Most of the clothing and accessories stores offer vintage products nowadays. A lot of people however think that vintage is old, thus used or that they should get a vintage piece because it is trendy. In reality vintage clothing refers to clothing created between the 1920s and the 1970s sometimes even 1980s. The specialty vintage clothing stores consider vintage clothing only the clothes created in the 1960s and 1970s.
Sometimes people refer to vintage clothes as retro clothes. This is not necessarily true because for example a gown created by a world wide known designer can become a vintage piece of clothing after only three or four years from the date it was first presented.
If you want to buy vintage clothing or accessories you should expect to pay the same price as the prices of the newest collection available or sometimes even more. The vintage market like almost any other market is divided in two parts: the first part is the authentic vintage products market which are more expensive but are both collectibles and let you make a fashion statement; and the second part is the reproduced vintage products market which offers cheap products that copy the design and the material, but that are actually produced very recently.
There are a few things you should keep in mind when searching for vintage clothes. Most of the times the size is given in terms of hip, waist, and bust measurements, thus if you only know your size you might not be able to buy the product. Carefully read all the details provided with the product. The authentic vintage clothes information will contain details about all the details of the product, existent damages, material made from, original color and present color, year of fabrication if possible as well as designer. They will also provide several pictures showing the product from different angles so that you can asses its condition.
A lot of times authentic vintage clothes are already worn, but in a great condition. They are called vintage clothes because they belong to a different period of times, and it rarely happens that people buy clothes and do not wear them at all and do not give them away. A new or almost new vintage clothing piece can be a very expensive item like an evening gown that one can wear only at certain occasions. A lot of famous people or not so famous but very rich people have event outfits they only wear once, but do not give them away because of different reasons. When this is the case their clothing products can become vintage clothing products that look extremely good and do not even look like they have been worn.
Know Your Vintage Clothing Condition
Because vintage clothing is not new, it's important that you properly understand the condition of a garment. Some sellers rely on a naming system that will help you assess what you can expect when you buy vintage clothing and accessories on eBay. Here's a listing of terms from the Fashion-Era Web site.
*Mint: An item is as perfect and pristine as when it was originally made and shows no sign of wear (mint condition is rare for vintage clothing).
*Near mint: An item shows only the slightest signs of wear.
*Excellent: An item shows typical signs of wear due to occasional use.
*Very good: An item is considered wearable but has some surface flaws (staining or soiling, for example).
*Good: An item is wearable but cannot be returned to excellent condition even if repairs are made.
Of course, the older a piece of clothing is, the more likely it will display indications of its age. Signs of wear should be expected. Although condition ranks as a main buying consideration for vintage clothing, it's not as crucial for older items.
Don't buy something that you consider inferior just because it has a well known brand name. Ask the seller to specify any damage or irregularities a garment may have. And don't rely solely on a condition term if you are unsure of the quality of a garment.
As for size, it's always a good idea to buy a little big. If a piece of vintage clothing is particularly old, it might not withstand stretching. What's more, don't rely on modern sizing. Because vintage clothing is from past eras, sizes will vary from decade to decade and from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Texas Judicial Cookbook
Delicious Read … Highly Recommended … 5 stars
The Review
From McLennan County’s Jim Lewis, judge, comes a quick and easy casserole. Hopkins County stew, Cheese Dip from Hill County, and Gobs from Ellis County edge the reader into the kitchen. Yes, Gobs. Chad Adams, judge, offers what appears to be a sure winner of a cookie. I intend to try them soon. Gobs along with Cornbread Salad from Freestone County will appear on our supper table this coming week. I know I can depend on Sheriff Ralph Billings’ yummy salad recipe.
Taco Soup, Rotel, Fruit Filled Tortillas, Hummingbird Cake, and Banana Bread all use ingredients found in most pantries. Tom Green County’s DPS Randy Swick offers Swick’s Love Muffins, muffins having chocolate chips as an ingredient are sure to be just that. Law Judge Al Gerson Jefferson County and his recipes for Braised Doves, Chicken Pork Jambalaya, Italian Batter Friend shark bites and Quailgerson indicate a man who likes to cook, likes to eat or perhaps likes to do both. Bean Dip, Crawfish and Rice, Pretzel Salad, Jailhouse Rolls, Chicken N Rice, Lasagna, I’m getting hungry. A Southern cookbook would not be complete with a recipe for Pecan Pie, and I found it: Jasper County Judge Joe Wilkinson submitted his recipe. Apple Dumplings, Fresh Apple Cake, Aunt Jean’s Coconut Pie, Rum Cake and from Kay Bailey Hutchinson Cousin Susie’s Perfect Fudge; this is one book for review that I will be keeping, and using.
“In 1999 the Historic Courthouse Preservation Program to provide grants to counties in need of courthouse renovations was established. The Texas Judicial Cookbook is a culinary tribute to these monuments of justice and leadership, fashioned by the hands of pioneering Texans. This compilation of recipes from residing judges, former judges and other state and county officials is enhanced by beautiful photographs of these historical treasures.”
Texas Judicial Cookbook is a spiral bound work of art. The recipes, 59, are the type I like most to see and use; family favorites which means in most cases the recipes are ones family and kids will eat, can be made from ingredients on hand and do not require long hours of preparation. The abundance of photographs included is lovely. Courthouses built in a time gone by when life was slower, beauty was revered and rotundas, stained glass and stone grace the structures are worth the price of the book whether the buyer is interested in the recipes or not. For a collector of cookbooks this is a treasure trove of beauty and recipes.
Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County has one of the most beautiful of the courthouses included. The Romanesque Revival design by James Riely Gordon was built in 1895. A two page spread of pictures showing the building from several views, close ups and butterflies perched on blossoms in from of the building are breathtaking. Judge Millsap’s recipe for stew is offset with a close-up of the Courthouse tower as well as information regarding the architect and a note having historical interest are included along with a photo of judge Millsap.
The buildings run a gamut of Beaux-Arts, Classical Revival, Renaissance Revival, Second Empire, Texas Renaissance designs are a few of the designs brought to life by designers James Riely Gordon, Jaspar N Preston and Son, Henry Phelps are but three of the designers listed. It appears that Mr. Gordon is the designer designing more of the structures than any other.
Recipe ingredients include packaged cake mix, frozen pie crust, packaged tortillas, canned vegetables, Ramen noodles, canned soup, canned chicken broth, Bisquick, cool whip and pretzels. These are real recipes provided by real people to be used in real homes by busy working folks. I like this.
I am both history buff and collector of cookbooks. Texas Judicial Cookbook satisfied both cravings, and, unlike some cookbooks’ I have earmarked a number of these recipes to use with my family. I enjoyed reading about the various courthouses and viewing the photos of them nearly as much as I did reading the recipes. Meal time should prove ‘Texas’ for several days to come and will include salads, breads, entrees and desserts all made using these recipes.
I received a hardbound copy for review. Enjoyed the read, happy to recommend. Texas Judicial Cookbook will prove to a super addition to the personal kitchen cookbook shelf, as well as the reading lists for the home economics teacher, extension coordinator and 4-H leader.
Free Co-op Mailing Listing Service Helps Book Publishers & Self Publishers Sell Books
Publishers know they can save a lot of money joining others in joint or cooperative mailings. Co-op mailing is not a new concept or idea, but finding other publishers who want to mail to the same lists isn't easy.
A free service is helping publishers sell more books through cooperative mailings with other publishers. Publishers submit listing information, as to what kind of mailing they want to do, the nature of the books or items they want to promote, and contact information. DVDs, audiobooks, CDs, software and other items work easily here too. The information is published each month free in a newsletter for entrepreneurs and publishers - 'Helen Hecker's Biz Hotline.' We aren't involved in helping with any arrangements you decide on. We only help you find others who are interested in joining with you by publishing the information in the newsletter, free.
You arrange with others and send out your fliers in co-op mailings to, for example, public libraries, independent bookstores, new age bookstores, children's bookstores, hospitals, hospital gift shops, elementary schools, high schools, college libraries, college newspapers, colleges & universities, various departments in elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities, to medical libraries, military libraries, museums, and Christian and religion-related lists, etc.
You arrange with others and send out your press releases to daily newspapers, editors, travel columnists, health columnists, medical columnists, weekly newspapers, major magazine and trade publications in the genre field of the book - business, health, medical, disability, travel publications, etc. I've mailed several of my own press releases, successfully, in one business-size envelope third class ( bulk mail) for many years, promoting several of our books, videos, DVDs, titles and services and reaping a ton of orders for us in return. We've had thousands of write-ups -articles, items and features in many publications over the years. I think the envelopes are opened in the mail room and the editors never see the envelopes that press releases come in. Also they'll never know if it arrived by priority mail, first class or third class (b
ulk) mail.
For many years I ran a sideline fee-shared cooperative mailing service to help our publishing company branch and other publishers, promote titles and sell more books through press releases to the print media (newspapers and magazines, for example) and news releases to the broadcast media (radio station talk shows, TV shows, Oprah, Today show, Good Morning America, etc.) Also we sent fliers to libraries, schools, hospitals, hospital gift shops, newspapers, independent bookstores, new age bookstores, etc.
The costs to do a co-op mailing are established by you and your co-op partners, for the amount necessary to do the mailing, then divided up and paid for well in advance of the mailing. This would include the cost of buying and printing #10 business-size envelopes, the cost of renting the labels, postage cost determined by the weight of the piece and other factors, and cost for the mailing house to do the mail out. All fliers are shipped directly to the mailing house with instructions on the box as to which mailing it's for. The lead person gives them instructions so they know the boxes are coming.
We've always had good results from cooperative mailings and many others have reported they have too. Publishers need to know what markets their genres fit into. No two books or products are exactly alike. So one can't compare the outcome for titles of books in mailings others have done, to their own titles and potential outcome.
Doing co-op mailings is a good way for book publishers, self publishers, (entrepreneurs and other types of business owners too) to distribute their press releases and fliers, and to save a lot of time and money. And this free cooperative mailing service is a good way for you to find other publishers with the same marketing goals.
A free service is helping publishers sell more books through cooperative mailings with other publishers. Publishers submit listing information, as to what kind of mailing they want to do, the nature of the books or items they want to promote, and contact information. DVDs, audiobooks, CDs, software and other items work easily here too. The information is published each month free in a newsletter for entrepreneurs and publishers - 'Helen Hecker's Biz Hotline.' We aren't involved in helping with any arrangements you decide on. We only help you find others who are interested in joining with you by publishing the information in the newsletter, free.
You arrange with others and send out your fliers in co-op mailings to, for example, public libraries, independent bookstores, new age bookstores, children's bookstores, hospitals, hospital gift shops, elementary schools, high schools, college libraries, college newspapers, colleges & universities, various departments in elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities, to medical libraries, military libraries, museums, and Christian and religion-related lists, etc.
You arrange with others and send out your press releases to daily newspapers, editors, travel columnists, health columnists, medical columnists, weekly newspapers, major magazine and trade publications in the genre field of the book - business, health, medical, disability, travel publications, etc. I've mailed several of my own press releases, successfully, in one business-size envelope third class ( bulk mail) for many years, promoting several of our books, videos, DVDs, titles and services and reaping a ton of orders for us in return. We've had thousands of write-ups -articles, items and features in many publications over the years. I think the envelopes are opened in the mail room and the editors never see the envelopes that press releases come in. Also they'll never know if it arrived by priority mail, first class or third class (b
ulk) mail.
For many years I ran a sideline fee-shared cooperative mailing service to help our publishing company branch and other publishers, promote titles and sell more books through press releases to the print media (newspapers and magazines, for example) and news releases to the broadcast media (radio station talk shows, TV shows, Oprah, Today show, Good Morning America, etc.) Also we sent fliers to libraries, schools, hospitals, hospital gift shops, newspapers, independent bookstores, new age bookstores, etc.
The costs to do a co-op mailing are established by you and your co-op partners, for the amount necessary to do the mailing, then divided up and paid for well in advance of the mailing. This would include the cost of buying and printing #10 business-size envelopes, the cost of renting the labels, postage cost determined by the weight of the piece and other factors, and cost for the mailing house to do the mail out. All fliers are shipped directly to the mailing house with instructions on the box as to which mailing it's for. The lead person gives them instructions so they know the boxes are coming.
We've always had good results from cooperative mailings and many others have reported they have too. Publishers need to know what markets their genres fit into. No two books or products are exactly alike. So one can't compare the outcome for titles of books in mailings others have done, to their own titles and potential outcome.
Doing co-op mailings is a good way for book publishers, self publishers, (entrepreneurs and other types of business owners too) to distribute their press releases and fliers, and to save a lot of time and money. And this free cooperative mailing service is a good way for you to find other publishers with the same marketing goals.
Online Article Authors and Ezine Publisher Pick-ups
If you are an online article author chances are you are not very concerned about the true definition of what an Ezine really is. Nevertheless we should discuss this for a moment as it really does concern you. You see an Ezine is an electronic newsletter or magazine, which is sent out via email. As an online article author it is imperative that your articles get picked up, published and sent out in such Ezines, as many of them have 10s of thousands of permission based subscribers who may read your article.
Personally as a writer I do not care if an Ezine meets the True Definition of Ezine as long as it is picked-up by as many as possible. I would rather have the largest Ezines pick up my articles and send them to 10s of thousands of subscribers, yet I am just as happy if my articles end up on FedEx Intranet, Wal-Mart TV or the Jiffy Lube Franchisee network. After all with Wal-Mart being the Earth's largest employer, give me all you got right? They need content too and they send out electronic newsletters on their own networks to employees, vendors and management. To me I say these mass distribution electronic newsletters are Ezines if those folks with those networks want to call them that. Hey as an online article author that is fine with me.
So as the debate rages on in the world of online article submission websites, Ezine Publishing and definitional debris it is all good to me. I will keep writing as long as they keep publishing and every one is happy. The more places and methods of distribution the better so, consider all this in 2005.
Personally as a writer I do not care if an Ezine meets the True Definition of Ezine as long as it is picked-up by as many as possible. I would rather have the largest Ezines pick up my articles and send them to 10s of thousands of subscribers, yet I am just as happy if my articles end up on FedEx Intranet, Wal-Mart TV or the Jiffy Lube Franchisee network. After all with Wal-Mart being the Earth's largest employer, give me all you got right? They need content too and they send out electronic newsletters on their own networks to employees, vendors and management. To me I say these mass distribution electronic newsletters are Ezines if those folks with those networks want to call them that. Hey as an online article author that is fine with me.
So as the debate rages on in the world of online article submission websites, Ezine Publishing and definitional debris it is all good to me. I will keep writing as long as they keep publishing and every one is happy. The more places and methods of distribution the better so, consider all this in 2005.
Cookbook Publishing - The Basic Ingredients and the Secrets to Success
You are about to embark on the most exciting enterprise of your life -- publishing a cook book! You will soon learn that writing a cook book is truly a fun, exciting and challenging project – more than you can imagine. Like me, you can publish your own wildly successful cook book. And if you ask me if I think publishing a cook book is worth the time and effort? You bet I do!
My cook book, Fit to Cook – Why ‘Waist’ Time in the Kitchen? sold over 250,000 copies (with, I might add, less than 10% of those sales coming from book stores). However, I wasted a great deal of time, back-tracking and scrambling in order to sell all those books because in the beginning I did not have a complete grasp of the publishing industry and the process of marketing a cook book.
Before you rack your brain figuring out how to write a cook book, and more importantly, how to publish a cook book, take some time to thoroughly research the why and what you are writing about, who you are writing for and when is the best time to launch your book.
Whether you want to get published or whether you want to self publish your cook book, the same basics apply – you need a good understanding of the publishing industry. Without the basics, will you know if your contracts are in order, that your book is the best it can be and that your cook book marketing plan is actually an effective strategy? No – but, knowledge is power. It is crucial that you take enough time to educate yourself about the entire publishing industry.
Understanding publishing, and the marketing of books, will clearly help you to identify why you are writing a cook book. Perhaps you are writing a cook book just to record secret family recipes or to have all of your own favorite recipes in a book format; maybe you are writing a cook book for a community or church fundraiser; or best of all, your goal is to create a bestseller. Cook books that are written for a very small group do not require business and marketing plans because you already know how many books will be purchased and who the buyers are. However, if you are planning to publish your own cook book for the mass markets, you need to understand that you have moved beyond author to publisher. That means that you are now a business person whose primary goal is the creation of a product to sell. There is no point in printing a book that no one will want to buy.
When I began writing my own cook book, I naively thought that it would be a two or three month process, and that in no time I would have a book on every book store shelf in the country. Ha, ha, ha, chuckle chuckle… Experience is a great educator, but who says that you have to learn the hard way? Obviously I had no idea how to publish a cook book in the beginning! However, through this article and via the publishing course that I and my partners have created, I intend to help you avoid losing time and money.
How did I create such a successful cook book? The short answer is research, research, research, and then more research. Thankfully I had the wisdom to do the research before going to print. But research can, and did, take years.
In my experience, after I learned how to write a cook book I had to learn all about cook book publishing:
copyright
trademarks
ISBN numbers
cataloging in publication data
printing terms like cover stock, bindings, signatures and bluelines
learning how to obtain printing quotes, (crucial in knowing how many books you can afford to print)
barcodes
graphic design (makes the difference between great sales and no sales)
editing (cannot, and I mean cannot, be done by yourself, friends or family)
titles and subtitles (they can make or break a book)
title search (avoid duplicating someone else’s title)
distribution
Next, I had to learn about how to start a business:
business plan
incorporation
toll free numbers
corporate logos and identity
websi
My cook book, Fit to Cook – Why ‘Waist’ Time in the Kitchen? sold over 250,000 copies (with, I might add, less than 10% of those sales coming from book stores). However, I wasted a great deal of time, back-tracking and scrambling in order to sell all those books because in the beginning I did not have a complete grasp of the publishing industry and the process of marketing a cook book.
Before you rack your brain figuring out how to write a cook book, and more importantly, how to publish a cook book, take some time to thoroughly research the why and what you are writing about, who you are writing for and when is the best time to launch your book.
Whether you want to get published or whether you want to self publish your cook book, the same basics apply – you need a good understanding of the publishing industry. Without the basics, will you know if your contracts are in order, that your book is the best it can be and that your cook book marketing plan is actually an effective strategy? No – but, knowledge is power. It is crucial that you take enough time to educate yourself about the entire publishing industry.
Understanding publishing, and the marketing of books, will clearly help you to identify why you are writing a cook book. Perhaps you are writing a cook book just to record secret family recipes or to have all of your own favorite recipes in a book format; maybe you are writing a cook book for a community or church fundraiser; or best of all, your goal is to create a bestseller. Cook books that are written for a very small group do not require business and marketing plans because you already know how many books will be purchased and who the buyers are. However, if you are planning to publish your own cook book for the mass markets, you need to understand that you have moved beyond author to publisher. That means that you are now a business person whose primary goal is the creation of a product to sell. There is no point in printing a book that no one will want to buy.
When I began writing my own cook book, I naively thought that it would be a two or three month process, and that in no time I would have a book on every book store shelf in the country. Ha, ha, ha, chuckle chuckle… Experience is a great educator, but who says that you have to learn the hard way? Obviously I had no idea how to publish a cook book in the beginning! However, through this article and via the publishing course that I and my partners have created, I intend to help you avoid losing time and money.
How did I create such a successful cook book? The short answer is research, research, research, and then more research. Thankfully I had the wisdom to do the research before going to print. But research can, and did, take years.
In my experience, after I learned how to write a cook book I had to learn all about cook book publishing:
copyright
trademarks
ISBN numbers
cataloging in publication data
printing terms like cover stock, bindings, signatures and bluelines
learning how to obtain printing quotes, (crucial in knowing how many books you can afford to print)
barcodes
graphic design (makes the difference between great sales and no sales)
editing (cannot, and I mean cannot, be done by yourself, friends or family)
titles and subtitles (they can make or break a book)
title search (avoid duplicating someone else’s title)
distribution
Next, I had to learn about how to start a business:
business plan
incorporation
toll free numbers
corporate logos and identity
websi
Morris County's Appeal to New Yorkers
A commuter rail boom in the New York and New Jersey has enabled many professionals in the area to live further from the big city. One of the places they're moving is Morris County, New Jersey, a group of historic small towns 20 miles to the west. Settled more than 300 years ago, the area offers a well-established, attractive residential base, and solid property investment potential. Morris County includes more than 30 municipalities, and a wide variety of charming unincorporated areas. Homes here are often beautifully restored Victorian and Colonial-era buildings dating back to the early 20th century, which add to an already high quality of life in this attractive area.
Big City professionals also know Morris County for its wide variety of Fortune 500 headquarters, offices, and major facilities. Companies with operations here include AT&T, Honeywell, Bayer and Wyeth, BASF, Novartis, Exxon, and Colgate-Palmolive - good news for anyone who wants to avoid the daily commute to their corporate office job.
Many professionals who move to Morris County also find jobs here, and are able to confine their relationship with New York and New Jersey to weekend visits.
Morris County's uncrowded layout is another reason for its popularity. The county has less than 500,000 residents spread across more than 1,247 km and dozens of communities, which compares nicely to the urban sprawl of millions per square mile just to the east. Morris County's low density has put it in high demand with wealthy buyers - it's the sixth wealthiest county in the Nation by median household income, and tenth by per capita income.
Affluence with a taste for old world charm is part of the reason many of Morris County's older homes here have been carefully preserved. A wide variety of old mansions have also been converted into museums, art studios, and schools. When visitors come to Morris County, they make a point of checking out heritage buildings like Acorn Hall in Morristown, which dates back to 1853.
Big City professionals also know Morris County for its wide variety of Fortune 500 headquarters, offices, and major facilities. Companies with operations here include AT&T, Honeywell, Bayer and Wyeth, BASF, Novartis, Exxon, and Colgate-Palmolive - good news for anyone who wants to avoid the daily commute to their corporate office job.
Many professionals who move to Morris County also find jobs here, and are able to confine their relationship with New York and New Jersey to weekend visits.
Morris County's uncrowded layout is another reason for its popularity. The county has less than 500,000 residents spread across more than 1,247 km and dozens of communities, which compares nicely to the urban sprawl of millions per square mile just to the east. Morris County's low density has put it in high demand with wealthy buyers - it's the sixth wealthiest county in the Nation by median household income, and tenth by per capita income.
Affluence with a taste for old world charm is part of the reason many of Morris County's older homes here have been carefully preserved. A wide variety of old mansions have also been converted into museums, art studios, and schools. When visitors come to Morris County, they make a point of checking out heritage buildings like Acorn Hall in Morristown, which dates back to 1853.
What Makes a Good Cookbook
Although there are a few good cookbooks out there with no photography, most people think they are important. A cookbook without photographs is best appreciated by the master cook. Photographs serve two purposes. The first is to catch your eye and draw you in. A cookbook with quality glossy photos beckons you to try something new. That is what we want a cookbook to do for us. The second purpose of photographs in a cookbook is to show the end result, the goal of the chef, what the recipe expects you to be able to create. Most cooks need an accurate visual representation of the final product.
Everyone mentions clear instructions as one of the most important criteria.
Instructions must be neither too long nor too short. They must be easily understood the first time read. If unusual cooking terms are used, their should be a glossary.
Instructions must be complete enough to allow any cook to reproduce the results of the recipe author.
People are divided on how much personality a cookbook should have. Some think of their cookbooks like old friends, and they want friends with personality that shines throughout. These people want to get to know the author somewhat and find something to which they can personally relate. They want the cookbook to be engaging, with a unique reading style. They want to get lost in the pages to surface with a mouth-watering recipe chosen for the next meal, and they want to have enjoyed the journey.
Others view cookbooks as merely instruction manuals and prefer the author's personality not come into play. They want the recipes, the whole recipes, and nothing but the recipes. They don't like variations suggested for them, as they prefer to discover their own. These are the same people who do not care for too many photographs.
People are divided as to the importance of a theme. Some prefer the cookbook contain recipes for only one type of regional cuisine, while others want their cookbooks focused only on recipes that work regardless of area of origin. A few like cookbooks based on a favorite cooking tool, such as a crock pot or a food processor. Some are happy with just a collection of recipes not joined together in any type of unifying theme, as long as the recipes work.
Everyone wants a cookbook full of tested recipes that work. Well, naturally.
As far as favorite methods for choosing a cookbook, each person has their preferred method for choosing a cookbook to buy. If the person needs a cookbook that resembles a novel, then the photographs and writing style are of utmost importance. These people expect an interesting table of contents with witty chapter titles, a hefty author biography, and more side comments than actual recipe space.
For the people who see cookbooks as instruction manuals, there is a pragmatic approach to their cookbook choosing method. First, the index must be at least five times longer than the table of contents. Secondly, there must be more recipes and instructions than author biography or side notes. Thirdly, the cookbook must pass their personal recipe test. If you have a favorite chicken recipe, for example, then you will look for that recipe or a similar one and judge the cookbook on that recipe. Are the ingredients at least as interesting as your own recipe's? Does the cookbook have a unique ingredient that would enhance the recipe? Does it appear that the author really knows the recipe and can be trusted to offer quality recipes? These questions must all be answered in the affirmative before the pragmatist will purchase the cookbook.
Which type of cookbook reader are you, novel or instruction manual?
Everyone mentions clear instructions as one of the most important criteria.
Instructions must be neither too long nor too short. They must be easily understood the first time read. If unusual cooking terms are used, their should be a glossary.
Instructions must be complete enough to allow any cook to reproduce the results of the recipe author.
People are divided on how much personality a cookbook should have. Some think of their cookbooks like old friends, and they want friends with personality that shines throughout. These people want to get to know the author somewhat and find something to which they can personally relate. They want the cookbook to be engaging, with a unique reading style. They want to get lost in the pages to surface with a mouth-watering recipe chosen for the next meal, and they want to have enjoyed the journey.
Others view cookbooks as merely instruction manuals and prefer the author's personality not come into play. They want the recipes, the whole recipes, and nothing but the recipes. They don't like variations suggested for them, as they prefer to discover their own. These are the same people who do not care for too many photographs.
People are divided as to the importance of a theme. Some prefer the cookbook contain recipes for only one type of regional cuisine, while others want their cookbooks focused only on recipes that work regardless of area of origin. A few like cookbooks based on a favorite cooking tool, such as a crock pot or a food processor. Some are happy with just a collection of recipes not joined together in any type of unifying theme, as long as the recipes work.
Everyone wants a cookbook full of tested recipes that work. Well, naturally.
As far as favorite methods for choosing a cookbook, each person has their preferred method for choosing a cookbook to buy. If the person needs a cookbook that resembles a novel, then the photographs and writing style are of utmost importance. These people expect an interesting table of contents with witty chapter titles, a hefty author biography, and more side comments than actual recipe space.
For the people who see cookbooks as instruction manuals, there is a pragmatic approach to their cookbook choosing method. First, the index must be at least five times longer than the table of contents. Secondly, there must be more recipes and instructions than author biography or side notes. Thirdly, the cookbook must pass their personal recipe test. If you have a favorite chicken recipe, for example, then you will look for that recipe or a similar one and judge the cookbook on that recipe. Are the ingredients at least as interesting as your own recipe's? Does the cookbook have a unique ingredient that would enhance the recipe? Does it appear that the author really knows the recipe and can be trusted to offer quality recipes? These questions must all be answered in the affirmative before the pragmatist will purchase the cookbook.
Which type of cookbook reader are you, novel or instruction manual?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)