My daughter and I are halfway through creating our own cookbook. I suppose it began as a homeschool project, but it has been just as much fun as educational. We do plan on having our cookbook published and sold, and the process is much more simple than you would think.
There are several reasons you may want to make your own cookbook. You may want to share your recipes with the world, make some extra money, raise funds for charity or preserve important family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.
The first step is to decide where you want to publish your cookbook. I plan on using CreateSpace as soon as our cookbook is finished. This company will place your book on popular sites, such as Amazon. You can also order copies for yourself rather cheaply. Other options include Lulu and Kindle Direct Publishing.
The second step is to get your recipes written down on paper. From there, you can break down the recipes so that you are creating a few each week. Make sure to add details to your recipe cards as you create the dish. You'll also need a photo of the finished product.
Finally, you must type all of the recipes up in your computer. Add your picture and any notes that you may want your readers to know about, such as the inspiration for the dish or how you came up with a certain recipe. Then you can upload your cookbook into the publishing website of your choice. Some of the publishers, like CreateSpace, have templates you can use. This makes the submission process much easier.
Most publishers will send you a copy that you must verify. Once you give the 'OK' that the cookbook is exactly the way you want it, you can begin selling it.