The golden age of cookbooks seems to be gone with the gale force winds of the Internet, with an overwhelming number of web sites today offering massive volumes of quality recipes to their visitors for free, many if not most of which are submitted by eager cooks for no compensation at all, so people so enthusiastic about their passion for life in the kitchen that they're happy enough to see their name online with credit.
So, unless you're an established food critic or columnist, a celebrity with your own cookbook, or the next Rachel Ray, your chances today of chances of getting paid for recipes are miniscule and continue to diminish every day. With 60 million plus search engine results for phrases like "send us your recipes," recipes seem to be LESS than a dime a dozen.
Meat Loaf
There are however quite a few sites around that tell you supposedly how to get paid for your recipes, but the ones we've seen usually pay a miniscule amount based on the number of page views over time, that is, how many people visit your recipe page from a search engine link, as the site tries to make money on advertising. The competition for success via this methodology is intense, and while some people seem to have the knack for it, this humble opinion is very simple:
"Don't quit your day job." People are just so eager to get what they call "published," they're willing to give it away for free, which to the serious writer with an interest and expertise in food, can knock you out of the box before you even start.
I'm passionate about slaving away in front of a hot stove, but I haven't bought a cookbook in 15 years I guess. Why bother? When I need a recipe i just go to my good old galley slave Google, type in the name of the dish I'm interested in followed by the word recipe, and THERE'S my cookbook, sorry to say. And I don't feel the least bit guilty about it. I don't even print them out anymore either. The computer desk is just seven feet from the stovetop in the next room and I can work while I eye things for boiling over through the doorway.
The best way to get your foot in the door in my opinion is to focus more on broader subjects than just single recipes, that is, instead of peddling just your Great Aunt Betty's Secret Meat Loaf recipe, write an article on ground beef, which covers its history and growth in popularity, when the first true hamburger appeared and who it is credited to, then slip in dear old Betty's concoction in there, possibly with a couple others. Now that's saleable in an articles market.
Let me know how you do. Right now I'm curious about the hamburger guy and I'm gonna go Google it.
Get Paid For Your Recipes
Bill is cheapskate laureate and spiritual advisor at Dollar a Day Gourmet, an upstart food related web site that features Recipes for Less Than a Dollar. You can send in your budget minded recipe, and if they use it they pay you the difference between a dollar and the per serving cost of the meal. No purchase involved, and you get a PAID byline. And, in very innovative twist, they offer the option of selecting from a list of reputable charities, and they will double the the amount, and will make that donation in your name.
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