Major events ...

I was listening to Radio 4 a few weeks ago and Tim Hayward for the Guardian was talking recipe books. I was shushing the children when what he was saying dawned on me. The top recipe books last year were the TV chefs. Jamie Oliver had sold over a million, Nigella Lawson, if memory serves me was about 400,000 and just under that were the revoltingly named motorcyclists. The thing that made me sit up and made me go cold was the next bit of information. The Drop off. By that I mean the other recipe books sliding down the scale were so significantly lower in numbers that the 100^th best selling recipe book in the UK sold just 9,000 copies.

Now if you had said that Prepped were to make it into the top 100 best selling recipe books of 2011 in May last year I’d have been ecstatic. I’d probably have kissed you there and then, but the truth is that is I were to be the 100^th best selling Author of 2011 I will have to go back to my day job. I simply can’t afford to work for the revenue that would bring in. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m being paid a fair % by my publishers. My point is that I am sitting here whittling. The if’s, the buts, the maybes and the what if’s again. It’s like a little circle of thoughts that go around in my head again and again. The loop goes like this.

It will be successful. You have an original idea. Your idea is great. Will other people think that? Yes lots of people have said so. That doesn’t mean they’ll buy the book. It’s very competitive out there. You’re a 1^st time author. You’re not on TV. You’re not skinny. Neither is Nigella. Don’t worry. It will be successful .. and so back to the beginning.

However, three things have happened in the past couple of days to allay some of my fears. Firstly a lady called Sue Baker in a Trade magazine called The Book Seller singled out Prepped and said that if there were one book in the reviews she could keep it would be Prepped. She also said lots of other great things including “it’s fresh, bursting with flavours and new idea’s . A book that should prove a long lasting favourite.” Now to be fair I wasn’t really aware of the importance of her words. But as Nicky my publisher read them she was just so overjoyed I thought there were tears a the other end of the phone. She explained that this is the magazine all the small to medium size independent book stores chose what to buy from, and this lady Sue Baker is someone who really really knows her stuff. High praise indeed for a first time author. I am delighted!

The second bit of news is that Waterstones have placed a really significant order. I can't tell how big .. but big enough to have me cheering in public again! (I was walking along the high street as I was told !)

Thirdly Kitchenaid have lent me a machine to do the last of the photo’s. This sounds a little bizarre to be happy about , but they are so careful where there product is seen.

So I shall go to bed now. .. and try to stop worrying.

Good Night.

Researching what makes a good cookery book in Waterstones

It's been a great day and I've learnt so much in Waterstones in Milton Keynes. I was warmly greeted by with Lisa the manager and Annette the floor manager, who came over to the till saying she’d spotted me the cake lady on the CCTV and came straight downstairs to see me. I loved meeting them both. What Annette doesn’t know about recipe books isn’t worth knowing - after 8 years she knows a thing or two, and she was kind enough to chat to me on the Audioboo.

Coming from a Marketing background is a real plus in life. The thing about writing any book is that you have to know who is going to buy it. Target market sweetie. The biggest disasters I’ve made in life are when I’ve rushed into things without checking the market, and doing proper research. Writing a book is no different. As we (the publishers and the book designer and my PR manager) are refining the book cover and the blurb and the final exacting detail that will attract the readers it is essential to get it right. Putting together a public relations campaign to get people interested in the book means everything has to be right. The colour, the tone, the words, the photos and the message has to be sending the same message. What is the message? well for me it has to say .. pick me up! As an unknown Author this book is going to be sitting on the shelves next to the big boys ( and girls ) of the cookery world. The hairy bikers, the Jamie oliver offering, the Delia's latest and of course being a K in the alphabet I may well get to snuggle up to an L on the shelf ... Nigella's an L .. I can think of worse people to be cosy with!

So I had to check the detail. The choice of colour (It’s eye catching!) and the words on the bi line. So I spent today speaking to anyone and everyone that stepped foot in the recipe section.

The results .. well I had a few surprises .. and some seriously super findings. I have to collate the information and I’m doing a few more questionnaires to round up the numbers.. but can I tell you now .. we are definitely on the right track.

As soon as the results are collated I’ll be back to the blog to share all !

Publish PostSee and download the full gallery on posterous

Things don't always go according to plan

Disciplining my child for shoplifting from Waterstones this week was not what I had in mind when I took some biscuit samples in. More about that later ...

As I took some shots with my new camera whilst my daughter delighted in dragging her fingers through the pools of icing sugar that were splotted across the work surface. Not the healthiest breakfast, but it was her birthday and what could be a more fun start to the day? It is hard work with them all being off school. I don’t like to plonk them in front of the television. They are all going to be creative. My son has decided he wants to be a photographer when he grows up. He has my old canon point and shoot he is taking his own shots of everything he eats. Daughter number one is trying to cook up her own creations using marmite, cocoa powder and rice crispies and my youngest, age 3, finds any opportunity to make her way upstairs to find my makeup, returning to the kitchen, looking like a drag queen in my YSL lippie and Chanel eye shadow. - They are driving me mad!

Thursday I took the Lavender shortbread to Waterstones in Market Harborough. I think they went down really well, certainly the staff seemed to enjoy them! It was all going according to plan .. the manageress was lovely and helped the children to choose two books each.

I think it does them good to have their noses in a book rather than the television. Of course they wanted almost every book on the shelf.. but we settled for two on the basis that we would come back for more in a week.

I was somewhat smug to have found and bought new reading books and a whole host of creative activities for the children to do. My children are going to be so much better for my efforts. ... As we walked back to the car, loaded with new paints, activity kits, jigsaws and packs of felt tips I suddenly noticed that one of my brood carrying three books. Not two. then it dawned on me .. My darling better child had stolen a book !

It was 5.25pm. I marched them back to the shop and made them return the book with an apology, and a good dose of humiliation ! It was really embarrassing!

When I got back to the car, which was in a private car park, at 5.32pm I discovered the car was locked in. A great big padlock and 8 foot gates separated us from the car. Boy was I mad. Had my little one not been stealing books then we would have been back in time. Said child got a second dressing down. I contemplated leaving the children on the pavement, climbing over and breaking the car out. ..... I pictured the scene and the inevitable police conversation, considering that I would no doubt be arrested .. and decided perhaps it was best just to call the police and see if they could help instead. As I phoned the station, another lady stood next to me, her car was behind the gates too. There was steam was coming out of my ears as I was explaining to an utterly disinterested police woman that there was no sign to say the gates were to be locked. As I was talking, the lady next to me took a closer look at the padlock ....and found it was not closed. Allehluia!

Was there a lesson to be learned here? Yes. Let the children watch TV.