The most successful cookbooks have at least one "hook" other than someone seeing their name in print. Some I've seen include:
-Have a Celebrity section: ask every celebrity (local or otherwise) for a recipe. Chances are that you'll get a response from the celebrities' secretaries, but you
will get at least a 50% response.
-Try with all of your might to get one celebrity to write the forward! If you're doing it for your Alumnae Association, ask someone who is a member of ADPi (in your case) who is well known - Jean Smart, Judy Woodruff, Nancy Grace, etc.
-One cookbook I have is called
Three for the Pot. Everything in the cookbook takes only three items other than salt, pepper, water or another "staple", and is terribly handy for the working woman (and what woman
doesn't work?). Anyone who's made tuna noodle casserole knows this type of cooking!
-Specialize on two or three different types of cooking. Maybe all desserts or candy; vegetarian or vegan recipes; diabetic delights; tailgating treats; ethnic foods; you get the idea. Find a niche in which you're comfortable and run with it.
Lastly, advertise, advertise, advertise!! See how many of the local stores will carry some your cookbooks, and maybe have a special drawing for those stores which do. If you know of another AA (ADPi or otherwise) doing a cookbook, issue a challenge. Creating a cookbook doesn't get too much notice, but having two or three different organizations challenge each other for bragging rights would be something to consider! That would get local PR in each city, plus the sorority (ies) magazines - with, of course, a place where others could order more copies!
If I remember properly, most companies with which you will deal usually go by a certain time frame, so the more cookbooks sold within the first couple months are going to be VERY important - consider pre-orders! That means every member, their families, very close friends, etc. Oh, and don't forget to give any live-in chapters a copy!
