Do you have what it takes to be a vegan cookbook writer or a professional chef? Making a business for yourself in the world of vegan food can seem like an overwhelming task, but Sarah Kramer, author of How It All Vegan and other vegan cookbooks, successfully broke into this market. In a recent interview, Kramer divulged her secrets – from developing successful cookbooks to balancing her personal and work life.
Vegan Mainstream: How long have you been vegan?
Sarah Kramer: I talk about my journey from vegetarian to vegan in my first book, How It All Vegan, but long story short I’ve been vegetarian since I was a child. My mother raised my brother and I veggie since birth, and when she passed away when I was 10, my Dad continued to raise us vegetarian, even though he was a meat eater. I did a little “experimenting” with meat when I was a teenager and quickly went back to vegetarian. Eating animals was never something I was comfortable with.
The transition to veganism was a natural one for me. I have always been a lover of animals but didn’t fully understand how much they suffered until I saw a documentary called “The Animals Film,” which was an eye opening experience for me. I walked out of that movie a changed person.
VM: What inspired you to develop vegan cookbooks, and what do you think makes your cookbooks so successful?
SK: Well, it was kind of a fluke. In 1998 my friend Tanya and I were trying to figure out what we could give to our friends and families for X-mas presents that wouldn’t break our wallets. We were both suffering from “empty wallet syndrome.” *laugh* Tanya had the great idea to do a cooking zine, so I put together a template on my computer and soon HIAV the zine edition was born. It was about 50 pages long and was full of recipes and tips on how to live a fun vegan lifestyle without too much trouble.
Our friends and family liked it so much that we printed another 900 copies, and I started selling them on the Internet and at punk rock shows. We sold out almost right away, and I thought we should try and go legit and get published. I wrote a cheeky book proposal, mailed it to Arsenal Pulp Press and three days later we had a book deal. Nuts huh?
As for the success? Who knows? Right place. Right message. Right time? Timing is everything…
VM: In your experience, what is the best way to reach the vegan audience? Which marketing/promotion approaches have worked the best for you?
SK: I have a simple philosophy when it comes to marketing/promotion. K.I.S.S. or Keep It Simple Stupid. Keep your message clear and concise. And be yourself. Don’t ever try to figure out what “they” want. Do what “you” love and everything else falls into place.
VM: What is the most challenging part of developing a cookbook? Did you find one book more challenging to work on than another?
SK: The most challenging part is your work ethic, especially if you are your own boss. Making sure that you get a decent amount of work done every day isn’t always so easy when you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck. I mean… I’m the boss of me, and it’s hard to breathe down my own neck. *laugh*
VM: What advice can you provide for individuals who dream of being a professional chef and/or cookbook author?
SK: My biggest piece of advice is find yourself a good lawyer. You will need someone to decipher contracts and who has your best interests at heart and having a good lawyer in your corner is probably the number one most important person to add to your team.
VM: Do you have many non-vegan readers? If so, what feedback have you had from them?
SK: I get letters from all kinds of people. Newbie vegans to life long vegetarians. I don’t get much feedback from people who aren’t interested in veganism—I mean they probably picked up the book, because they are interested in veganism or making changes in their lifestyle.
I do occasionally get a rude e-mail from people who are trying to take the piss out of me…but I mostly ignore them. We have saying at The Kramer house, “Don’t feed the bears” ‘cause if you give them something to eat, they’ll be back for more before you know it.
VM: Can you share some advice for those who are trying to work with a publisher and build an audience?
SK: Besides K.I.S.S? Just be yourself. Don’t try and imitate or replicate other people’s success. It comes across as phony and who likes someone who isn’t genuine? So if being a hippy-dippy, fairy loving, pot-smoking weirdo is your thing or being a hipster-dufus with stove pipe pants and a militant attitude is your thing, then let your freak flag fly! Your audience will find you and love you.
VM: You have so many passions (photography, cooking, tattoos, animals), how do you balance your business and personal life?
SK: My business life and my personal life are one in the same. I am never not vegan and never not participating in teachable moments.
I do try and stop doing any “GoVegan.net” work after 6 pm, but my work life always bleeds into my personal life…especially when I’m around food. For example, if I’m out for dinner and I like the way the food is done/presented, I will put that idea in my pocket for later. You know what I mean? My well-rounded life and the world I’m involved in inspire me on a daily basis.
VM: What has been the most rewarding part of sharing your veganism through your cookbooks?
SK: Probably the people I’ve been able to meet and the friendships I’ve gained because of the books. Plus, I’m extremely grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to share my voice in such a way that it reaches people all over the world. That’s pretty rad, and I don’t take it for granted, not for a second. 
VM: What’s coming up next for you…any new cookbooks brewing?
SK: The 2011 calendar has done really well, so we just finished shooting/working on the 2012 calendar. It’s HILARIOUS and I think everyone is going to get a kick out of it. Plus, a portion of the funds from both calendars go to http://www.seashepherd.org, and I’m stoked about that.
For more information on Kramer and her vegan cookbooks, go to www.GoVegan.net.
