BlogaBook

A couple of days ago I did a blog post about culinary memoirs like Julie & Julia and in July I did a post about reading cookbooks for pleasure. I stand by my opinion that cookbooks are really big with the reading public. Americans of the "Food Network generation" are into food trends and conscious eating, also eating economically. According to Lynn Andriani in Publishers Weekly, 8/10/2009, "While it's been a difficult year for many sectors of the book business, cookbooks and food-related titles...are simmering nicely. According to Nielsen BookScan, sales in the cooking/entertaining category were up 4% in the first four months of 2009 over the same period last year, while sales of adult nonfiction overall dropped 9%."

Foodies in Harford County have in Harford County Public Library a great resource for the big, beautiful books that are the source of their reading pleasure and of new ideas. The cookbook section is probably the biggest adult nonfiction section in each of our branch libraries. Next time you are in a branch, browse the new books shelf and the 640s shelves for all the current and attractive titles we have covering the new trends.

To continue the cookbook experience beyond the bookshelves, why not join in one of the newest trends in 2009: visit the new social networking sites that cookbook publishers and authors are using to successfully promote their books and to enlarge their audiences. These sites provide feedback and dialogue between readers and authors.

Among the most popular sites are MixingBowl and Delish, both of which are aligned with publishing companies—MixingBowl with Meredith; Delish with Hearst - though Meredith has invited all publishers to participate. Mixing Bowl has 28,000 members. Authors and cookbook brands can create groups and fan pages on MixingBowl. A growing number of groups are focused on specific books or series, though anyone can start a group and post recipes and photos. Go online to chat with other fans of your favorite cookbook or celebrity chef. Browse the new recipes or register to share your own. It's free to join.

Labels: Cookbooks, Delish, MixingBowl