From thought to print: Learnings from my maiden book

Donning an author’s hat was one of my aspirations ever since I started my career as a financial journalist about 15 years ago. But little did I imagine then that my maiden work would be a cookbook! (A comment by a friend of mine 'From Finance to Food; pocket se paet tak' aptly describes the diverging path). 2021 saw this work 'Vegetarian Delights From The GSB Kitchen' being brought to fruition and I couldn’t be more pleased to close the year with so much appreciation, love and support from family, friends and readers – a fuel good enough to recharge the creative juices in me and keep new ideas rolling down the new year!

Before I get to that, here’s a quick take on what the journey has been, the key learnings and challenges.

1. Gifting a book has always been considered a lifetime treasure, but writing one and presenting it to someone special makes the experience and feeling all the more memorable. My idea takes its roots from this. It was the long-held desire of creating something special for my mother, that culminated in me writing the cookbook as a personal tribute to her to celebrate her 55 years of culinary journey. Importantly, it was a deeply guarded secret (intentional) meant to surprise the Master Chef, and when it was unveiled, her reaction was priceless. No words can explain the feelings that engulfed between us; she was truly touched, appreciative of the ‘labor of love’ and pleasantly surprised. Mission accomplished😊

2. Anyone would admit that writing requires discipline, dedication and patience. But writing a cookbook needs a few more ingredients – precision, process-oriented mindset and real estate/space management. Before writing down the recipes, I had to experiment with actual measures/proportions of ingredients for each one of them – a challenge in itself given my mother’s age-old practice of eye-ball measurement. Secondly, creating the step-by-step instructions in the sequence and order while not missing out on nuances such as preparatory work, type of cookware etc. challenged my thinking flow. Most of all, striking the right balance between brevity (publisher’s mandate of 1 recipe/page) and substance (some traditional dishes that are complex in procedure) tested my sentence organization, word picking and communication skills to the most.

3. A cookbook, especially a coffee table book conjures up images of colorful dishes, wide ranging platter and beautiful décor. But if you thought you’d require to invest in photo shooting kits to bring out a cookbook, you’re in for a surprise. I managed to do the photo shoots of the dishes within the confines of my home and using accessories, wares, crockery and fixtures I already had – imbibing the principles of ‘minimalism’ and ‘frugality’. Thanks to my iPhone camera and virtual tutorials and photo editing tips by my friend. Food photography is now my new-found interest😊

4. In this social-distanced and digitally connected world where social media has helped businesses and individuals alike to survive (and thrive too), roping in influencers and critics for any piece of creative/literary work has never been so easy, effective and super-quick. When I reached out to chosen few experts in the culinary space, I was overwhelmed with their positive response, level of interest and involvement and their collaboration during different stages of publishing. In addition to getting certified nutritionists, food vloggers and celebrity chefs to endorse my book, I’m more pleased to have made new connections and friends along the way.

5. The biggest of all learning has been to turn an adversity into an opportunity. The downtime during lockdowns offered me a window to explore a new interest. And with a little bit of extra effort, I chased down my passion for food into a ready reckoner guide, adding interesting anecdotes and tales-from-trenches as narrated by my mother – the sole inspiration. In challenging times, this routine over a 10-month period provided a mindful distraction and a booster shot of excitement!

To wrap up, writing this cookbook has been very satisfying, fulfilling and memorable. I honestly can’t say what I’ve enjoyed more: writing the book or cooking and photo shooting the plethora of dishes under my mother’s tutelage for the purpose of putting the book together. Getting to savour these beauties one after the other in the confines of my home and in these difficult times, has in itself been a big bonus and a great blessing. A start has been made and there’s more to come. Until then wishing the new year brings in hope, peace and joy to all of us!