We too did a cookbook and the initial reaction was terrific. Then the chairperson for this item for 2 years in a row (2 different people)did nothing and we are stuck with a large number of cookbooks. Be careful on the number you buy as they become a difficult sell after a few years. Because we are a Catholic School, we did get permission to sell them after Mass on Sunday. That was a great way to sell them, especially right before Christmas and Mother's Day. They do make nice gifts.
I haven't done one myself but my Mom has several from church cenntenials in the 80's! Now I have just the opposite, they are still selling reprints of cookbooks in one town that was done in 1981! As a matter of fact, I was on a waiting list for two years (Mom didn't think to buy one when I was 12!)!!
Advertised and done right it could be fun. Handle marketing like you would yearbooks, pre-sell and only have a few (25-50) for sale.
There is a company in Iowa that is great, e-mail me This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you want the name.
We pre-sold, but you need to order a minimum quantity to get the best price, plus you hope to sell more later. I remember boxes sitting around the office for at least a year. You really need someone who continues to push the leftover books even after the initial excitement is over. That might mean a new volunteer next year who is responsible for selling leftover books that feature recipes from students who have "graduated" from the school. A bit of a tough sell, but possible if you get the right person.
We made money on our books, but not the amount we thought PER BOOK, because we didn't sell all the books that year. It's a fun project, but not one to do every year.
Our group did them years ago. I don't know what kind of money they made or what the pros on the subject might be, but I do know that the general problem with doing cookbooks is that it is hard to sell them all. We just got rid of the last one that was made in 1987! I think that if you decide to do them, you should 'pre-sell' them so that you don't get stuck with a bunch of books on the other side of the sale.