Posted By: PamperedParamour
Apr 22 # 228 of 244
chubbyalaskagriz wrote:
PampParamour, I am interested in knowing your story because I too have recently completed a cookbook that I actually hope to have published soon! (If the place I've sent it too feels it's worthy!) And yes- I too have experienced many frustrations in the form of wrong turns, road-blocks, dead-ends, cumbersome corners and other limiting side-swipes! But my hope is these discouragments will pay-off well in the end and make the struggle even more worth the pain and sacrifices!
I am thrilled to check out your website- nudity doesn't bother me on any level- so I'll look forward to seeing it once I'm back home from work in the morning and using my own computer. Actually- now I am quite intrigued! Though not to worry about me ogling the nudes- I lean the "other way"! (Actually, "lean" isn't the correct word at all!)
First, I have to tell you, I love your sense of humor!
So, now that I have a few minutes I can tell you a bit more about my cookbook experience. First, I'm not a chef...just a girl who had the cooking responsibilities fall to me in our household of two. My husband is awesome, but definitely isn't the first to take the cooking reigns. So, it was either me or we starve (or go broke eating out).
I enjoy cooking, but after so many near disasters in the kitchen, I stick to what I know...mom's cooking. The idea for "The Pampered Paramour" came to my husband one night when I was going on and on about how I should write a cookbook of super simple recipes and market it to women for their husbands. My husband (Dennis) was the one that mentioned the nudes. What a genius! I wanted to keep it classy, nothing crude, so I went with one of my favorite styles...vintage nudes. It took weeks of deciphering publishing software before the design was done. Once I put the whole thing together I had to figure out a way to publish it. I researched and decided that self-publishing would probably be the only way I'd ever see her in print, so that's what I did.
Lemme tell ya, what a process that was! Online self-publishers are really tough, especially when you're working with photos that were never meant for a computer. Not to mention, the mess-up from the printing company that cost me a few hundred dollars. Thankfully my credit card company disputed the charge and got my money back. That's when I decided to find a local printer. They helped me so much with the size and print. The overall charm of this book is that it's self-published and simple. Essentially, it's a cookbook for those who would like a simple meal or who are not too savvy in the kitchen.
I did have interest from a literary agent but alas, they declined. It isn't easy finding a publisher but I've heard that even if you get published you still do a lot of the marketing yourself. So, that's just what I've done. I've been fortunate enough to have it carried at a national adult boutique store as well as at a few indie bookstores and local retailers in Denver. I've also been on the radio a few times. I'm up to almost 500 books sold, which is so exciting!
The biggest thing to happen to me since "The Pampered Paramour" was when I was offered my own vintage food and drink column in a vintage magazine out of the UK. I could barely keep myself in my skin! I've been saying I needed a hobby - who knew my hobby would find me! I've been having a lot of fun researching vintage cocktails, vintage dinners, etc. I'm even doing a couple of vintage dining pieces this year. What an amazing hobby!
As for the users of "The Pampered Paramour," well, my friend is one of my biggest fans. She never cooked at home until she got married and had kids. She uses it for everything and said that the steps are easy to follow and the flavors are big...which made my day! That's pretty much what I wanted to accomplish with this cookbook. There's even a recipe in there for a swiss cheese sandwich with tomato and one for a salami sandwich with provolone cheese and a little red wine vinegar. I also have a peppersteak recipe and other "main dishes" that aren't hard, but do take a little more time. At the end of the day, I was really trying to find easy options that would give my husband an idea of what to make or have for dinner without having to make 20 phone calls to me with questions like "What temperature do I need to set the oven on?"
I hope you enjoyed my little story and my website. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to try and answer them. I think the writing of the cookbook is the easiest part...it's the marketing and constant self-criticism that is the biggest challenge!
By the way, feel free to call me Nina.