Why the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook is the Reigning Queen of Repurposed Content
Photo by Elevae Visuals
If you’re of a certain generation, the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook may be a standard addition in the kitchen, and it’s probably your grandma’s favorite. At least, it was my grandma’s. And it wasn’t until a client mentioned revisiting the 1962 edition, that I decided to buy the most recent edition, celebrating 100 years of the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.
What a freaking service-filled book this is. The priority has always been to “provide cooks with a trustworthy cooking resource” and doing that through multiple editions that feel equally energizing is remarkable. It would be easy for the magazine to repackage what was already working and just send it to the printer. But over the years, BH&G has been intentional in its new editions and how it can improve the lives of its readers.
Fun fact: I was an editorial fellow at Cooking Light (RIP), right out of college, so there is a special 1950’s backyard oasis in my heart for magazines and their cookbooks. Especially for the folks in the test kitchen. But the Better Homes and Garden cookbooks aren’t just any magazine cookbook. I might even argue it’s the magazine cookbook.
As a cookbook coach, I believe every book idea is inside of a magazine pitch, and that you’re only really telling a handful of stories over and over. But it’s your job to find new and fun ways to tell those same stories and serve your audience. This is not only for your cookbook but your marketing and publicity plans, too.
So, if you’re stuck on how to repurpose your stories for the long haul, let’s look at the Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks to find that fresh wind you’ve been looking for.
Not being afraid to revisit old content
Yes, this seems obvious, especially for magazines, but it’s probably not for you. The Better Homes and Gardens cookbook started as a 56-page pamphlet for just 10 cents in 1922. Since then, they’ve redone the cookbook 17 times with over 40 million books sold. If that’s not the definition of revisiting and refining old content, please tell me what is.
As a food blogger or creator, you know you should revisit content you’ve already created. But it probably feels blah or even makes you cringe. GOOD.
That means you’ve grown. And you can take something you’ve already spent a lot of time and energy on, and improve it based on audience feedback or an updated perspective. It also means you’ll be able to approach revisions from your book editors with more ease.
What stops most people from creating the cookbooks they’ve been dreaming of is a fear of looking at what they’ve already written, and maybe throwing some of that away. Clients will be afraid to even look at previous pages because it’s uncomfortable to see where they started.
Just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s bad. Just because you’ve already written something doesn’t mean you should never look at it again. And just because something you created years ago doesn’t represent who you are now, doesn’t mean it’s not worth improving it. If the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbooks teach you anything, please let it be to revisit old content.
Choosing to make it a whole personality
Now, the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook isn’t the only cookbook BH&G has ever published. There have been single-subject cookbooks focusing on bread, Mexican food, and even cookies. But the classic plaid cover of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook is the one the first that comes to mind for people whenever they think of the magazine. It’s honestly just brilliant branding.
And it’s a general cookbook meant to be a complete (or as complete as possible) resource for home cooks. It’s not super sexy, but it is what it says it is. Let’s be real: Their endless tips and ways to adapt a single meal are absolutely priceless. I appreciate any cookbook that can give me a running list of substitutes when I just want to make something without a trip to the store.
One nagging issue for cookbook writers is committing to a single idea, and I bet you struggle with that too. Don’t pussyfoot around. Make a choice and move forward with it. You know what kills people’s interest? Indecision.
You won’t know if something does or doesn’t work until you commit to it with everything inside of you—make it your whole freaking personality and see who raises their hand for more.
Serving readers exactly where they are
It seems like every new cookbook wants to be super cool and trendy, turning traditions upside down. And while that has a place, sometimes it’s okay to just be a trusted source. Which is exactly what Better Homes and Gardens wanted their cookbook to be, anyway.
But part of that reliability is also meeting readers where they currently are. That meant providing recipes with war-time rations in mind or adding healthier options with nutrition information when readers in the 1980’s were becoming more interested in them.
Repurposing old content allows you to look at your work with a new context for what’s currently happening. There are a lot of stories that repeat throughout the years. For example, I’m sure those war-time ration recipes from the ‘40’s also influenced the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook in the ‘70’s when inflation was choking most of America.
Don’t assume any of your stories are one and done. Give yourself the freedom to reframe something you’ve already created, so you can serve your own audience exactly where they are now.
How to rethink your own repurposed content
So, now that you know why the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook is the reigning queen of repurposed content, how do you rethink your own stories? The first thing is to recognize you have endless stories you can use to connect with your audience. And two, you can sign up for my free course Writing Gold: 5 Days to Kickstart Your Cookbook Writing and Grow Your Audience of Raving Fans.
In this five-day course, you’ll develop your own editorial guidelines, identify 3-5 core stories you can tell (and retell), an editorial calendar template and how to use your email newsletter to do all the above. You’ll only figure out how to repurpose your content by creating content. And an email newsletter is the easiest way to do that and build a platform of people who can’t wait to hear from you.
Join Writing Gold now, and who knows—maybe, you’ll be the next queen of repurposed content.
