Last Sunday I had the great pleasure to sit down at a local Starbucks with the Arts Columnist for the Village Life, Susan Laird.
Back in June I read an article she had written about another author in the area. I was really busy at the time so… I set the copy of the paper aside for future use with the intention of contacting her.
I was hoping she would think my news was worthy of publication!
What a pleasant surprise to hear her cheerful voice on the other end of the phone when I called her to try set up an appointment! She was truly interested to hear about what I had been doing since last March 2009, when I lost my job. I told her I had been busy “building an empire!”
And of course, the latest news was the El Dorado Hills Cookbook project I was launching.
“Sounds like a ‘local girl makes good” story to me,” she said. That was music to my ears!
When we finally met in person, we spent the better part of the morning together. What’s even better, we found out we had many things in common! We reminisced about growing up in San Francisco and talked about all the great things we used to do as kids.
I’m glad I took action and made that phone call that day. I not only got a great article written about being an entrepreneur and not giving up on dreams; more importantly, I also made a a new friend!
Are you a shutter bug? Do you have some beautiful photos you have taken of El Dorado Hills?
Are you an artist who has rendered images of El Dorado Hills?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you could be lucky enough to land the cover of the El Dorado Hills Cookbook!
In case you have not heard, the El Dorado Hills Cookbook is a community-based compilation cookbook made up of recipes from residents and business owners in El Dorado Hills.
This is a project that was conceived by Laura Denktash, publisher at Balanced Rock Press, a new independent publisher located in El Dorado Hills.
The project began on Sunday August 9, 2010 and the deadline for submissions is November 1, 2010.
There will be a contest for the cover image. All images must be submitted no later than October 15, 2010. All contests entries will be posted on this blog prior to selection. There is no fee to submit an image for the book cover contest.
To join in on the fun you can get all the details, submission information, and pricing for recipe submission or sponsor pages at the El Dorado Hills Cookbook! We hope you will join us!
Hello, and welcome to the El Dorado Hills Cookbook site!
Have you been dreaming about writing and publishing a cookbook?
Is writing a cookbook on your “bucket list?”
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-with a lot less work on your part, than what is 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 of 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 2010 and 2011, with 2 more in negotiation.
Part of the Balanced Rock business model 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 costs of editing and printing. It’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 participants 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?
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.
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.
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, sponsoring, and pricing, go to Submit a Recipe.
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!
Last Sunday I had the great pleasure to sit down at a local Starbucks with the Arts Columnist for the Village Life, Susan Laird.
