Sunday, September 23, 2007

Achatz, Letters, and Cookbooks

Grant Achatz Update: Ruhlman has an update on the latest cancer treatment. So far, so good.

Letters, We've Got Letters: A big shoutout to the Wine Canine for his letter in this week's IBJ pointing out the flaw in the victory for Indiana wine drinkers -- the bottle limit clause. Last month, a judge struck down two of the three sections of Indiana's wine shipping law allowing out of state wineries that are properly licensed to ship to Indiana wine consumers. But as Mark points out, it's not perfect. Some of you will need to watch out for that 24 case (216 liters) limit. Wineries will be.

Comedy Club for Sale: Just in case, you know, you're in the market for a large space with a stage suitable for music venues with a bar and grill next door. If so, you could be in luck. IBJ reports One-Liners on the south side is for sale.

A Glimpse Into Cookbooks: Many of you who know me personally know that professionally I've been in the cookbook industry for a long time. And like all editors and publishers, I'm always interested in what works. We know what doesn't, that's for sure. For a rare glimpse into how cookbook editors decide what you will find in stores (based soley on what's sold in the past and what they think bookstore gatekeepers will let you have a crack at), Publisher's Weekly has an article on what's working and where editors think the market might be headed next. These days, I get a lot of questions about whether a particular cookbook would be a success. The sad answer is usually "No." From PW:

Despite Tony Bourdain's smash success Kitchen Confidential, food memoir remains a tough sell. Editors struggle to get attention for their authors if they don't have their own TV shows. And readers want cookbooks with color photos, yet aren't willing to pay higher prices. On the upside, cookbooks focusing on locally grown and organic foods no longer appeal strictly to high-end readers. Chef cookbooks are out, simplicity is in. And there's still room for upmarket books that don't promise dinner in 30 minutes.

4 comments:

Barb said...

I missed the article in the IBJ regarding One-Liners. Any reason given?

Anonymous said...

Owner says he wants out to pursue other business interests. Business and building are for sale. Asking price is $210K for business (including liquor license) generating about annual rev of $950K.

Anonymous said...
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braingirl said...

Spam deleted.