Cookbooks are still selling like hotcakes

Just a few years ago, the pundits were in agreement that the death of the physical cookbook was nigh. After all, most everyone got their recipes from the Internet, so what need did we have to purchase physical volumes? As it turns out, the predictions were way off base, as cookbooks are now among the bestselling books in all categories. Tim Lewis explores this phenomenon by diving into the surprising success of one UK cookbook. 

The book in question, Pinch of Nom, sold over 200,000 copies in its first three days, rivaling the success of authors such as JK Rowling and Dan Brown. Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised about the book’s success; although it is a debut effort by authors Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson, the pair has hosted one of the UK’s most successful blogs with over 1.5 million followers.   

Still, the duo has rocketed rather quickly to fame despite not being having a television presence or a storied restaurant. Their blog only debuted in 2016, but they have hit upon a winning formula, offering accessible recipes that strike a chord for people who want to cook from scratch but need a little assistance in the kitchen. The recipes (many of which are available online at no charge) are tested by at least twenty members of their online community to ensure a “nom, nom, nom” reaction.

Simplicity and accessibility seem to be keys to current cookbook popularity (which may explain why some chef-driven books struggle to sell 10,000 copies). But as long as cookbooks remain bestsellers, the trend will allow more avant-garde books to be published alongside them. This, in the classic words of Martha Stewart, “is a good thing” for cookbook lovers.