I know some of you have been waiting a long time, so I just wanted to let you know.... that A BNV COOKBOOK is coming! (finally!)
It's not like I never wanted to publish a vegan cookbook before - because I did. But I naively thought that a book publisher would eventually reach out and offer me a book deal.
Never happened.
And, from conversations with many of my plant-based influencer friends, Kim Campbell, Tim Kaufmann, Chef AJ, etc - I learned that the best way to go about this is to do it myself.
In other words, self-publish.
But ask me what I know about self-publishing.... go ahead. {crickets}. Yeah that's right - absolutely nothing, zilch, nada dang thing. In fact, it's so completely out of my comfort zone - I never even tried.
But I ALSO remember something one of my earliest blog teachers tried to tell me. Don't count on ad money to pay the bills. Because one day that ad income may dry up. Boy was she ever right. She said you have GOT to have your own products to make it long-term. And so here we are, a little late, but I am finally here.
My very first product - and one so many of you have been asking for. A real cookbook. NOT an e-book, but something you can hold in your hands, and take to the kitchen with you, full of my most popular recipes.
What You Need to Know About A BNV Cookbook
There ARE some things I want you to know about this book, as it will not be like the others you see on Amazon, and may affect your decision as to whether you want to buy one or not...
- It will NOT be sold on Amazon
- It will ONLY be available from my BNV Store
- It will have around 125 recipes
- It WILL be spiral-bound so it lays flat
- It will be 100% completely self-published
- It will be similar to those old Church Fundraiser types of cookbooks
- And that means it will be mostly text, with SOME photos, but not a lot.
- It will have around 10 Categories, a Table of Contents, and an Index
- It will mostly be recipes that are already on my blog
- It will hopefully be released around November of 2023
- It will be about $25, plus tax, plus shipping
- It WILL be available internationally.
As I said, I am self-publishing this book. Meaning I have to buy the books, the mailing envelopes, the ISBN, the shipping labels, the postage - everything. I am the publisher, and I will be doing the shipping. And ever single embellishment to the book, especially full color photos - adds to MY cost for the book.
Additionally, I am NOT going to do a Kickstarter or GoFundMe to raise money. Instead, I will be offering PREORDERS at a discounted price very soon.
Why You Should Buy A BNV Cookbook
If you have read this far, you may have already decided you do not want this cookbook, and that's ok. It will not be for everyone and I realize that.
It IS going to be different. It will NOT be anything fancy. It will NOT be one of those beautifully photographed, color photo on every page, coffee table type books that just sit there and look pretty.
This is the kind of book I hope you (or your spouse) will take in the kitchen and USE. You already know a lot of my recipes and you know they are good. This will be a book that puts many of them in one single place, and hopefully that place is in your kitchen and not some bookshelf.
When Can I Buy A BNV Cookbook?
I turned on PREORDERS for my BNV SUPPORT GROUP Livestream friends last week and have 34 orders already. They are my guinea pigs lol, testing my storefront, ensuring the process is seamless, and helping me tweak things as I move forward. Of course anyone is welcome to join.
The storefront I decided to go with only pays out once a month, so I want to make sure the money my beta testers have already paid actually shows up in the right bank account before I turn on preorders to the general public. Also, shipping rates are rumored to be going up in a week or so, so I want to make sure the software is calculating those rates correctly.
Once everything is in place and looks good - I will let everyone know. So be looking for another blog post.
I mentioned above, my beta testers have already paid - so this is REAL lol. I HAVE to do this now. And there is no backing out!
A BNV COOKBOOK IS COMING!
I hope you enjoy it.
Chuck
Debbie Kelperis
I’m excited and looking forward to it!! I’m one of those that do better laying a cook book on the counter to work with.
Can’t wait!
Debbie
Melanie Tomic
If you are looking for a publisher, we used Carlisle Press in Ohio Amish country to publish our spiral bound curriculum books. They are pretty reasonably priced and really helped us get our books set up and paper copies in our hands. They do all of the cookbooks locally :).
Sarah Hutto
Love the spiral bound cookbooks from the past! Hope your amazing gravy is included.
Stacy Sharp
Chuck, Congratulations!!! This is very exciting. I completely understand about the price of photos. However, I don’t have a good enough imagination to choose food just from words.
I will continue to use your recipes on the computer.
However, like another person on this blog, look at your donate area.
I love your recipes.
Stacy
Chuck Underwood
Thank you!!!
Carol
This is so exciting! I am "old school" and can't wait to have a real book in my hands. Love that it's spiral bound. If I need pictures, I will cut them from the recipes I have printed and add to the book. I'm part of your community but have been just too busy to get there often, but love your recipes, they work so well for me and my husband. Definitely will pre-order, just say the word.
Tammy Snowden
Looking forward to ordering your cookbook.
Monique
Can't wait to purchase your cook book, so excited.
Deborah
Great news! I look forward to pre-ordering! Church cookbooks have always been my favorites!!
Michelle
Congratulations! Looking forward to your book and happy that it will be spiral bound. Don’t worry about the lack of pictures! I’m new to following BNV and found you via your chili recipe! Since then I’ve been inspired by your other recipes!
Teresa
So excited for you and me!!!
Sharon Inoue
I'll be pre-ordering a copy! Thank you!
Jim c Cincinnati, oh
Yes please ! I want to pr order too
Donna
Congratulations, Chuck!! That ought to be a wonderful book. As the photos are so expensive to put in the book, why not add photos to your website and print a link to them in the book, so those who read it can go see what the finished product looks like. I assume you had to test out each recipe and if you took photos, you’re halfway there already and if not, You’d have to get to cooking!!😂. Just a thought. 🤷♀️
Allison Fields
I’ll definitely be ordering one and im so glad it is not an e book.
Silvana
So clever!
Lori Campbell
Looking forward to buying a copy! I especially love the spiral bound idea!! Very practical!
Bea Beasley
Congratulations Chuck! Wishing you all the best!!
Wanda
I am very excited to be able to have a copy in my hand of your cookbook vs. e-book. I have purchased many e-book bundles from Chef AJ’s shows. Although it’s great to save paper, they are not as handy to quickly grab and use. And I forget I have them. However, I also have Chef AJ’s physical books. Us old folks really like a physical copy. Eagerly waiting November! It can be a Christmas gift to myself. 😉
Wanda Cook
Tina Ceesay
Let me know where and when I can preorder.
Thank you
Tina Ceesay
Karin
Big congratulations! I think this will be a great gift for friends and family who are interested or just starting the WFPB journey. Will your store allow us to ship to a friend's address? Perhaps with a gift enclosure message? That would be a great feature, especially for Christmas gifts.
M.A.
Chuck, I am so thrilled and excited for you and for me! I’ve been wanting a cookbook from you for years now, yippee! I know I want 3 copies and will pre-order as soon as possible. I think they will make wonderful holiday gifts! Thank You!
in2insight
Congratulations on this awesome milestone.
While I am attempting to reduce the amount of paper we use, including my cookbook buying composition, I think it is important to support those who are advocating for a healthy plant based diet. Check your donation box... 🙂
Wishing you and your all the best and much success with the new "child".