A black and white edition of A Year in an Off-Grid Kitchen?

Colour printing is expensive, and I know that the cost of my cookbook can be offputting because of that. I think there’s also a lot of information and recipes in my book that can help people be more frugal and self reliant in the kitchen, so I am wondering if it is worthwhile putting out a black and white student edition?

The photos obviously look much better in colour, but I think the instructional ones are clear enough in black and white that if someone is looking for instructions and recipes and don’t mind about photos, they would still get a lot out of this edition.

It would have a retail price of around $20usd, and that would hopefully get reduced to around $15 by the online shops selling it.

I would want to clearly label it to distinguish it from the colour editions, so that no one is getting confused about what they’re getting - do you have any ideas on how to best communicate this? Perhaps a different colour in the cover as well as having it clearly labelled “student edition in black and white”?

For it to pay back the setup costs to do this, I’d have to sell at least eight copies.

What are your thoughts?

Would you buy a copy of this for yourself or as a gift?

Is it going to confuse things too much having another edition of the book out?

Some cover ideas to help make it different from the original

I think this is a great idea! Joseph Lofthouse did a cheap version for his Landrace gardening book (link to cheap edition of Joseph's book). Ideal for students, the less affluent and as a working copy that doesn't matter so much if it gets dirty - even more important and likely with a cook book which is open as you refer back to it with dirty hands. Most of my recipe books you can find the most useful recipes by looking for grubby pages!
I actually bought both copies when I bought Joseph's book, one for me, and since the black and white one was still quite readable although cheap, one for a friend (I checked it before gifting it though).
It might be worth making the price differential enough that people wonder a little about the quality of the cheaper book, then only the ones that really need to watch their budget will buy it (as opposed to buying second hand) and others will still get the full colour one. Otherwise you could lose some (presumably more profitable sales) of the more expensive book.

Joseph's book was what gave me this idea! I wanted his book, and the black and white edition made it affordable, so I was really pleased that he had that option there for people on a budget who don't mind whether a book is full colour or not. The way he had worded the different edition didn't seem confusing at all.

I would clearly buy one, count me in !

Not sure the change on the cover would be enough to clearly distinguish the 2versions. Can't the pictures on the cover be black and white too?

I would have to study the sample covers to see a difference between them.

I wonder if you could take advantage of the double meaning of “black and white”

The new edition could be named something like “off grid cooking in black and white”. There could be a subtitle that said “exactly the same text and photos, same great recipes as in the original year in an off grid kitchen”

And there could be a photo of the original book… and maybe the original cover in black and white … with an arrow?

I dunno.  You’ll figure something out, but I don’t think the samples make it clear in a glance what you are offering

I would buy at least one as a gift for sure!  I already gave two copies of the original as gifts, but I would appreciate the cheaper option, as I am among those suffering from the changing values  of money😉

Sounds good!  I will buy one

I would echo the idea of a black-and-white image on the black-and-white edition.  Too often, when one gets a publication that's got a color cover, there is a bit of a letdown when the rest of the book is black and white.  Also, perhaps you could use an entirely different image for the black-and-white version.  That would give you a chance to find an image that looks really great in black and white and would serve to further differentiate the two versions.

Good idea.
Make the cover black and white. That way there will be no confusion. Nobody is going to read what is inside the red blob.
I think this is a very valuable offering for these times, and will have an appeal to an ever increasing audience.
I think the idea of a "student edition" is very confusing.
What this is - is a black and white (or a budget) edition. It relates to cost, not to studentness.
Students come in all affluence sizes and shapes, some quite well off, some squeezing by with almost no reserves.
Moreover being called a "student" has connotations, if you are not a student but just on a tight budget.
This feels kind of bad to me, like the purchaser is being assigned a value, as opposed to their assigning a value to a book they are purchasing according to which edition is choosen. I find this quite patronizing and off putting.
In contrast, I have absolutely no problem with the concept of a "Black and White" edition. Many books on my shelf are black and white, and published in no other format.
I think the idea of lowering costs in this way is absolutely excellent, so in whatever form you land on, go for it!

Ahhh, you see I did not even notice the red blob.  Now I see that there’s a scalloped border or plain, and the fonts change

If you end up going with the red circle and text, I would say plain circle, and font matching what’s on the cover.  Kind of the idea of “no frills”, simple and clear.

I like the comments from Howard and Janette, but the thumbs up and down are indecipherable on my phone today

All of my cookbooks are black and white because they are older cookbooks.

It is the recipes that I am interested in not the pictures other than illustrated how-to's.

Your cookbook is beautiful and if I needed a cookbook for off-grid I would buy yours in black and white.

I just don't have room for another cookbook.

For comparison, how much is the color edition? Thanks

Thank you all so much for the feedback - especially about the red blob not being visible/readable.

I had worried more that "budget" had a bigger stigma than "student", but I can see how it makes sense also, especially in these times.

I'll try out some different cover designs and post them here.

Saralee Couchoud wrote:For comparison, how much is the color edition? Thanks

The retail price is us$40, and then on Amazon currently it's $32, so the black and white edition would end up being a lot cheaper.

Thank you. Do you happen to sell it here on permies?

I think that Thekla's idea of playing on the double meaning of "in black and white" is a great idea. "How did our ancestors survive, in black and white?" would be a great idea. If the book is going to be in black and white, I would suggest to have the cover also in black and white to help the easily confused.
Other ideas that might help market it, perhaps on the back cover:
*You are correct about a book in black and white. Permies may be a bit different than the general public and have an appreciation for really good content even if it is in black and white. Select your audience carefully. But do you want to market only to permies & survivalists? Most folks, I think would prefer a book in color. How much more expensive would it be?
Would it be possible to offer 2 versions? one in B&W and the other in color? Or does it cause more expense and the results might be disappointing? (Some rejecting it because it is in black and white, others rejecting the colored version because it is too expensive and you might end up with more unsold copies?)
* How about telling us the headings of the chapters on the back cover? When I buy a book, I go straight to the table of contents to see if I could skip around and find the chapters I really want. Say I'm interested in corning venison. If I see that you have a chapter on preserving with salt/ saltpeter, I might buy the whole book just for that chapter.
* How about selling the book *on line* in color? Having it on line makes it possible to have it in color without the extra expense, no? Because folks won't pay as much for a book online as they would a hard copy, you might have to sell more copies. Just speaking for myself, I would:
* First get the book online if it is in color.
* Second, buy a hard copy if it is in color. Hard copies come with their own set of difficulties for selling: You need as many bookstores as will display it so the customer can page through it [like "kicking the tires" for a car].
There are very few bookstores left because of the expenses involved. My town, Wisconsin Rapids, has about 19,000 people... and sadly, not a single bookstore. I have to go to Stevens Point [about 1/2 hour one way] to get to a bookstore. I think they may have one left.
I'm wondering about stressing that it is "for students". While it may translate in the minds of readers as "serious content", it may be less appealing to have it labeled that way. I love serious, in depth topics, but I'm not a kid, a "student" in a classroom, for whom the content has to be simplified and spoon fed.

Saralee Couchoud wrote:Thank you. Do you happen to sell it here on permies?

Kate's digital book is available here at Permies.

Permies book reviews of it are here with where to buy the physical copies of Kate's book as well. It is a most excellent book by the way.

Thank you so much. I will definitely pursue this

I did a quick attempt at a black and white cover, just taking one of the existing ones and exporting it as greyscale.

Personally I don’t find it eye-catching enough.

What are your thoughts?

I would have to agree with you. Maybe if you made just one of the inset pictures in color?

I think a full cover redesign may be in order. Maybe use this picture from page 126. I know, it has gold tints. But its the cover.

Thelka wrote: I wonder if you could take advantage of the double meaning of “black and white”

I like this. Maybe there is a talented staff person you could hire to draw a few vegies in black and white. Or maybe photos of black and white vegetables. That is dependant on pretty garden produce... Mine tends to be not gallery worthy.
Black spanish radish
Black corn

Maybe just a sketch of your stove...

Okay. I'm done.

I agree, the original cover does not lend itself to black and white, or even “greyscale”

A stunning black and white could be done if you know an artist….  I wish I could do it, or knew an artist, maybe someone on permies has the ability and would trade, or be glad to get work out into the world

I did a web search for still life black and white drawings vegetables.  I will post screenshots I took.  I am not suggesting them as covers, just a style of drawing that might appeal to you Kate

The colour print version was published last year. Feedback has mostly been great, but there have been some comments about the price.

In these times with inflation, food supply issues and everything else that’s going on it’s more important than ever to learn the from-scratch recipes and homestead kitchen skills that my book teaches, but the price of the colour book can become an obstacle for many people, so I would like to have the option there for a cheaper printed version if I can do this in a way that isn’t confusing or detracting from the beautiful colour editions.

I’ve made up a few more cover design drafts - what are your thoughts on these?

Description/back cover idea (new stuff for this edition is added in bold, everything else from the existing editions is in plain text)

Learn the skills that helped our ancestors to thrive in harsh times...

The same content as the original “A Year in an Off-Grid Kitchen”, in a new budget-friendly vintage black and white edition.

Over 130 family-friendly real food recipes and skills to learn including cheesemaking, bacon, fermenting, canning, and more.

When the the panic buying, empty shelves, and restrictive rations hit in March 2020, it was not a problem for Kate Downham and her family, because she knew these skills, and knew how to feed her family without the supermarket system. With the help of this book, you can learn these skills too.

Learn traditional methods of preserving pork without electricity. Make your own cheese, butter, and other dairy essentials. Learn sourdough bread recipes that take only 5 minutes of hands-on time to make. Learn to preserve fruit and vegetables in many ways - from failproof fermenting through to jams, chutneys, pickles, and water bath canning.

Learn one skill at a time while also finding recipe inspiration in seasonal local recipes that are designed to be cooked in everyday homestead life.

These recipes have been tested in many different kitchens, and will work on wood stoves as well as conventional electric and gas cookers. Many variations and ingredient substitutions are included to help you make the recipes with whatever ingredients are on hand at the time, along with useful indexes to help make use of seasonal abundance.

I have some really lovely quotes from other authors from the first edition that I can also include. There’s also some quotes I could include from Amazon reviews.

The last one is my favorite.

I like the last one. It not only tells you it's black and white but tells you why. That should stop all those who want to complain it's not as pretty and let's everyone know they can still get the knowledge even if they are on a budget. I am a receptionist and I hate it when the first thing out of people's mouth is "I'm on a fixed income "  sorry, I do understand but honey, we are ALL on a fixed income. And if you can afford to smoke, don't tell me you can't afford your bills. I'm not knocking smoking, but it is a luxury. That is just one example. My daddy used to say you have time and money for what is important to you. It's a matter of priorities. OK, enough of my soap box

Either of the last two where the high contrast black and white lettering says black and white edition.  The budget part doesn’t strike me either way, as necessary or superfluous.

I like cover #2 and #9. I really don't like the ones with black text on a red background. It is almost impossible for me to read the text on those ones. Green and black is also very hard to read.

Maybe it’s just my odd quirk, however, on the back, the text says budget friendly vintage edition.  I think it would be better without “vintage”.  It doesn’t seem like the two adjectives “match”.  

Thanks everyone. You’ve all been so helpful. I was leaning towards the last two as well. Still not completely sure about whether to have “budget” on the cover - would this be off-putting to give as a gift? Or is it good because it makes it more clear what the black and white printing is all about? I’m leaning towards having “budget” there, to make it as clear as possible.

Ingram have just sent me a code to do the setup for free so I think I will start the process very soon! I’ll have to see if we can have a Permies book giveaway for it once it’s published.

I’ve attached a few screenshots of the new back cover ideas - not sure whether to have any of the new text in bold or not. I’m considering doing just the second paragraph in bold, as this is basically my key “short description” that I think worked well to summarise the other edition. Combined with all the italics from the quotes, does that make it too busy with different fonts?

Also screenshots attached of changing the text at the top.

I’m also considering changing the wording of paragraph three to not include 2020, to make it more general in relation to supply disruptions and changing times, one idea was “When supply disruptions began to hit and the industrial food system started to show it’s vulnerability, it was not a problem for Kate Downham and her family, because she knew these skills, and knew how to feed her family without the supermarket system. With the help of this book, you can learn these skills too.”

What are your thoughts?

For the heading, I prefer the more than 130 recipes…. I didn’t read the rest, is the “learn the skills“ phrase included lower down and maybe smaller print?  I hope so, it’s good.  I would change harsh to challenging, because in my mind harsh has a more negative connotation.  A person who doesn’t want to acknowledge  these are harsh times might be put off!  Or might be reluctant to give it as a gift, not wanting to suggest harsh conditions….  (Laughing now,) but how would that do on a wedding present , or
for a baby shower, or a new baby present ?

The information in your book is useful to anyone anywhere whether times are harsh or gentle.  It’s a treasure trove of skills know how and wisdom, gathered by millions of people preparing millions of meals to feed millions of people, over hundreds if not thousands of years.

I guess that’s what I don’t like about accentuating the budget aspect.  The price makes that clear 😊, and again, how does that go as a gift?:  I got you the cheap one😁 either says something about the giver’s financial status or their generosity, or about the receiver’s worthiness.

You have worked so hard on this book!  On gathering the skills yourself, integrating them into a viable contemporary life.  Then to create your book,  compiling, testing, photographing so forth.  The pretty book is from prepandemic pre train-wrecked economy, and everything else that keeps me deep breathing and keeping my temper, etc.  We all know all that we are missing now.

My thought is it’s another gift from you to make a less expensive edition available.  I hope you sell a million copies!  Certainly a million people need it, but in my humble opinion, harsh times and financial pressures don’t need mentioning, or being alluded to.  Let us just delight in the treasure your book is.

Congrats on the discount code, and full steam ahead, what ever you decide 😘

Thanks so much for your feedback and kind words Thekla.

I switched it over to "challenging times" and it looks good. Now I am just waiting to hear back from the printer to see which weight of paper is needed so that I can get the cover spine width correct, and then I can go ahead, hopefully publishing it within the next few weeks.

Things are in motion...

Hoping for no more technical weird stuff. I'll order a printed proof copy when it's done just to make sure it's good to go.

Now available for sale! (sort of)

https://www.amazon.com/Off-Grid-Kitchen-Budget-Black-White/dp/0648466183/

Early days yet, so I'm hoping it will get picked up by other websites shortly.

Yay!

Things are still looking weird on Amazon, they haven't properly picked it up, and are just re-selling it through other sellers, and no cover photo or 'look inside' up yet. Usually this happens much faster so I'm not quite sure what is happening.

I might have to tinker with the wholesale pricing again to see if they can pick it up properly. Ideally it would be lovely not to have to deal with nasty big tech companies at all, but the reality of things is that a huge amount of people buy books from there.

Book Depository now have it up properly with a photo: https://www.bookdepository.com/Year-Off-Grid-Kitchen-Budget-Edition-Black-White-Kate-Downham/9780648466185

I've pushed back the official release date a few times because of an annoying issue: Everywhere seems to have the book up properly except for Amazon. A lot of people buy books on Amazon and aren't familiar with the other websites, so I really want this to be up for sale on there.

If anyone has a spare minute it would be greatly appreciated if you could click "Report incorrect product information." on this page https://www.amazon.com/Off-Grid-Kitchen-Budget-Black-White/dp/0648466183/ letting them know it is out of stock, and there's no cover image up. I already did this myself but they haven't changed anything since then.

I went to the page on Amazon, and I could not find the link to report incorrect product information

Thekla McDaniels wrote:I went to the page on Amazon, and I could not find the link to report incorrect product information

Thanks for checking. This is what it looks like, viewed on desktop, it's just under the description 'read more' bit.