Jordan Lynch
Cool Beanz
Week 3:
Beans on toast is the 9th most popular British Dish from Baby Boomers to Gen Z according to YouGov surveys and a staple meal in many households. Boujie Beans is a cookbook for the culinarily challenged person in your life that features various alternative ways to elevate this simple dish. Perhaps you know a student who will be starting university soon who needs a little guidance in the kitchen? Boujie Beans is a cost effective and easy to follow guide for when you are stuck for inspiration and time.
Week 4
Primary Market:
- The three primary target audiences would be young people, people who struggle to cook, and people on a budget
- Eg a student as mentioned above, someone on a low income and perhaps people who struggle with cooking due to health or mental health conditions
- these would need slightly different marketing (an excerpt in a mag or paper for one, social media for younger people etc) but this will be a book you can pick up at a Supermarket, Poundland WHSmith etc so the reader will see it and pick it up
- RESEARCH: i will need to find out more about the book sales figures for certain supermarkets to find out where to stock the book. For example while Supermarkets like Sainsburys account for a large proportion of book sales an article from the Bookseller in 2019 noted that a shift was happening – HarperCollins c.e.o Charlie Redmayne noted that supermarkets were becoming “an increasingly challenging environment with growing competition for space.”)
- I will also need to research info about where each group buys books
Publisher
Pan Macmillan: They have published a number of cookbooks aimed at similar markets. Eg Joe Wickes’ Lean in 15 books (rare celeb cookbook that is not hardback – cheaper to produce) and the Pinch of Nom books as well as one off novelty/ partnership books like the Movember cookbook “Cook like a man: the ultimate cookbook for the modern man”.
Competitor/ Complimentary titles
- As above – Joe Wickes and Pinch of Nom
- The Hungry Student Cookbook by Charlotte Pike
- Bosh! On a budget (Harper Collins)
Ongoing research:
- Cookbook sales figures in general
- The cost of producing content for a cookbook and logistics – eg would a photographer and chef be better value or commissioning illustrations?
- Charity partnership? Is there a suitable charity I could team up with for this book as this sometimes works well eg movember cookbook above
- Perhaps more market research eg a survey
Nice bit of research to contextualise this! You have written this as if to a customer rather than the editorial board so keep an eye on the tone (though it is a good bit of copy to attract readers ). Now look more closely at where this will sit in a bookshop so you position it and price it carefully. (ie. how cheap are you going to go – is it totally practical or is it a bit gifty?)
(I would get this for my 17 year old son!)