Recipe Development +
Cookbook Writing
COURSE
Share your beautiful voice with the world through your very own cookbook, all while being guided through *every* single step of the process!
Imagine what it would feel like to:
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Have a beautiful cookbook that truly represents YOU and is brimming with your voice and vision
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Have passive income coming in on the regular from book sales
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Establish yourself as an expert in your field
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Grow your brand awareness
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Have *the* most memorable calling card to share with clients + customers that speaks to your abilities as a creative
...with the support and accountability to get you there!
Instead of being overwhelmed by the cookbook creation process, floundering for a bit, and then putting together an “okay” book just to get it done (or giving up on it altogether), I'm here to lend a helping hand, pull you out of the deep end, and guide you through creating + sharing the awe-inspiring cookbook you deserve, step by step.
THE WHY
Hi there! I'm Eva Kosmas Flores, a food-loving 2x cookbook author and food photographer. This past year has shown many of us in the creative field that we need to stay true to our voice while diversifying our income, and there's no better way to do both than by sharing your passion for food through your very own cookbook.
Whether you're using it as a passive income source, an opt-in to grow your mailing list, or a way to market your products, writing a cookbook is the perfect way to connect with your audience and bring a bit of you into their home.
But as you can imagine, writing a cookbook isn't as easy as putting together a blog post. It's a big (and exciting!) project that takes a lot of love, work, and precision. And after coaching countless students and friends in the food realm through confusion and frustration during their cookbook writing process, I knew that I wanted to share my strategies + resources for creating a beautiful cookbook without being overwhelmed during the process.
So I asked myself “how can I share the experience + knowledge I gained writing my two cookbooks to make this a simpler experience for others?”
And after months of shooting, editing, and writing, I’ve created this richly detailed program that pulls back the mysterious cookbook-writing curtain, takes you step-by-step through developing recipes and creating your book, all while creating a community of support + accountability on our Zoom Q&A sessions to share in the cookbook writing experience!
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
RECIPE DEVELOPMENT
Making Magic in the Kitchen
Roll up your sleeves and get ready, because I'm taking you through all the strategies, tools and techniques behind building your own recipe from scratch. From inspiration to cooking techniques to flavor profiles, we're diving into it all!
The Contents:
- Inspiration — Having to invent many recipes on the regular can definitely be draining, and after a while, your recipe inspiration can run dry. The weight of trying to constantly come up with dishes and flavors can be a real creativity-killer! But don't fret, we're going through inspiration sources you can turn to to help get those creative culinary juices flowing once again!
- Flavor Profiles — In this lesson, we're diving into the main flavor profiles you want to consider as you craft your dish. These flavors have helped me through writing two cookbooks and countless blog posts, so they've definitely stood up to the test of time and many taste buds.
- Layering + Building Flavor — Building flavor is an integral part of the cooking process, and there are specific techniques you can harness to make it happen. You'll learn to build and enhance the flavors in your dishes via multiple methods in this lesson. Say goodbye to ever hearing the word "bland" again!
- Food Preparation Techniques — The method you choose to prepare your food has an ENORMOUS impact on the dish. We'll go through the wide range of food preparation techniques you can use to bring out your desired flavors and textures in your dishes, and what each one is best-suited for.
RECIPE TESTING + WRITING
Ensuring Your Recipe Tastes as Good in Your Reader's Kitchen as it Does in Yours
The craft of writing a good recipe is more than just writing down what you did. There's a lot of technical grammar and instruction-related writing rules involved, and for good reason! Grammar + rules are there to make sure that your reader's dish turns out exactly the same as yours. In this module, you'll learn to create stellar recipes that are easy-to-follow and taste consistently delicious every time.
The Contents:
- Recipe Testing Consistency — I'm sharing my five key tips to ensure that you're creating + writing recipes that will hold up to a different cook + kitchen. You'll earn the nitty gritty of crafting those recipe ideas into something that will work for your readers every. single. time.
- Recipe Writing Best-Practices — It's time to put on our thinking caps and dive into all the relevant grammar and rules involved in recipe writing. It's not as boring as it sounds, I promise! We're going to make this fun, because in the end, it's still all about food :D
- Recipe Troubleshooting — Troubleshooting is an integral part of the cooking process and it is a 'muscle' that recipe creators need to constantly work on. In this lesson you'll learn an arsenal of solutions to the most common issues you're likely to encounter while creating and testing recipes.
COOKBOOK CONCEPT + PATHS TO PUBLICATIONS
Let's Get Your Book Made
The process of getting your book made can feel like a big, vague mystery. Well, it's not that mysterious in real life, I promise! Because in this module, you'll learn the ins-and-outs of honing your cookbook concept, the ups and downs of working with a publisher vs self-publishing, and how to do each of those two publishing paths. From literary agents to print-on-demand services, you'll learn about it all!
The Contents:
- Honing Your Cookbook Concept + Writing a Proposal — Whether you're pitching to a publisher or self-publishing, having a proposal is essential. It's basically a roadmap for your book that keeps your writing process, voice, and vision for the book on track. We're diving into honing your concept, and then crafting that concept into a beautiful and marketable proposal, step-by-step!
- Working with a Publisher vs Self-Publishing — Now that you've gotten your cookbook concept finalized, the next step is to decide if you want to go the more traditional route and work with a publisher, or if you want to try your hand at self-publishing. I'm sharing the main differences between the two, and how each affects your workload and creative process.
- How to Work with a Publisher — I'm taking you through the process of working with a publishing house to get your book made. From working with a literary agent, to what to expect from your cookbook contract, to working with your publisher's editor, you'll learn from my experience working with two different publishers and get a glimpse into the standard cookbook publishing house pathway.
- How to Self-Publish — With the growing popularity of e-books and author-friendly printing services, self-publishing is a fast-growing avenue for cookbooks. In this lesson, we're diving into the resources available for self-publishing your book + the benefits and drawbacks of each one.
COOKBOOK CREATION WORKFLOW
Bringing Your Book Into Focus
Writing a cookbook can be a very overwhelming experience if you don't have any structure or plan to follow. In this module, though, we're going to eliminate that overwhelm through systems + schedules that will help you to write your book, minimize expenses, and get as many copies of your beautiful book in people's hands as possible.
The Contents:
- Scheduling + Healthy Workflow Habits — It's easy to fall behind schedule with your cookbook if you don't know how long each step of the writing/creating process is going to take. In this video tutorial, you'll soak up recommendations and organizational tools to make the cookbook writing process as painless and productive as possible.
- Cookbook Expenses — It's important to minimize the costs involved in the cookbook creation process as much as possible. In this lesson, we'll dive into some of the most common cookbook expenses you'll have, how to keep track of them, and how to minimize them so you're only spending where you absolutely need to.
- Marketing Your Book — Spreading the news about your book is one of the most important parts of the entire cookbook creation process. I'm taking you through my top 6 low-investment and *high return* marketing strategies that will ensure a successful launch for your book in this video tutorial.
Is it live or can I go at my own pace?
It's both! All of the hours of pre-recorded video tutorials are permanent resources for you to go through at your own pace and rewatch as many times as you'd like, at any time. You have lifetime access to all the course content, from videos to pdf guides to bonuses.
We also have LIVE course Q&A discussions on zoom every 8 weeks for a year starting in late-September and going until late August, to give you support + accountability as you're creating your book.
This combination of both live AND permanent resources makes the best possible learning experience.
It lays a foundation of resources you'll have in your creative toolkit for years to come, while giving you that personal + live support as you grow!
BONUS GOODNESS!
You didn't think I'd leave you hanging, did you? ;D
BONUS #1
VIDEO TUTORIAL — DESIGNING YOUR BOOK IN ADOBE INDESIGN
This 40-minute video tutorial takes you through customizing your cookbook in Adobe InDesign. InDesign gives you the most control over the image quality and design of your cookbook. From changing fonts, colors, and layouts, adding and deleting pages and images, and exporting your book, you'll learn it all! If you want to physically print your book, this is the application I would recommend using to design it. And with lifetime access to the course, you can spend your time with the design process and revisit this tutorial video as many times as you need to, to get the look juuuuust right.
BONUS #2
VIDEO TUTORIAL — DESIGNING YOUR BOOK IN CANVA
This 25-minute video tutorial takes you through customizing your cookbook in Canva. Canva is a very user-friendly design platform that you can access through your web browser (they have a mobile app, too, but I would recommend designing your book on your computer via the web browser rather than trying to write an entire cookbook on your iPhone). From adding and deleting pages and images, changing fonts, colors, and layouts, and exporting your book, I've got you covered. And with lifetime access to the course, you can spend your time with the design process and revisit this tutorial video as many times as you need to!
BONUS #3
LIVE Q&A DISCUSSIONS ON ZOOM
Because recipe developing + cookbook writing is a long-term project, we'll be meeting for hour-long Q&A's on zoom every 8 weeks over the course of a year so that you can have support during every step of the process! At these live sessions, you'll have your questions answered, connect with other creatives, and have a community of accountability and support around you. Plus, lifetime access to our exclusive private facebook group, where you can continue that discussion outside of our zoom calls. And if you can't make it live, no worries! Every session is recorded and uploaded to the course afterwards so you can watch it whenever it's conventient for you :)
PAY-IN-FULL BONUS
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW W/BRITNEY BREAKS BREAD ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING
Nothing is as helpful as advice from those who have been there + done that, and in this bonus you'll get the inside scoop on the self-publishing process from Britney Brown Chamberlain of Britney Breaks Bread! After the massive success of her holiday-ebook, she's sharing what worked, what she'd do differently, and the process and platforms she used to self-publish her book in this in-depth interview PDF + audio file. Thank you for sharing, Britney!!
Pay In Full
One-Time Payment of
$237
Pay Monthly
4 Monthly Payments of
$60
YOUR GUIDE
Eva Kosmas Flores
Hi there! My name is Eva and I am a 2x cookbook author, food photographer, creative business owner, teacher, and workshop host. Welcome, and pull up a seat!
Sharing food has been a lifelong love of mine—I grew up helping at my family's Greek deli, and feeding people brings me more joy than pretty much anything.
I wrote + photographed my first cookbook (Adventures in Chicken) nearly 7 years ago, and followed it with my second cookbook, First We Eat, a couple years later. First We Eat was nominated for IACP's Best Cookbook of 2019, and since then I've photographed two other cookbooks, The Wicked Healthy Cookbook, and Everyone's Table by celebrity chef Gregory Gourdet.
And I've done all of the above while still keeping up with my Saveur-nominated food blog Adventures in Cooking, workshops, courses, and other freelance clients. Needless to say, at this point, I know my way around making a cookbook! 😅
I have been on multiple sides of the cookbook creation process with different publishers, and know what goes into creating a beautiful and impactful book that readers will love.
But if you're thinking that all of the above was smooth sailing, *hooooold* on a sec
When I was writing my first book, I made so. many. mistakes. (#1 was timing part of the recipe development during my kitchen renovation...yes, it was indeed as much of a mess as it sounds!) I've been there in the trenches, being up against deadlines, asking for extensions, marketing the book with the humble resources I had. I’ve put my blood, sweat, and tears into my books, and I know how much it means to finally hold it in your hands and have that enormous sense of accomplishment wash over you.
Creating a cookbook is an incredible thing, but it doesn't have to be an overwhelming experience. Everything I learned from each of these projects + experiences, I've distilled down into this program. I want it to be an approachable, exciting, passion-filled project that leaves you feeling proud + accomplished, and with a gorgeous + marketable book in your hands.
"Eva really takes the time to thoroughly answer questions and not rush everyone---and help people at whatever level of expertise they are at----she meets them where they are so sincerely!"
YOU GET
Hours of Content, Detailed Guides, and Hands-On Discussions, including:
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Lifetime access to all the course content
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Over 3 hours of permanent recorded video tutorials taking you through every step of recipe development and cookbook creation
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BONUS Video Tutorial guiding you through designing your book in Canva
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BONUS Video Tutorial guiding you through designing your book in Adobe InDesign
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Pay-In-Full BONUS Interview with Britney Breaks Bread about the inside scoop on the self-publishing process behind her highly successful e-book
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116-page Guidebook with richly detailed information plus example images to help guide you through the course
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Exercises for each Module to help you put what you're learning into practice
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Printable References that you can keep handy in the kitchen to make it easy for you to develop recipes + create your book, like measurement conversions, recipe creation worksheets, baking ratios, and more!
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Resources Guide sharing the exact equipment I use and recommend throughout the course, listed out in one tidy simple place with hyperlinks!
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Closed captioning + written transcripts for every video, so you have clarity if English is your second language or you're hearing impaired
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Audio files of every tutorial video, so you can go through the course in whatever method works best for you
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Mp4 files of every tutorial video
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Live Q&A Sessions on Zoom, where you can have your questions answered, share your experiences, and connect with like-minded creatives (details on this above under 'Bonus #3'!)
YOU👏ARE👏NOT👏ALONE
One of the hardest parts of writing a cookbook is having no one to turn to for advice or peer support in the thick of it. Writing a cookbook is a *very* unique process, and being able to ask questions + talk to folks who’ve been through the same thing is SO incredibly helpful!
And because writing a cookbook is a long-term project, I’m hosting LIVE Q&A’s on Zoom every 8 weeks for a year to give you advice + support when you need it, through every single step of the process. Let's do this!
Don't just take my word for it...
You can hear from my previous students about their experience with my other courses below—I'd love for you to become one of these happy course graduates!
“I have absolutely loved taking Eva’s class. I am blown away by what a natural, empathetic, and detailed teacher she is. She really is a gifted and natural teacher- she has found her calling! I appreciate all the work she put into creating such a detailed and valuable course. Sometimes with online courses you are worried they will be all fluff, but with her course, it was the opposite. I don’t feel like you can put a price on all that valuable knowledge and inspiration, it was worth far more than I paid. I progressed ten times as fast in my journey as a food photographer than I would have without her guidance.”
Photography + Styling + Branding Course Graduate
“Eva’s generosity of spirit really shows through in everything that she does and the passion she has for food photography is truly inspiring. You can tell that she really wants everyone to become the best food photographer that they can be! I thought her class was reasonably priced and actually felt once I had seen the quality and how much work she had put into it that it was worth much more than I had paid. Thanks Eva for making it so accessible!”
Photography + Styling + Branding Course Graduate
"The course was incredibly organized, easy to follow and packed with so much valuable information, I honestly can't recommend it enough! Eva covered everything you could possibly need to know for starting and running a successful business. The modules were the perfect length and the schedule was easy to follow without getting too overwhelmed. I continue to implement so much of what I learned throughout CBS into my business today. Definitely choose the VIP option - you can't put a price tag on having direct access to Eva and the 1:1 session is so worth it. Hands down, Creative Business School is the BEST online course I've ever taken!"
Creative Business School Graduate
Pay In Full
One-Time Payment of
$237
Pay Monthly
4 Monthly Payments of
$60
Let's Talk About Your Support Systems!
Recipe Development + Cookbook Writing Course Guidebook
With over 115 pages of richly detailed instruction, examples, and images, this PDF Guidebook translates the video tutorials into an e-book format allows you to easily reference any course information at any time.
Resources Guide
Don't worry about having to pause and rewind videos to write down the names of resources! Every single resource, website, and tool mentioned in the course is listed out + linked to it in our handy little resource guide!
Exclusive Access to our Course Facebook Group
Think of this is our permanent gathering space outside of our Zoom calls. This is where you can ask questions of / share resources with your peers, share excerpts or ideas for voluntary group feedback, get to know each other, and continue to grow the relationships and knowledge that we're cultivating in our Zoom round table discussions.
FAQ
How long do I have access to the course?
Access to the course NEVER expires. As long as the internet exists, you’ll always have access to it ;) I know that the cookbook creation process isn't a short one, so I wanted to make sure you could refer to the course at any time during your cookbook creation, without feeling stressed or rushed. I got you!
Eva, I’m a member of your Photography + Styling + Branding Course from 2017 or prior, is this the same content as the 2 short lessons on recipe development and cookbook writing in your archived course lessons?
Nope! This is brand-new content, created specifically for a deeper and richer dive into all the aspects of cookbook creation, from recipe testing to self-publishing to working with a publisher to designing your book, and lots more! I specifically created this course because I wanted to give you as much helpful information as I could to make the cookbook creation process as approachable, low-stress, and low-cost as possible. This is the course I wish would have existed before I wrote my own two cookbooks—it would have saved me a lot of time, money, and headache if it did!
Is there a set structure or pace for the course videos?
I recommend going in the order of the modules and lessons, since each lesson builds on the information covered in the lesson before it. As for the pace, there is no set "speed" at which you should go through the course materials. Instead, you should go through the course at the pace that works best for you to retain what you're watching and learning. Whether that means 2 weeks per lesson, or 2 days per lesson, you do you! And because you have lifetime access, you can always refer back to the content anytime for a refresher!
Does this course cover how to take photos for your cookbook?
No, this course focuses on recipe development and the process of creating a cookbook. While the course does talk about the shooting process and how to schedule shooting + editing the images for your book, and how much you can expect to spend if you hire out for your book's photos, it doesn't teach you photography itself. If you're looking to learn how to take stunning, eye-catching photos for your cookbook, my signature Photography + Styling + Branding Course would be a great fit for you!
What equipment do you recommend?
All the equipment I recommend for the course is linked to in the Resources Guide within the course. It's full of my favorite recipe-testing gear + sources, with hyperlinks, so you don't have to worry about googling anything or accidentally ordering the wrong thing :) It's nothing expensive—just tools like my recommended planning applications, timers, thermometers, kitchen scales, books, etc, that will ensure an accurate cookbook + low-stress writing experience!
Can I download the video tutorials?
Yes! All the videos are available for streaming immediately and will be available for download starting on August 28th. All course documents are available for immediate downloading, too!
Do I need any computer programs?
There are two design applications covered in the course, Canva and Adobe InDesign. If you want to design your book in Adobe InDesign, you will need to download the program. Canva has a desktop website, so you don't need to download an application, but you will need to create a free account with Canva so it saves your cookbook design as you're working on it. You will also need to download the Zoom application (it's free) to participate in the live Q&A session.
Lifetime Access
When you join, you won't be beholden to a deadline. And you won't be asked to pay some additional fee to extend access. I want you to be able to reference the program as many times as you want, whenever you want. Whether that's months, seasons, or years from now, you can count on this resource to be there for you!
I'M READY!
LET'S DO THIS!!!
Pay In Full
One-Time Payment of
$237
Pay Monthly
4 Monthly Payments of
$60
Keep Your Printables Handy!
These are the tools I wish I would've had around when I was writing my two cookbooks. To make it easier for you in the kitchen, I've got some WILDY helpful printable resources for you, including a Recipe Ratio Reference, a Measurement Conversion Chart, an Internal Cooking Temperature Reference, and a Recipe Inspiration Worksheet that you can print out + fill in over and over again.
15-Day Risk-Free Guarantee
When you join, you'll be a part of a community of passionate and and warm creatives who are just as committed to and excited about growing their skillset as you are.
Immediately upon signing up, you'll have access to all of the course materials and the bonuses. This means you'll be able to go through as much of the course as you'd like *before* making a final commitment. If you don't feel like you're improving in your cookbook writing and recipe development knowledge, just reach out, show me you've done the work, and I’ll gladly give you a refund. [Full details here]
Still have a question after reading through our FAQ?
Send us an email at [email protected]
The biggest adventures start with the smallest steps.
This isn’t the time to put your dreams back on the shelf again.
If you’re still reading this, I know you’re a passionate soul that’s feeling called to create something beautiful + nourishing for the world, and for yourself.
The roller coaster this past year put us on has brought into focus what really matters. And if you’re seeking permission to take that dream off the shelf and invest in yourself— nobody can give that permission but you.
Whether or not you decide to join me, I just want you to try and incorporate that passion into your being.
Even if it’s just for a few minutes a week—little by little, it will make each week brighter than the last. It might take you someplace you never even imagined—and it might find you at home but fulfilled.
And in the end, that’s all that matters.
Know that I’m here for you, whenever you’re ready to take that step. I got your back ♡
Your forever cheerleader,
Eva
