jump off the shelf for both customers and judges.

Don’t skimp on the stock

There are so many small cues to a cookbooks quality that don’t seem obvious at first, but having a print quality on nice thick stock that will stand up to the wear and tear of being a favourite source of recipes is very important.

Accuracy counts for a lot

Recipe testing needs to happen to make sure the recipes work. It’s not just about looking good, but creating great food. As a final step, copy editing and proof reading makes sure there aren’t any embarrassing mistakes or typos locked down in print forever.

Not any old publisher will do

For a book to be a success, people need to know about it and be able to get hold of it. The cookbook publisher must believe in the book and market and distribute it effectively. Their marketing specialist needs to enter it into competitions such as the gourmand world cookbook awards (Paris), the independent publisher book awards (Ippy’s) based in NY or the Pink Lady International Food Photography Awards (London).

These, along with talent, are some of the important factors that contribute to your chances of creating an award winning cookbook.

Craig Kinder is a professional food photographer based in Perth, Western Australia. He loves working with chefs and publishers to create award-winning and best selling cookbooks. To find out more about working with Craig, contact him here.