For now, divide publishers for your cookbooks into two categories:

1. Publishers who chose what to publish based on marketability and how it fits their profile,
2. Publishers who will publish any cookbook you write but will require you to pay for their services and/or the resulting books.

Type 1: If you are writing your cookbooks with hopes of having it published, widely distributed, and marketed by a publisher, a cookbook that will “hit the book stores,” you need to become educated about marketing manuscripts and ideas to commercial publishers.  Your first stop should probably be your local public library where you will find Literary Marketplace and other reference works that can help you.

Type 2: For many of us, our first efforts at writing a cookbook are probably better suited for self-publishing or use of what are known as “subsidy publishers”  because the author bears the costs of publishing. These are firms that will help you create, print, and distribute your cookbook but will charge you for the services you choose to receive from them. This is also often the route to go if you are creating a group cookbook for fund raising.

There are many subsidy publishers anxious to publish your cookbook.  As with any business, the services offered, their quality and their price differs among the different firms seeking you as a client.  Your needs and the services offered, prices and quality vary too much over time for anyone to say, “Here is a list of the best publishers for your cookbook.”  You will need to choose a publisher based upon your needs, your financial resources, and the ability of a firm to meet those needs.