Hello, and welcome to the El Dorado Hills Cookbook site!

Do you love to cook?

Have you been dreaming about writing and publishing a cookbook?

Is writing a cookbook on your “bucket list?”

Are you a resident and/or business owner in El Dorado Hills? Or do you work in El Dorado Hills?

Are you a restaurant owner, professional chef, personal chef, or nutritionist?

The El Dorado Hills Cookbook will give you the opportunity to have one or more of your favorite recipes published in a high-quality book! And…with a lot less work on your part than what is normally required to write and publish a complete cookbook.

This project is the brainchild of Laura Denktash – author, writing coach, speaker, and most recently, founder and publisher of Balanced Rock Press located in El Dorado Hills.

Balanced Rock Press is a new and growing independent publisher of traditional books, eBooks, and audio books. One of our specialties is cookbooks. We presently have 7 cookbooks scheduled for release during 2011 and 2012, with several more in negotiation, and additional titles in developmental stages.

Part of the Balanced Rock business plan includes at least one project per year that’s based on the “compilation” model.

Compilation books are written by a number of co-authors on a subject. And in case you are not familiar, participants pay a fee to be published in the book. The fee covers the production costs of editing and printing. For someone with a business, Ii’s like an advertising fee paid to a newspaper or magazine to promote your business, only the book lasts much longer, and is not discarded in the recycle bin!

For Balanced Rock Press, the compilation model also includes giving a portion of the sales to a worthy cause. This year’s recipient will The Grace Foundation of Northern California, an equine rescue and rehabilitation facility located in El Dorado Hills. The Grace Foundation will receive 10% of all sales of the El Dorado Hills Cookbook.

Because this project is a cookbook, the participating authors will be writing recipes, not whole chapters, so the fee structure is very reasonable. And…the value of being published in a book far outweighs the small investment involved!

You can say forever that you have been published in a book!

Each person or business featured will have a short bio and their resource information listed along with their recipe and a photo. They’ll also be able to list their website, business information, or product name.

Participation in a compilation book offers the writers a great opportunity for self promotion! And, there will also be opportunities to purchase full-pages in the book. This sponsorship opportunity is a great way to advertise your business and help a worthy cause in El Dorado Hills.

So why are compilation books so good for authors?

1. You promote yourself! You can get your website and name in front of a whole new audience by being in a compilation book. You can catch their interest with your story. You will also most likely be able to participate in future books if there is a series.
2. Other people promote you. Each of the authors will generally have bought copies of the book at wholesale prices in order to resell them for a profit. Or they will be giving books away to clients and friends. As people read the book, they come across you and check out your site.
3. Compilation Books promote community! Being a part of a group cookbook is fun, especially when an entire community takes part. It’s a great way to make new connections, whether you are a business owner or a private citizen.

For further information regarding submission details, deadlines,  and pricing, go to Submit a Recipe.

For more information regarding becoming a sponsor and sponsor pricing, go to the Become a Sponsor page.

We hope everyone in the community will take advantage of this wonderful way to promote our beautiful community, quality businesses, and the talented people that make up this great place called El Dorado Hills!