It's About Time: A Case Study of Acquiring, Producing, and Promoting a Timely Book from an Independent Canadian Publisher

TouchWood Editions published The Waste Not, Want Not Cookbook by Cinda Chavich on May 1, 2015. A traditional cookbook teeming with advice for individuals looking to reduce food waste in the kitchen, it was released at a time when excessive food waste was the focus of many media reports across North America. This report discusses the trajectory of the cookbook from the time of the author’s proposal in March 2014 to eight months after its publication in December 2015. In addition to discussing the acquisition and production stages of the book, it also provides snapshots of the media landscape at three separate junctures in the timeline to demonstrate the continuing trend of food waste coverage. Chiefly, it focuses on what was done, what could have been done, and what can still be done to promote a cookbook that was released into highly favourable media conditions by an independent Canadian publisher.