A restaurant cookbook can serve as a valuable promotional tool for your restaurant as well as a source of additional revenue.
You (or someone on your staff) can design your cookbook and have it ready to print in a few hours.
Below are links to some low-cost ($35 to $50) "Cookbook Designing" software programs you can use to greatly simplify the work.
http://www.cookspalate.com/restaurant-cookbooks.htm
http://www.cookspalate.com/features.htm
You can search Google for the phrase, "Cookbook Software" and find many more software programs to help you layout and design your cookbook.
How to have your cookbook designed for you for $35 or less
If you want someone to do all the work for you, here's the easy way to have all the work done for you in one day for as little as $35.
www.Scriptlance.com is a web site that matches creative people (many from India) who do intellectual work (such as: computer programming, writing, graphic design, web site designs, logo designs, etc.).
You post your project on ScriptLance and get bids from people wanting to do the work. There's no cost to use this service. And don't worry about the project not being done to your satisfaction. You don't pay until you are satisfied with the work.
For example, I posted a project on www.ScriptLance.com a few minutes ago to have a cookbook designed and written including designing the front cover.
In the first five minutes I got bids to do the work that ranged from $35 to $275. The times to do the work ranged from one to seven days.
(Update: Over the next three days I received a total of 18 bids that ranged from $30 to $275 with most bids being below $100.)
How to post your project on ScriptLance
Below is the way I described the project on ScriptLance. Feel free to use this description (or any modification of it) to describe your own project.
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Format a Cookbook. Recipes will be supplied (approximately 60).
Need recipes formatted and put into a word and pdf format so the pages can be printed.
The book will be printed in a spiral binding format. Two pages to be formatted on an 8 1/2 by 11 page to be cut in half before assembling.
A basic front cover design will be required. Text and graphics or pictures will be supplied.
Job Type:
* Graphic Design * Writing
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You will receive a finished cookbook ready for you to take to Staples for printing (or print on your own printer). You can print a dozen or a hundred copies with the spiral binding that will lay flat when opened.
With this format you can make changes when you want to and you can print and assembly your cookbooks as you need them. No need to print and stock hundreds of books. In the pictures below you will see that this is the way most cookbooks are printed.
By the way, there are two services that you can use to have the work done. I used www.Scriptlance because I have used them more, but www.elance.com would probably be better for this project. Here are my thoughts on when to use which service:
To find writers and graphic designers, go to www.elance.com.
To find computer programmers and coders, go to www.scriptlance.com
Here's one more source to use to get your cookbook designed. Go to https://www.odesk.com/ and you can find designers who will work by the project or by the hour. Many only charge $2 an hour. A lot of the workers are in the Philippines, but they speak excellent English and are easy to work with.
Sample Cookbook designs
Below are some sample Cookbook covers I found by searching "Google Images" for the word, "Cookbook."
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Picture yourself with your own cookbook (like one of the ones shown above). Your own cookbook can be on display and be selling in your lobby in less than two weeks.
With your own cookbook, you will be an instant celebrity and your restaurant will be more popular than ever. And don't forget about the extra money you will be making every day for years to come with the sales of your very own cookbook.
By the way, you can get book covers like the ones shown at the link below for $5 -- that's right $5 will get you a great looking book cover. Just go to www.Fiverr.com and search for "book cover designs." I've used the designers at Fiverr to have several book covers designed.
Below is a link to a site on Amazon that shows seven book covers I had designed by a designer at www.Fiverr.com and all of these covers cost me only $5 each.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jerry+Minchey&x=15&y=23
Another way to get your cookbook published
You can go to Createspace (a company now owned by Amazon) and get your cookbook published for no upfront fee and at a cost of about $2 to $3 per book. You can even buy the books one at at time for this price.
I use this company to publish my books. Just go to the link below and follow their step-by-step instructions. They also offer free telephone support if you have any questions. They don't offer spiral bound books (which is nice for cookbooks), but at $2 to $3 for each book, you can't have everything.
Bottom line: There's no reason why you don't have a cookbook for your restaurant, so take the steps to get it done now.
