Small learnings of success in the big world of publishing

By Dan Agostino, Head of Design at The Brand Agency.

Earlier this year, my wife and I self-published a cookbook. We have always wanted to collaborate on a project together and create something that we could hold proudly and say, ‘we did this’. Armed with enthusiasm and the determination to create something special, our first venture into the world of publishing has exceeded all our expectations, proving to be quite the success story.

Combining my wife’s talents as a talented writer and an amazing home cook, with my 15 years as Head of Design at The Brand Agency, The Table of Us was born. A 208 page, hard cover cookbook containing around 70 recipes that regularly grace our family table. It showcases beautiful food that we’ve enjoyed along our Italian travels throughout the years, or regional recipes that have been passed down from grandparents and family. It is an honest collection of traditional recipes that will leave your mouth watering and heart warm – just like a big hug from Nonna.

We always thought our endeavour would be just like peering over the horizon to see what may eventuate. Instead, the experience has been more of a fully-fledged leap into the big, wide world of publishing. Since the launch in May, we have had numerous conversations with people who have wanted to follow a similar path: asking how we did it, what are the pitfalls, and would we do it again? Here are a few things we’ve learnt along our way.

You need to put yourself out there.
My wife has always said, ‘all I wanted to do was write a cookbook’. But then there’s the reality of selling a product versus having boxes of them laying idle in a spare room somewhere. Two radio appearances, four newspaper interviews, twelve cooking demonstrations and multiple brand collaborations later, it can all be quite confrontational. There was a quick realisation that people wanted to know the face behind the brand, and in an overly saturated market, people want to buy into the individual and their personal story as much as the product itself. You are forever marketing yourself and quite literally putting you and your credibility on the front line. So, it’s imperative to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Never compromise on quality.
From the very beginning we were both committed to creating more than ‘just a cookbook’. Now self-publishing can be a dirty word – just ask anyone in the publishing industry. Apparently, anyone with access to computer, a printer and a binding machine can give it a go and for bookstore retailers, it can be a bit of a trigger word. However, I believe people will always appreciate and respect a quality product. They will treasure it and hold on to it for much longer. In the world of fast-turnaround digital solutions, there can be an expectation to create ‘quick and easy’. We waited for over six weeks for our print production to be ‘just right’, sampling paper stocks and foil block finishing, focusing on the craft of the end product as much as the content itself. No, there won’t be a follow up eBook you can download for a dollar on your tablet as the quality and craft just doesn’t translate the same.

Print is dead. Long live print.
Sadly, one of the most common things we hear is, ‘I didn’t know people still made books?’ I find this attitude a little ignorant. I’ve worked in the print space for over 20 years and have learnt the importance of making every channel work hard for your brand or product. I’ve also learned how to ‘zig when everyone else is zagging’. While there is much reporting around the stagnant nature of the retail sector and the long and steady decline of the printing industry, ironically, book sales around the country are on the rise with some sectors up 13% in sales over the last twelve months. COVID has had a positive effect on the publishing industry – and with so many people in lockdown – books have provided an important escape. This extends into the wider printing industry as well. With the advancement of print technology, the ability to create such a book ten, or even five years ago, would not have been possible. The benefit is we are able to do things with print now that for so long have not been possible unless you were producing large quantities or had even larger pockets.

Never underestimate the power of local.
We have heard many times from retailers that customers don’t just want another ‘rustic’ dish from Jamie Oliver or see another overly sultry Nigella Lawson cheesecake. We knew our biggest audience was in our own backyard and that, now more than ever, people want to connect with local people. They love seeing a local success story and are eager to find ways to help foster its growth. Supporting local is what helps keep our economy strong and there has never been a more crucial time to do just that.

“For a long time, the world was continuously getting bigger, however living in a pandemic has now forced us to look more closely at what is happening nearby and around us.”

Befriend the necessary evil.
Like it or not, social media is here to stay. The task of upkeeping our social media feed so that it is highly visual, engaging and continuously relevant is a job in itself. Styling food photography, writing posts, creating video content, planning in advance, the constant cooking, OMG the cooking! It is a significant commitment for any brand or organisation, however, with the average Australian spending nearly two hours per day across multiple social media platforms, it has an important role to play. I’m not sure if we can attribute direct sales to particular posts, but being able to continuously craft content to a specific audience is a powerful tool at anyone’s disposal. It has given us the ability to connect with, communicate to, and build on an audience of like-minded foodies from around the world. It makes the job of constantly trawling hours of social media feeds worth it.

The importance of the brand.
Probably the most important thing we have realised is the importance of a strong brand and staying true to our vision. In the early stages of development, we outlined very clearly what we wanted the book to stand for. Many people have approached us with ‘big ideas’ in an attempt to propel our brand forward, or even hitch their wagon to our star, but we have always asked the question, ‘is it the right fit for the brand, or does it take us down an alternate path?’ When you put your brand first and stay true to its promise or what it stands for, the answer is often very clear. It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind and say yes to every opportunity that comes your way, especially when there are a few on offer.

“Saying yes to the wrong one can be detrimental to your brand’s success moving forward and dilute all the early hard work.”

We are continually overwhelmed by the support and success our book has achieved thus far. Throwing ourselves out there into the publishing wilderness has been, at times, a very daunting experience. It has been the culmination of many late nights, hard work, and not to mention our own funding, over many years. Launching any side project is never an easy feat. Making it a successful one is even harder. While all of these points are important, the one thing we have noticed is that it doesn’t matter what big, wide world you are looking out over, the same basic principles apply. Regardless of what project you are working on, the industry you are working in, or what ‘new thing’ you have in the pipeline, some of the most rewarding results come from putting yourself out there and letting your product find its place. After all, the key to success can be found in not only what you achieve from 9 to 5, but what you can also achieve from 5 to 9. Sometimes we just need to not be swayed, take that leap and jump in head first.

The Table of Us is available from local bookstores, specialty boutiques, and online at www.thetableofus.com